A Grown-Up Buying Guide to Sexual Wellness Products (Non-Explicit)

No product picks yet. This guide doesn't recommend specific products or link to any store. If we add picks later, each one will come with a plain reason for the pick and an affiliate disclosure at the top of this page.

Shopping for sexual wellness products is still weirdly hard to do like an adult. A lot of the marketing is loud, vague, or explicit, and a lot of the actual information you need (what it's made of, how to clean it, whether you can return it) is buried or missing. This guide is about the boring, useful parts. Nothing here is explicit, and nothing here is medical advice.

Shop like it's any other purchase

Treat this like buying headphones or a kitchen appliance. Before you buy:

• Set a budget. Decide what you want to spend before you start browsing, not after.
• Know the total cost. The FTC suggests learning the total cost of the product, including shipping, handling, delivery, taxes, or other fees before you buy.
• Read the return policy. Check whether an opened product can be returned at all, and on what terms. The FTC suggests checking who pays for return shipping, how many days you have to return an item, and whether there are restocking fees. Policies on sale items can be different, too.
• Look for a warranty. If a product has electronics or a battery, a warranty matters. The FTC says that whenever there's a warranty, the law says it must be available for you to read before you buy, in person or online.
• Read reviews with a critical eye. The FTC warns that some reviews and ratings are fake or misleading, and suggests checking several sources instead of relying on star ratings.

Materials and body safety: reading the label

The single most useful thing on a product listing is a clear materials list. If a seller won't tell you what something is made of, that tells you something.

Brown University's health promotion office (BWell) groups common materials into two families for care purposes:

• Non-porous: BWell lists glass, stainless steel, hard plastic, and silicone.
• Porous: BWell lists rubber, vinyl, cyberskin, nylon, and leather. It notes that rubber materials are porous and difficult to clean, and that their composition is not always known.

What to look for on a label:

• A specific material name, not just "body-safe" or "premium."
• Care and cleaning instructions from the manufacturer.
• For anything electronic: whether it's waterproof or only splash-resistant, how it charges, and what the warranty covers.
• A real company name and a way to contact them.

If you have a health question, such as an allergy, a medical condition, or something that doesn't feel right after use, ask a doctor or other clinician. We're not going to give health advice, and a product listing isn't a substitute for one either.

Discreet shipping and billing

Privacy is a legitimate thing to care about, whether you live with roommates, family, or just a nosy neighbor. Before you order, check:

• Packaging. Does the seller say how orders ship? Plain box, no product names on the outside?
• The name on your statement. What will the charge look like on your card or bank statement? If the seller doesn't say, ask before you order. This matters especially if you share an account with someone.
• Your account and email. Will you get marketing emails? Can you check out as a guest? Will your order history be visible on a shared device?
• What data the site collects. The FTC suggests knowing what personal information the site or app collects before you hand it over.

On paying: the FTC says paying by credit card best protects you and your money in case of a scam or if something else goes wrong, and explains how to dispute a charge for items you never got or that arrived defective.

Buying together as a couple

For a lot of couples, the hard part isn't the purchase. It's bringing it up. A few low-pressure ways in:

Then the money part, which is easier than you'd think:

• Treat it like any shared purchase. If you have a shared account or shared budget, it can come from there. If not, split it the way you split other things.
• Agree on a budget first, so nobody feels pushed into spending more than they want to.
• Decide who keeps it if you don't live together. Unromantic, but practical.

Our splitting guide and joint vs. separate accounts cover the general methods.

And the most important rule: both people should actually want to. If one of you isn't interested, that's a complete answer.

Care, cleaning, and storage

Follow the manufacturer's instructions. They know what their product can and can't handle. BWell's own care guide says it isn't meant to replace the manufacturer's instructions.

A few general points from BWell's care guidance:

• Remove batteries before cleaning, and never submerge electrical components in water.
• Store items in a container or pouch, in a cool, dry place.
• Different materials need different care, which is another reason to buy from sellers who tell you exactly what something is made of.

Where to buy, and what to avoid

Where you buy matters about as much as what you buy.

Signs of a seller worth considering:

• Clear materials lists and care instructions on every product.
• A posted return policy and warranty terms you can read before buying.
• A real business name, contact information, and customer service.
• Straight answers about shipping, packaging, and what appears on your statement.

Warning signs:

• No materials listed, or only vague words like "body-safe" with no detail.
• Brand-name products at prices that seem too good. The FTC notes that expensive brand-name items offered for bargain prices could be counterfeit or stolen.
• Unknown marketplace sellers with no history and reviews that all sound the same.
• A seller that only takes gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps, or crypto. The FTC says never buy from online sellers that insist on those payment methods.

Keep your receipts and order emails. The FTC recommends keeping records so you're able to hold a seller to its promises.

Our picks

Not yet. We'd rather publish no picks than picks we can't stand behind. When we add them, each one will have a plain reason for the pick, and this page will say clearly at the top if it contains affiliate links. Read how this site makes money.

The short version

• Budget, total cost, return policy, warranty: same as any purchase.
• Look for a clear materials list and the manufacturer's care instructions.
• Check packaging, the statement name, and what data the site collects.
• Buy together only if you both want to; split it like any shared cost.
• Skip sellers with vague labels, too-good prices, or odd payment demands.