Second-hand sex toys, a cheaper and greener alternative?

After centuries of control over sexuality (especially female) and taboos on intimate pleasure, speech is gradually being freed, and health and sexual fulfillment finally seem to be taken seriously. This is especially true from the era #Me too as explained by Christel Bony, sex therapist and president of the association SexTech foreverfor whom the liberation of intimate discourse has a real political dimension: ” There was a sexual revolution, a search for equality in the face of pleasure, the vision of informed and enthusiastic consent required learning, understanding one’s body, intellectualizing pleasure in some way. explains the activist entrepreneur. The lack of significant information on the concept of consent has allowed” also be interested female sexuality »according to Christel Bony.

Social networks they then proposed for a few years, a space for sexual education and liberationoften interactive. Many accounts, on Instagram or TikTok in particular, try to decomplex topics such as solitary pleasure or the use of intimate toyswho have seen their sales accelerate in particular from 2020.

The booming sex toy market

Beyond the discussions and debates about intimate pleasure that can be found on social networks or in podcasts, sex toys are in their heyday. After a record year 2020 for the sex toy market, particularly due to lockdowns around the world, the industry reached 32.7 billion in 2022 and is expected to surpass the 63 billion by 2030 in the world, according to the study by Grand View Search. In France in 2020, 51% of French people aged between 18 and 69 said they had already used a sex toy, according to a survey by theFIGSa number that has never been higher.

This democratization is explained, according to Christel Bony, by access to technologies and sites, where to find increasingly inclusive information and products. “We have democratized the use of sex toys, especially as a couple. Men are more curious to share the pleasure and women are more daring and integrate it into their wellness routine”says the sex therapist. WHO has also stated that ” sexual health was central to people’s overall health and well-being “. Intimate toys, in addition to pleasure, allow, for example, to help relax or recover after childbirth.

However, if they are increasingly attractive on a global scale, the well-being they provide comes at a cost and their mass production is not environmentally friendly. For this reason, in a moment of attraction of second-hand markets, in a context of environmental and financial crisis, two entrepreneurs have decided to launch a site for the resale of used sex toys. A kind of vinted for intimate toys.

The second hand, a way to make sex toys more accessible (and environmentally friendly)

It can be difficult to imagine that very intimate and therefore personal sex toys can be lent or exchanged. Nevertheless, the market for second-hand sex toys is growing, with strict hygiene standards.

Until now, ” there were too few options for ethically disposing of intimate toys as Lisa and Dan, founders of the Squeaky Clean Toy site, explain. They have decided to launch this site for the resale of used, new or already used sex toys, with the aim of ” provide a clean, safe and generally public place, with products at affordable prices and where everyone can help each other more easily (…) but also help the environment by reducing waste », according to the founders.

they also want raise awareness of quality sex toysas they only accept the resale of recognized brands e sterilizable and non-porous products (for the hygienic side), excluding toxic materials (such as PVC), for “body safety”.

Perfectly clean toy, in addition to its marketplace of sex toys for resale, offers an informative blog, especially on health regulations. Indeed, every vendor must follow a strict housekeeping charterwith supporting videos.

Then more cheapMoreover eco-responsible and no less hygienic than new ones, will second-hand sex toys win the hearts of consumers or curious novices?