--- title: "Silicone: Is It Body-Safe? Care & Silicone vs TPE" url: "https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/" type: "page" updated: "2026-07-02" --- # Silicone: Is It Body-Safe? Care & Silicone vs TPE Source: https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/ · Updated: 2026-07-02 Silicone is the gold standard for toys — body-safe, non-porous, and easy to keep clean. ✓ Body-safe, non-porous ## The essentials - A smooth, flexible polymer (a polysiloxane) that warms to body temperature. - Feels soft and skin-warm, with a light drag that a little lube fixes. - Cleans with mild soap and water or a toy cleaner. - A confident choice for almost anything, especially anything internal or shared. ## Body-safe at a glance | Porosity | Non-porous | |---|---| | Phthalates | None | | Cleaning | Soap & water; 100% silicone can be boiled | | Sterilizable | Yes (100% silicone) | | Lube | Water-based (silicone lube can affect it) | **Good to know — porosity, safety & the honest detail** ### Is silicone body-safe? Yes. Body-safe silicone is non-porous and hypoallergenic-tending — it doesn’t absorb fluids or harbour bacteria the way porous materials can, and it wipes clean easily. It’s the material most recommended for anything used internally. ### Is silicone porous? No — silicone is non-porous, meaning it has no microscopic holes for fluid or bacteria to sit in. That’s why it can be cleaned thoroughly and, if it’s 100% silicone, even boiled. ### What about “medical-grade” silicone? “Medical-grade” has no single enforced legal definition, so treat it as a hint, not a guarantee. What actually matters is that the silicone is non-porous, phthalate-free, and platinum- or peroxide-cured — those are the real markers, and we describe them plainly rather than leaning on the label. ## Silicone vs TPE & TPR | | Silicone | TPE & TPR | |---|---|---| | Porosity | Non-porous | Porous | | Sterilizable | Yes (100% silicone) | No | | Feel | Firm-soft, warms up | Very soft, lifelike | | Sharing | Clean or condom | Condom recommended | | Price | Higher | Lower | [Read about TPE & TPR →](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/tpe/) ## How to care for Silicone 1. Rinse and wash before first use. 2. Clean with warm soapy water or a toy cleaner after every use. 3. 100% silicone (no motor) can be boiled 5–10 minutes or run on a dishwasher top rack to sanitise. 4. Dry fully and store separately — silicone can attract lint. **For the material nerds ↓** Silicone is a polymer of siloxane (–Si–O–Si–) with organic side groups; the same chemistry gives it thermal stability and inertness. Toy-grade silicone is typically platinum-cure (addition-cure), which leaves no reactive by-products, versus older peroxide-cure. Its non-porosity comes from the crosslinked, hydrophobic network — fluids sit on the surface rather than absorbing. Note that silicone lubricants can, over long exposure, bond to and mar a silicone surface, which is why water-based lube is the safe default. [Shop all body-safe toys →](https://phareros.com/body-safe-toys/) ## Shop in this material - [![Lovense Lush 3.0 Sound Activated Camming Vibrator – Pink by Lovense product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-643249-086cc6324ba932a5/w300) Lovense Lush 3.0 Sound Activated Camming Vibrator – Pink $124.00](https://phareros.com/product/lovense-lush-3-0-sound-activated-camming-vibrator-pink/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=60386) - [![Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux – Black by Hot Octopuss product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-640242-2006ffbfff646ee3/w300) Hot Octopuss Pulse Solo Lux – Black](https://phareros.com/product/hot-octopuss-pulse-solo-lux-black/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=23536) - [![Lovense Nora Rotating Head Rabbit – Pink by Lovense product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-636323-c5c2f84864e1b383/w300) Lovense Nora Rotating Head Rabbit – Pink](https://phareros.com/product/lovense-nora-rotating-head-rabbit-pink/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=60382) - [![Vibratex Magic Wand Rechargeable HV-270 Massager by Magic Wand product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-631867-19776cd06d18e119/w300) Vibratex Magic Wand Rechargeable HV-270 Massager](https://phareros.com/product/vibratex-magic-wand-rechargeable-hv-270-massager/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=23518) - [![We-Vibe Vector+ – Charcoal Black by We-Vibe product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-680412-350528ee00882e8e/w300) We-Vibe Vector+ – Charcoal Black $149.00](https://phareros.com/product/we-vibe-vector-charcoal-black/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=441441) - [![Lovense Lush 2.0 Sound Activated Vibrator – Pink by Lovense product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-637325-bff0de14cf2a2d67/w300) Lovense Lush 2.0 Sound Activated Vibrator – Pink $104.00](https://phareros.com/product/lovense-lush-2-0-sound-activated-vibrator-pink/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=42767) - [![We-Vibe Nova 2 Flexible Rabbit – Midnight Blue by We-Vibe product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-649923-604c75258db6bde1/w300) We-Vibe Nova 2 Flexible Rabbit – Midnight Blue $159.00](https://phareros.com/product/we-vibe-nova-2-flexible-rabbit-midnight-blue/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=118602) - [![We-Vibe Tango X – Midnight Blue by We-Vibe product image](https://imagedelivery.net/yMyw0dLbvNU5PSeclkTipg/wp-643149-b56fb7d47393d269/w300) We-Vibe Tango X – Midnight Blue $85.00](https://phareros.com/product/we-vibe-tango-x-midnight-blue/) [Add to cart](https://phareros.com/learn/materials-ingredients/silicone/?add-to-cart=59043) **Sources & further reading:** [Silicone — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicone) · [Polydimethylsiloxane — Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydimethylsiloxane) General educational information, not medical advice — always read the product label and, if you have a specific allergy, check the product details. Written in-house from open references (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA; PubChem, public domain). [How we research →](https://phareros.com/learn/editorial-standards/) --- ## Buying from Phareros Free US shipping on orders over $49. Orders ship in plain packaging with no external markings. Card statements show "Enterprise Refinery LLC", not the store name. Details: https://phareros.com/discreet-shipping/ Site index for AI agents: https://phareros.com/llms.txt