Your Phthalate Questions Answered

By Desiree Duffie

Topco Sales understands the concerns within the industry and among a small segment of the public about phthalates. We have compiled the ten questions we hear the most and have provided answers.

1. I hear a lot about phthalates in sex toys. What are phthalates?
   Phthalates are colorless, odorless compounds that are used to make vinyl soft and flexible. Oily in nature, phthalates essentially soften hard rubber.
2. What type of products contains phthalates?
   Phthalates have been around for more than fifty years and can be found in medical devices, toys, fragrances, nail polish, blood donor bags, and in some sex toy materials.
3. Do phthalates pose a health risk?
   No, there is no scientific evidence that shows there is any health risk to humans.
4. I heard phthalates cause cancer?
   Not according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is an arm of the World Health Organization, and states phthalates are not classifiable as a human carcinogen.
5. I read that phthalates have an effect on human sexual development and function, is that true?
   National Toxicology Program studies conducted by the National Institute of Health, reviewed all studies claiming human reproductive effects and declared those studies were insufficient to warrant the drawing of any conclusions.
6. Why is there so much controversy surrounding phthalates then?
   Recently a study by Dr. Shanna Swan raised eyebrows as it claimed a correlation between phthalate exposure in utero and genital defects/fertility issues in boys. However the reality is that not one baby in the study had any abnormal genital development. A peer-reviewed scientific study of Swan's report, plus other reports, views the data differently.
   Details can be found here
7. I'm still going to be cautious. Better to be safe than sorry, right?
   Topco Sales understands that there are a lot of people who are fearful of phthalates, and because we consider the customer to be paramount, we have made a commitment to work toward being phthalate-free. We now place a phthalate-free logo on all packages of products that are free of phthalates. But remember, you ingest more phthalates from the food you eat than you ever could from the sex toys you play with.
8. What about products not made by Topco Sales, how can I tell which toy materials contain phthalates?
   Look at how pliable the material is. To make a bendable adult toy, PVC must be softened. Hard PVC does not contain phthalates. However, adult toys that are pliable and made of PVC need a plasticizer to make the PVC soft. That plasticizer may or may not be a phthalate. You need to stick with a brand that you can trust. All Topco Sales®' items, like Topco's 100% Silicone and CyberSkin®, that are phthalate-free are marked with that phthalate-free logo.
9. But CyberSkin® is very soft and pliable; it feels just like human skin, how could it not contain phthalates?
   Remember, just because it is pliable does not mean that it contains phthalates. CyberSkin® is a special material indeed. Incredibly lifelike, supple and pliable, it is made out of unique ingredients developed with the help of NASA engineering. It does not, and never has contained phthalates. Do make sure you get the original CyberSkin®, as many competitors have tried to duplicate this amazing material, and it is difficult to know what ingredients their recipes may contain.
10. Is there anyway you can substantiate that there are no phthalates in CyberSkin®?
    A recent report by Greenpeace Netherlands analyzed the ingredients in several popular soft, pliable sex toys. One of those items was a CyberSkin® piece manufactured by Topco Sales. Of all the toys tested, only the CyberSkin® toy was found to be phthalate-free.
    More Info here

If you or your customers would like to know which Topco Sales products are phthalate-free, click here for a list, or contact your Topco Sales account executive.

Good Vibrations has a Ball!

By Liz Plascencia

Pictured: Liz Plascenia, Account Executive for Topco Sales, and Coyote Days, Senior Buyer for Good Vibrations

February 14th showed no signs that retail store chain Good Vibrations had gone through some rough times in 2007. They held their first annual Queen of Hearts Ball and Pleasure Faire to celebrate the season of love. It was truly a fairytale experience from the décor to the Pleasure Faire that had everything from beautiful corsets, Good Vibrations novelties, chocolates and a fortune teller.

"I'm so happy with the turn out and the costumes that some people are wearing. They are GREAT!" said Coyote Days, Senior Buyer for Good Vibrations.

There was about 150-200 people that attended the event at Mighty in San Francisco and all were welcomed by the Mistress of Ceremonies, Peaches Christ. We truly wish Good Vibrations much success in 2008 and look forward to next year's ball!

Share in Castle Megastore's Successful Model: Market to Brides-to-Be

By Desiree Duffie

Spring is in the air and that means a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of…YOU KNOW! It is the season for weddings, bachelor parties, bachelorette parties, and all kinds of romantic things. The Castle Megastore in Phoenix knows exactly how to tap into this seasonal market, that is why they advertised the second annual "Night of Romance" at the Phoenix Bridal Expo—and the result was a 'phenomenal' turn-out.

I spoke with Tera Grengs, who attended the event on behalf of Topco Sales, and she told me, "I watched entire wedding parties march into the store together. Brides-to-be, maids of honors, bridesmaids, were having fun and really enjoying themselves. The place was packed and I was very impressed with the great job that Castle Megastore did by organizing the event."

Topco Sales, along with several other toy and lubricant companies, participated by showcasing products and giving away prizes. Castle Megastore also promoted the "Night of Romance" with local radio and television advertising, and had a local television station on hand that reported on the event.

Adult stores have the best opportunity to take advantage of mainstream advertising and press around Valentine's Day and the spring time. Selling 'love' at this time of the year just seems natural and if done right, success will follow, just use Castle Megastore as an example.

As one of the leading manufacturer of adult novelties, Topco Sales knows the importance of this season for retailers, and is there to help. In addition to the Castle Megastore event, Topco Sales also recently did a promotion with SyberNexus, the parent company of BedTimeGirl.com, during the Bridal Show in Clarksville, TN. At the BedTimeGirl booth, brides-to-be were given the opportunity to sample various pillow packs of Topco Sales' top-selling Sex Tarts Lubes. They also were given the chance to win a World Famous Love Swing. The swing was displayed in the booth, and the set-up drew a large number of interested brides and grooms.

By participating in bridal shows and coordinating marketing efforts to correspond with the season, retailers can take advantage of the annual 140 billion dollar wedding industry. Weddings typically include standard purchases such as a cake, flowers, photography, etc. Adult toys usually aren't mentioned on that list, but they should be. Goodies bought for use on the wedding night, the honeymoon, gifts at the bridal shower, and treats for the bachelor and bachelorette parties are substantial, and savvy store owners and online retailers will take advantage of the season.

So what are the items that you absolutely MUST carry? Here is the top 20 list. Make sure you contact your Topco Sales representative or your distributor today and stock up for wedding season!

1451-7 TLC® Love Swing®	1384-7, 1385-7 Noveltease™ Binding Union Kits
0204-7 TLC® Peter Pecker™ Inflatable Party Doll with Ring Toss Game	3116-4 TLC® Sugar Kiss Frosted Body Icing Kit for Couples
1324-7 Noveltease™ Shout Out Shooters	3580-6 TLC® Sex Tarts® Lube Sampler
4879-6 My First™ Couples Kit	3225-7 TLC® Body Whipped Crème Sampler Collection
1328-7, 1329-7, 1330-7, 1331-7, 1332-7 Noveltease™ Paint a Peckers	3400-4 TLC® The Honeymoon for Lover's Kit
0920-4, 0921-4 Noveltease™ Flash Cards	0221-7 TLC® Skinny Dipper Ring Toss Flipper Pool Party Game
1303-6 Noveltease™ Paci-Pecker	A8107-7 Adam and Eve® Wild Instincts Padded Sling with Instructional Booklet
0201-7 TLC® Fat-Ass Inflatable Party Doll	A8476-6 Adam and Eve® CyberGlass® Ben Wa Pleasure Balls
P9130-9, P9131-9, P9132-9 Penthouse® Body Collection Spray-On Massage Oils	1305-7 Noveltease™ Peter Nose It All
0212-7 TLC® Man of the Year Inflatable Doll	0912-7 TLC® Kinky Kards, Outrageous Sexual Positions, Memory Card Game For Lovers