What to Check Before You Choose a Material

By GETAUVE Editorial Team · Published October 11, 2026

What to Check Before You Choose a Material

A friend texts you: silicone, or something else? Here's the reply worth sending.

Material decides how a device feels, how it cleans, and what you can safely pair with it. Three checks cover almost everything, and the third one is the check most buyers skip.

The Short Answer

Go with body-safe silicone unless you have a specific reason not to. It's non-porous, so it rinses clean rather than holding onto residue the way porous materials can. Pair it with a water-based lubricant and you've removed the two most common sources of irritation. If you want a licking-style feel rather than straight vibration, CONDICE is built around that motion. If you're buying for two, the Couples Intimacy set ships with the lubricant, so the pairing question is answered before the box is even open.

Check One: Porous Or Non-Porous

This is the check that matters most, and it's the easiest to confirm.

Non-porous materials have a surface that liquids and residue can't sink into. Silicone, glass, and some coated metals sit in that group. Porous materials, including many soft plastics and jelly-style blends, have tiny surface gaps that hold onto whatever touches them, and a rinse doesn't reach into those gaps.

You don't need a lab. Squeeze the surface. If it feels slightly tacky, leaves a film on your fingers, or has a strong plastic smell out of the packaging, treat it as porous and clean it far more carefully. Silicone feels dry and smooth, and it doesn't smell like anything.

The practical consequence is simple: non-porous is easier to keep clean, and easier usually wins.

Check Two: What The Surface Actually Feels Like

Material and finish are two different things, and finish is what you notice first.

A matte finish glides less and holds lubricant differently than a glossy one. A textured surface adds sensation that a smooth one doesn't. Both are legitimate, and neither is better in the abstract.

What you want to avoid is a finish that grabs. If the surface pulls at skin rather than sliding across it, you'll need more lubricant than you expected, which is a sign to reassess. A 4 oz bottle of a good water-based lubricant should cover roughly 20 to 30 sessions, so if you're burning through it in a week, the surface is fighting you.

Texture should be a choice, not something you're compensating for. The downside worth knowing: a surface that grabs feels fine at low speed and abrasive at high speed, so test at both ends before you commit.

Check Three: What It Pairs With

This is the check buyers skip, and it's the one that costs them a device.

Silicone bodies and silicone-based lubricants don't get along. Over time, the two can interact and degrade the surface of the device, leaving it sticky or cloudy. Water-based lubricant avoids the problem entirely, which is why it's the default pairing for anything silicone.

Glass and coated metal are more forgiving. Silicone lubricant is fine with those, and it lasts longer before you need to reapply. If you own one type of lubricant and want it to work with everything, make it water-based.

One more pairing note. Some lubricants contain warming or tingling additives. Those are a preference, not a requirement.

Where Materials Fail In Practice

Most material problems show up after purchase, not before.

The first failure is storage. A device left in contact with another device, or with a vinyl pouch, can bond or transfer color over months. Late at night, in a hurry, that's the mistake people make. Store each piece in its own pouch and you've solved it.

The second is cleaning. The first time you clean a new piece, a 2-minute rinse with a mild toy cleaner and a full air dry is enough for a non-porous surface. If the routine takes more than 3 minutes, the surface is holding water it shouldn't.

The third is heat. A device that sits in a hot car for 8 hours isn't ruined, but silicone holds temperature, so let it come back to room temperature before use rather than warming it artificially.

Cleaning Without Working Against The Material

Two habits, and neither takes long.

Wipe down after every use and let the piece air dry for 30 minutes before it goes back in the pouch. Do a deeper clean once a week if you use it often. Skip boiling unless the manufacturer says the material handles it, because not every silicone blend is the same.

If a surface starts feeling permanently tacky or develops a smell that doesn't rinse away, that's your signal. Non-porous materials shouldn't hold odor. If yours does, it wasn't non-porous.

Who Can Ignore This Question

If you already own a device you like and it has held up over a year of regular use, you've answered the question by experience. Buy the same material again.

Skip the deep dive if you're shopping purely on feel and price band. Material matters most when a device is going to be used often and cleaned repeatedly, which is exactly when a cheap porous piece fails first.

And if you're buying a single piece to try the category, the downside of getting this slightly wrong is a device that wears out early, not a health crisis.

Sources

• American Sexual Health Association - consumer education on body-safe materials and lubricant compatibility.
• Cleveland Clinic - general consumer notes on skin sensitivity and when to consult a professional.
• Journal of Sexual Medicine - peer-reviewed research on material safety and device care.

This article is general education about product choice and care and is not medical advice. Persistent irritation or ongoing discomfort is worth discussing with a qualified clinician.