According to Meika Hollender of Sustain Natural Condoms, “Everyone is thinking about the ingredients in their food and their makeup.” She told The New York Times, “But no one is thinking about the ingredients that go in the products they put in the most intimate parts of our body.”

Vegan options for sexual accessories are becoming rapidly more popular, especially for people who have already adopted a vegan lifestyle. Companies like Sustain want to make sure that consumers are putting healthy products into their body, and that means a more environmentally friendly list of ingredients. How do we know what is friendly and what isn’t? Phthalate-free and cruelty-free are what you should look for when shopping for items, sexual or not. Phthalates disrupt hormones as it is a chemical used in plastic.

As we know, vegan sex toys and vegan condoms are on the market but what about BDSM or kink accessories? The BDSM community is inherently connected to leather, latex, and rubber — where can customers seek out alternatives as vegans?

The Vegan Sex Shop

Peace activists run the show at the Vegan Sex Shop which strives to bring “veganism to the mainstream.” Cuffs, floggers, collars and others fetish items can be found at this shop, with six percent of the profit going towards a charity of your choice. A selected item is the gorgeous Rapture Five Piece Stainless Steel Restraint Set ($199) with a “locking neck collar, wrist cuffs, and ankle shackles.” Gags, silicone rope, hoods, and paddles can all be found in the shop. The best part is that you don’t need to read over the ingredients or materials used, you already know it’s all vegan.

Ethical Kink

Kink and BDSM involve a great deal of communication and trust between partners. Ethical Kink provides dialogue, articles, and information about having a risk-aware and consensual experience. They believe that kink gear that is made with animal products is anything but consensual and have set out to provide alternative products. “How consenting are people working 80+ hours for below-the-poverty-line wages? How consenting are the cows in the leather industry?” they say on their website. Most of their products are made from recycled or reclaimed materials. A favorite is the Pocket Flogger (£9.99) which you can keep stored in your bag, pocket, or even on your key chain for a quick session with your sub.

Vondage

Stockroom initiated their own vegan BDSM line called Vondage in 2016, which includes collars, leashes, cuffs, and lingerie. The line’s products are made up of, “vegan microfiber which is free of animal products, yet retains the sensual feeling of traditional leather.” Strockroom has been around since 1990, making this a 27-year-old business with quality toys and accessories. The Vondage Head Harness with Muzzle ($64) is made from 100% vegan leather and is absolutely stunning — a definite buy for kinksters looking for reinforcements.

Being vegan isn’t only about your diet, it’s a complete lifestyle alteration. You mind where everything from how your clothing to your deodorant is made, so it makes sense to want to have vegan options in the sex toy department.

Let us know about your favorite BDSM vegan shops in the comments!

Cover image courtesy of Getty Images.

By S. Nicole Lane on April 12, 2017
Nicole is a women's health journalist living in Chicago. Her sex and art column, "Intimate Justice" can be found on Sixty Inches from Center. She also contributes to The Establishment, HelloGiggles, GO Magazine, and elsewhere. In addition to writing she is an artist who works with assemblage and sculpture. She tweets at @snicolelane.