LOS ANGELES – A noted molecular biologist will examine The Screaming O’s adult novelties to ensure the materials used in the products meet rigorous quality control standards for responsible manufacturing and consumer safety.
The third-party validation process is Phase 2 of the company’s product materials verification and labeling initiative.
The contracted molecular biologist, Erika Batchelder, is lab manager at a San Diego-based biotech company. She will provide complete breakdowns and explanations of all resources related to safety, composition and production of the most common materials found in sex toys. With a specialty in potentially harmful compounds and toxicology, Batchelder brings a wealth of knowledge and fresh perspective to an important issue that has become a hot-button topic among sex toy manufacturers and consumers.
“In my daily work, I have learned a great deal about many of the chemicals we are exposed to and how potentially important levels of these compounds are on our health,” Batchelder said. “I’m looking forward to educating the staff at The Screaming O while also helping to debunk myths and quell misinformation relating to the variety of materials found in popular sex toys for men and women.”
In December 2014, The Screaming O contracted an independent laboratory to test each material in its catalog, including ABS, SEBS and silicone. The first testing phase revealed The Screaming O’s SEBS and premium silicone are pure, non-toxic and body-safe, and the company has updated marketing, packaging and websites to amend any materials-related misinformation that may be circulating.
“It’s so exciting to have independent lab results,” said Conde Aumann, an account executive with The Screaming O. “Now, with Erika’s valuable third-party validation to further support our brand, The Screaming O even more proudly stands behind each of our products. We want our customers and partners to feel confident to do the same.
“Plus, we genuinely want everyone on the planet to have better, more satisfying sex and let The Screaming O be their guide — or at least their gateway,” she added.
The Screaming O is known for creating quality alternatives that serve as “gateway toys” to consumers looking for ways to spice up their sex lives — often for the very first time — as well as more experienced shoppers working within a sex toy budget.
“All who fall within these realms deserve body-safe materials and quality construction, which is one of the reasons why The Screaming O remains committed to its materials testing initiative,” Aumann said.
No stranger to intimate products herself, Batchelder incorporates a consumer mindset into her professional services to provide a well-rounded understanding of product materials, their components and what it takes for a product to fall within the confines of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
“I have been a fan of sex toys for many years, and I have a lot of respect for a company that puts both pleasure and safety at the forefront,” Batchelder said. “On the consumer level, safety and confidence relating to sex toys has so much to do with knowledge, and it’s up to manufacturers to provide that kind of information. And consumers deserve to know what they’re putting in and around their bodies, which is one of the reasons why The Screaming O’s testing and labeling initiative is so exciting.”
As lab manager, Batchelder tests the effects of a variety of potentially hazardous chemicals and compounds on cells’ normal functions. Using human cells grown in culture in a high-throughput manner, her work helps clients determine the toxicity of a chemical or compound within a specific human cellular function.
Prior to her current position, Batchelder performed a variety of molecular and cellular research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her special focus on cancer later landed her at the Salk Institute handling human embryonic stem cell projects.
“I am incredibly excited to work with a sex toy company that feels so proud of and passionate about making products safe and effective for its end users,” Batchelder said. “I help The Screaming O understand the results of their testing and how to make sex toys safer, in general, and I love knowing that I might have even the slightest influence on the quality of a sex toy line that has the potential to make many people happy.”
