Erotika: our positioning, explained (4/4)
Where Erotika stands
Profit on one side. People on the other. It remains to be seen where a boutique actually stands.
A spectrum, not a divide
The two previous articles set out the two ends of a single line: on one side, an industry that has made profit its only compass (article 2/4); on the other, structures that resist this logic, at the cost of great precariousness (article 3/4). Between the two lies almost the entirety of the pleasure-related retail sector—sex shops included.
What truly distinguishes one model from the other is never a matter of brand image. It is a matter of structure: what the company does with its margins, the actual safety of its products, and the sales techniques employed.
0.1%
Did you know?
To date, there are no mandatory standards specific to the safety of sex toys in France or the European Union. The first dedicated international standard, ISO 3533 (2021), remains voluntary—manufacturers can choose not to comply with it. The only general binding rule is the 0.1% limit on phthalates applied to toys, which has been extended to include sex toys (sources: ISO 3533:2021; European phthalate regulations). This vacuum does not mean that all players in the sector take advantage of it—many choose, individually, to go beyond the legal minimum. But nothing structurally obliges them to do so.
To date, there are no mandatory standards specific to the safety of sex toys in France or the European Union. The first dedicated international standard, ISO 3533 (2021), remains voluntary—manufacturers can choose not to comply with it. The only general binding rule is the 0.1% limit on phthalates applied to toys, which has been extended to include sex toys (sources: ISO 3533:2021; European phthalate regulations). This vacuum does not mean that all players in the sector take advantage of it—many choose, individually, to go beyond the legal minimum. But nothing structurally obliges them to do so.
What Erotika chooses to do
In concrete terms, Erotika chooses to be transparent about its margins and donates 5% of its profits to initiatives raising awareness about consent and discrimination-free sexuality for adults—a commitment that is documented, not just declared.
The RESS: embedding sexuality into society
Erotika, along with Les 3 Oui, is among the founding structures of the RESS, the network for social and solidarity-based economy enterprises. Its purpose: to advocate collectively for a growing part of the pleasure economy to stop stripping sexuality of its social foundations and, instead, put it back at the service of people—what social science researchers sometimes call "embedding" an economic activity in society, rather than letting it detach from it.
A point of clarification is needed here: neither Erotika nor Les 3 Oui currently hold the legal status of a social and solidarity-based enterprise—both brands are still operated by standard companies. This is precisely the direction the RESS advocates for, based on fundamental work informed by academic research. To learn more about this theoretical approach, the RESS’s process is detailed on its own website.
What remains of this series
Sexuality at the service of profit maximizes attention, not well-being. Sexuality at the service of people starts from people's real-life experiences, redistributes a portion of what it generates, and accepts being transparent about its choices. It is this line, rather than any specific sector, that Erotika has chosen to occupy.
Sources cited in this article
- ISO 3533:2021 — Products intended for sexual use — Requirements and test methods. — iso.org
- ComplianceGate, Sex Toy Safety Standards & Regulations in the European Union: An Overview — compliancegate.com
Previous article (3/4)
Sexuality in the service of people: the SSE vision