What Are the Differences Between Silicone and TPE Dolls in the Adult Toy Industry

In the current situation, materials being used in making realistic dolls in the mature toy market are full silicone, full TPE, and a combination of TPE and a silicone head. In order to clarify for everyone, differences in silicone and TPE dolls will be compared and analyzed in multiple ways as follows.

Silicone materials for dolls’ heads

I. Materials

Both TPE and silicone are elastomers. TPE is a thermoplastic elastomer, and silicone belongs to the category of thermosetting elastomers. The easiest method of identifying both silicone and TPE materials will be through the burning of the two materials. While burning, silicone will release white smoke with the formation of a gray-white residue. TPE soft rubber will produce black smoke similar to plastic with a black oily residue.

The SEBS used as the basis for TPE material is a hydrogenated version of SBS. SBS stands for styrene-butadiene styrene, which is a styrenic block copolymer. SEBS TPE can be formulated to have different levels of softness. Hardness values of TPE are largely dependent on SEBS Mw, oil additive quantity, as well as PP component, which can be several times softer compared to that of silicone.

The TPE has high strength, high elasticity, and injection moldability. It has broad applications, is eco-friendly, non-toxic, and safe, and has strong colorability. It has a soft touch, has good weather resistance, fatigue resistance, and temperature resistance, and has excellent processability. It can be processed through secondary injection molding or as an individual process.

The silicone formula for the doll is addition-curing platinum liquid silicone. The silicone is mixed equally in a 1:1 ratio and is cured at room temperature. The silicone is known for its non-toxic, odorless, and aging-resistant properties.

The density of silicone is higher than that of TPE material. If rubber is compared to silicone, TPE can be likened to a sponge. At a magnified level several times, the molecular structure of TPE resembles a sponge with many pores, but the silicone material has a high density. The high density of the silicone material enables the material to be more plastic, which has better weight control. Thus, the details of the silicone dolls regarding curves and skin can be more defined than those of TPE dolls. This is the reason siloxane materials are more effective as an anti-aging substance than the TPE material.

TPE Material Doll Torso

II. Tactile Feel

The elasticity of TPE material has never been equaled by ordinary silicone. The TPE material enables free density arrangement in different parts of the body of the doll to give each part a realistic feel. This can even include, for instance, making a soft breast have hollow sections during injection molding, with the hardness or softness of the materials being varied to ensure that the circularity, hardness, or fullness of the breasts of the doll can be achieved to a better extent compared to ordinary silicone. Of course, with technological development, it is now possible to make modern silicone dolls with ultra-soft silicone having a Shore C hardness, which can give a perfect feel, but this is more expensive.

III. Odour

Odorless addition cured platinum silicon dolls. TPE soft rubber dolls will smell like rubber or fragrances. The use of fragrances is mainly for eliminating the smell of the materials used. Fragrances are categorized into natural fragrances and artificial fragrances. Natural fragrances are quite environment friendly. They do not pose any danger to the user because they are non-toxic. However, they are more expensive. Artificial fragrances might smell stronger. Since they are mainly composed of chemicals, there is a high likelihood that they might cause reactions or might be dangerous to the human body.

IV. TEXTURE

Inasmuch as silicone has a slightly harder texture than TPE soft rubber, detailed expression representation within silicone dolls is more detailed than in TPE soft rubber dolls. Realistic hand details can be achieved only by silicone dolls; TPE soft rubber dolls are less effective in this aspect.

V. Stretchability

Silicone dolls have the theoretical capability to stretch from three to five times their original length based on the materials used, while TPE soft rubber dolls can stretch from six to eight times. Hence, TPE soft rubber dolls possess better tensile strength. The silicone dolls can easily get torn if not handled properly.

VI.
Durability

Silicone dolls are resistant to high temperatures, alkali, and acid. The TPE soft rubber dolls are not resistant to high temperatures, and their anti-aging ability is not as good as silicone dolls. Silicone dolls do not easily react to any other substance except corrosive materials.

VII. Price

Because the raw material price of the silicone doll is several times higher than that of the TPE soft rubber doll, the price difference between the two is considerable. One can purchase a whole body TPE soft rubber doll in five to eight thousand yuan, but a silicone doll is even higher than ten thousand yuan. Conclusion

All-Silicone Realistic Dolls
The head and body are made of silicone material. The material has a high degree of detail for a realistic look but is harder in texture.
The price is expensive at between 10,000 to 20,000 RMB. It is not ideal for any use due to its hardness but is ideal for decorative purposes like photo shoots. Realistic all-TPE dolls: These dolls are relatively soft to the touch but lack realistic details compared to silicone. However, they are cheaper and priced at around 25,000 RMB. These are ideal as sex toys for adults and are very functional at present (the most widely available type in experience centers). With a silicone head and a body made of TPE, these dolls are highly realistic, as a silicone head integrates a realistic silicone feature with a soft TPE body. The cost for these dolls is about 4,000 RMB. Although both materials look somewhat similar, TPE is not quite as good as silicone when it comes to smell and oiliness. Silicone is better to work with when it comes to crafting realistic doll head sculpts.