There are a lot of great sex products out there. That does not mean that all of them are. Some are just scams, and a few are downright dangerous. We wrote about some of the general categories of products that we will not review in our clearly titled Products We Will Not Review article. Although we will not review the products we write about here, we will write to warn you about them.

This time, we focus on sex products with magnets. The good news is that they won’t harm you, but you will pay more for the mystical power of magnetism that will do nothing for you what so ever.

I first came across a magnetic product from large adult retailer Ann Summers called Magnetize. It is an entire line of pricey products. The ad copy- “21 WAYS TO ORGASM. POWERED BY MAGNETS. For an earth shattering climax we’ve turned to the elements. The addition of strategically placed magnets, inspired by homeopathy, are intended to stimulate and increase sensitivity for out of this world orgasms.”

Ann Summers Magnetize line

There is a lot of bullshit to unpack here. Magnets are not elements, although a few elements, those that are ferromagnetic, can be magnetized. They include iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co) and gadolinium (Gd). Technically, we turn to the elements for most of the things we make, so good plan there.

This is not homeopathy, but inspired by it, and homeopathy was inspired by absolute crackpotism. A lot of people who believe in homeopathy have no idea how much nonsense it is. Just read the Wikipedia entry on homeopathy. It is Goop levels of crackpottery (see our article Terrifying New Sex Products).

Then there is the claim that magnets can give you better orgasms, in this case earth shattering ones, but they do not appear to be using rare earth magnets, which I assume is the only magnet strong enough to shatter the Earth. There have been claims that magnets have therapeutic benefits, and Quackwatch has a good explanation of why we should be skeptical of these claims. Also check out the excellent article on this topic on Science Based Medicine.

Ann Summers does not explain how magnets give you better orgasms, and I could find no studies on the subject. It might be because magnets are said to increase blood flow, which could increase sensitivity, but this has been thoroughly debunked. Static magnets have no impact on blood flow.

The science behind powerful electromagnetic fields and their effect on biology is not finalized, but this is very different from the much weaker force of static magnets. There is no science that I could find that could explain or document any effect by static magnets on female orgasm. The only measurable effect will be that on your wallet.

Thanks to the wonderful web site of Dr. Jen Gunter, I became aware of another ridiculous magnetic sex product- LadyCare. It uses magnets to cure hot flashes, and their web site informs that you may find relief for up to 24 different symptoms of menopause such as night sweats, weight gain, and mood swings. Awesome. I am assuming you can take all these symptoms and then stick them up on your refrigerator.

I just guessed that there would be magnetic cock rings, and sure enough. California Exotic Novelties offers Magnetic Power Rings. From their ad copy: “The power of magnets has long been recorded as a natural healing technique in many different civilizations throughout history. Harness the power with our collection of soft, stretchy, and durable TPR erection enhancers with nickel-free magnets. 2 strategically placed magnets.” Cock rings actually do help with maintaining an erection. Add magnets and you can also use them to pick up spilled paper clips. As to healing, they are pretty non-specific about what exactly is getting healed. How did you break it, and how did they figure out the most strategic places to put the magnets to unbreak it?

Magnetic Power Ring

At least they are nickel-free, which is apparently very important (I am assuming because some people have a nickel allergy- which is sad as you have to get all your change in dimes and pennies). Another company makes the Magnetic Power Ring Double Double Enhancer With Nickel Free Magnets. This should heal even more problems since it is double double and has four magnets. From the ad copy: “This double erection enhancer with Nickel-Free magnets contribute a stimulating massaging effect to both parties, while also helping to increase the flow of energy for lots of enjoyment.” I don’t know about the energy flow, but think of all the metal objects you can now stick to your penis when wearing this.

Magnetic Power Ring Double Double Enhancer With Nickel Free Magnets

I finally found an herbal remedy site that explained what magnetic cock rings are supposed to fix. It explains that “injuries to the penis can rupture blood vessels, damage nerve endings and reduce stimulation. For men, injuries to the penis can occur because of diabetes, dangerous sex positions, alcohol abuse, reduced testosterone, and frequent use of cock toys. During a penis injury, your body will experience inhibited blood flow, damaged nerve endings and depleted stimulation. Thanks to magnetized cock rings, the devices can assist by trapping blood inside the erectile chambers, dilating constricted arteries for increased blood flow, healing swollen tissue around the penis, and improving sensation near the injured area.” Wow, a simple magnet can do all that?!! No, no it can’t.

My favorite magnetic cock ring is the New Power Ring G2, primarily for all the science it has built-in that has nothing to do with sex. It has a memory alloy, which is really cool as with exposure to warmth it returns to its original shape. It has 24k gold-plated Neodymium magnets, which also works really well on paper clips. Best of all, it has balls made out of germanium. According to Wikipedia, “Germanium is not thought to be an essential element for any living organism.” That makes no sense, since we are told that the germanium in the G2 is reported by some people to strengthen the immune system, increase blood circulation, raise oxygen levels, remove toxins, slow down aging, improve sleep, counter the negative effects of positive ions, and about a half dozen more amazing benefits. And remember, it apparently does all this while encapsulated inside a silicone cock ring. That almost sounds too good to be true.

New Power Ring G2

Is there anything at all to magnets helping with sex? Actually, maybe, but static magnets won’t cut it. Research published in PLOS One with the sexy title EEG to Primary Rewards: Predictive Utility and Malleability by Brain Stimulation offers some tantalizing possibilities for what is known as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which uses very strong magnets to create an electric field that interacts with the electrical activity in brain regions related to pleasure and reward. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) is a form of TMS.

This is from the abstract, but warning- it gets quite explicit: “Electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. They also reported their number of orgasms in the weekend following stimulation. This signal was malleable by TBS, where excitatory TBS resulted in lower EEG alpha relative to inhibitory TBS to primary rewards. EEG responses to sexual rewards in the lab (following both forms of TBS) predicted the number of orgasms experienced over the forthcoming weekend. TBS may be useful in modifying hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to primary rewards that predict sexual behaviors. Since TBS altered the anticipation of a sexual reward, TBS may offer a novel treatment for sexual desire problems.”

That is some hot sexy science, and unlike everything else we have covered here, it is actually science. On the other hand, putting magnets in cock rings is simpler.