This article Source: Consumer Reports Author: Huang Huanhuan
As adult soothing products gradually enter the public’s field of vision, the attention of "adult pacifiers" on e-commerce platforms has increased significantly in the near future, and the market popularity has continued to rise.
An e-commerce platform Source: The Paper
Recently, topics such as # Adult Pacifiers’ orders surged at night # # Adult Pacifiers’ sales were hot # were once on the hot search list in Weibo, which triggered a heated discussion.
A social platform
When the sales of adult pacifiers on the e-commerce platform exceeded 100,000 pieces, when social media became a large-scale grass planting scene, some people regarded adult pacifiers as "life-saving artifacts", while others spoke that "this young man is finally crazy".
Adult pacifiers sell well on e-commerce platforms.
In order to further understand the sales situation of adult pacifiers on e-commerce platforms, the reporter of Consumer Report searched for "adult pacifiers" on an e-commerce platform, and found a large number of shops selling such products, with prices generally ranging from 20 yuan to 50 yuan. Among them, the sales of some hot-selling shops have exceeded 100,000 pieces, and many shops have sales ranging from hundreds to thousands.
An e-commerce platform
Regarding the applicable scenes of products, many shops directly hint with words and pictures in the details of the page, "The products can be used to relieve insomnia, help quit smoking, improve sleep quality, and reduce sleeping snoring."
An e-commerce platform
The reporter randomly consulted the customer service of a store as a consumer. When asked if an adult pacifier sold in the store can play a soothing role, the other party gave a positive reply and said: "The sales of this product are still good, and some customers will buy several at one time."
From the search results page, it is not difficult to find that, in addition to the conventional solid-color adult nipple styles, merchants have also launched various designs with cartoon IP images to cater to the consumption preferences of young people, such as Kuromi, my melody, Pochacco, HelloKitty, etc. In addition, there are many stylized products with unique shapes and eye-catching designs. In order to enhance the interest of products, merchants even launched cute bracelets for decoration.
An e-commerce platform
Really decompress or abstract? Consumer attitudes are polarized
With the continuous acceleration of the pace of public life, the stress and anxiety caused by studies, work, economy, housing, etc. can easily become the emotional normality of adults. As a result, the demand for adult decompression toys is growing steadily.
In August this year, a large number of cross-border e-commerce Internet platforms released the Insight Report on Decompression Toys in 2025. The report shows that the market size of decompression toys in China doubled from 5 billion yuan to 10 billion yuan from 2015 to 2019, and it has exceeded 20 billion yuan by 2024, with a strong growth trend.
The appearance of adult pacifiers provides consumers with a new choice of decompression. Some consumers said after use that adult pacifiers can really alleviate their emotional problems to some extent.
"After using the adult pacifier, my oral mucosa was finally saved." Zilin, from Tianjin, told the reporter of Consumer Report that her family never allowed her to eat her hands when she was craving, which led her to develop the bad habit of overeating, biting the oral mucosa and grinding her teeth with her tongue. Later, I heard that the adult nipple can relieve the symptoms of oral anxiety, so I bought it and tried it. I found that the effect was quite remarkable.
"Overall, I feel that the advantages and disadvantages of this adult nipple exist together, because it is a bit difficult to suck, and it is easy to get hungry after sucking for a long time, and it tastes a bit strange. But at least I won’t bite the oral mucosa again, and my teeth and tongue finally don’t have to fight anymore. " Zi Lin added.
In addition to relieving stress and anxiety, in the user evaluation column of the adult nipple product page of the e-commerce platform, the reporter saw that many users said that they bought adult nipples for weight loss, smoking cessation and molar prevention.
An e-commerce platform
Some people think that compared with drinking milk tea, coffee, eating snacks, or through psychological counseling, signing up for fitness/yoga classes and other decompression methods, using adult pacifiers to decompress is more economical and more responsive.
However, some consumers are puzzled by this, thinking that the use of pacifiers by adults is abstract, which is too strange and unacceptable. "What’s wrong with this world? Adults are young, and children are mature. It’s all messed up." The netizen sleepy is surprised.
Others question the role of adult pacifiers. "It feels more like capital speculation. There are many ways to relieve anxiety. Reading, exercising and walking can all relax the mood, and the nipple may not really work." Mr. Cen, a consumer, said in an interview with the reporter of Consumer Report.
Long-term use is not recommended.
The original intention of the traditional pacifier is to appease infants and provide them with a sense of security and comfort by simulating the sucking action during breastfeeding. Why are such products suddenly favored by adults?
"At the moment when the emotional economy is extremely developed, the market is constantly providing consumers with emotional relief tools. The popularity of adult pacifiers is not only because it is cute and curious, but also because it accurately hits the three major pain points of modern people: loneliness, stress and insomnia. " Psychological counselor Hua Yang explained to the reporter of Consumer Report.
This seems to be an upgrade of a new round of decompression toys, but it actually reflects a deeper psychological phenomenon-regression. Hua Yang pointed out that when people are faced with unbearable pressure, anxiety and loneliness, the brain may subconsciously retreat to an earlier stage of psychological development, such as the appetite period in infancy, and seek comfort through primitive methods such as sucking.
Hua Yang believes that the relaxation brought by this regression is a kind of "temporary retreat" and cannot solve the fundamental problem. In addition, over-reliance on this "retreat" will make the nipple user’s coping style tend to be simple, that is, the first thing that comes to mind in the face of pressure is not to face the solution directly, but to avoid retreat.In the long run, nipple users’ psychological resilience will be eroded and even become dependent on their appetite..
From the perspective of oral health, Liu Chundong, the attending physician of the Department of Stomatology, zhujiang hospital, Southern Medical University, reminded that long-term use of adult pacifiers has multiple hidden dangers, such as tooth displacement and distortion, disordered occlusion of front teeth, and even serious cases may lead to temporomandibular joint disorder, limited mouth opening, chewing pain and other symptoms.
"Recently, the emerging’ decompression and sleep aid’ artifact (adult nipple) on the e-commerce platform,It is not recommended for adults to use this kind of products for a long time, especially when they are sleeping, and there is a risk of blocking the airway and interfering with breathing. Liu Chundong added to reporters that the material of adult pacifiers is also a safety hazard. Some low-priced products may use raw materials such as industrial silica gel, and inferior materials may release harmful substances such as plasticizers. Consumers are advised to choose food grade orMedical grade silica gelMaterial products.
When the emotional economy encounters a lack of security, the adult nipple becomes an "emotional band-aid" for temporary pain relief. But real emotional management needs courage to face reality and healthy coping styles, such as exercise and mindfulness meditation, to promote psychological resilience. When we feel anxious again, we might as well ask ourselves: What am I really afraid of except looking for a temporary comfort? Try to solve the problem face to face, and the final psychological growth may be more lasting than the short-term comfort brought by the nipple.