Product Safety and Materials
Updated Dec 4th 2024
This page details the efforts that I make to ensure the products sold in my shop are safe to use for their intended purposes. Included are the potential risks of use, as well as details about the materials used by the manufacturers of my products.All details on this page have been written by myself, Hellionophore, with much effort. If you are a fellow sole trader or small business wishing to include safety information on your website, do NOT take this information to use without permission. Please do your own background research about the materials used by your manufacturers.
Intended purposes
All listed items are produced in limited runs, typically in batches of 50 or less. Currently there are no items which have been produced by my manufacturers in excess of 100pcs. Because so few pieces are produced, each product is considered to be either a collectable, in the case of accessories (enamel/wood pins, acrylic keychains/standees) and decorative stationery (vinyl/paper stickers, washi tape), or works of art, in the case of art prints/postcards.
No items sold on this site are intended to be used by children. Though the bright colours of some products may appeal to younger audiences, they are targeted at young adults and older due to the subject matter of most items: namely, novels featuring adult relationships (i.e. the 'danmei' genre), body horror, and historical weapons (i.e. swords). It is assumed that customers who purchase from my shop are adults, or are teenagers being supervised by a guardian.
Items in my shop are intended to be used as decoration and/or visual appreciation, not for play. Detailed uses of each category of item sold in my shop is as follows:
- Pins: may be used as accessories when attached to clothing, bags, or other belongings, or used as display pieces when attached to corkboard, fabric, metal, or any other hanging or free-standing frame or surface.
- Keychains: may be used as accessories when attached to clothing, bags, or other belongings, or used as display pieces when hanging from a hook, rail, or other surface.
- Standees: may be used as display pieces on flat, stable surfaces.
- Stickers: may be used to decorate personal belongings (e.g. surface of drink bottle, car bumper, underside of skateboard) or other hard surfaces, or used as display pieces in a photo frame, scrapbook, folder, journal, or other book or casing that preserves and protects its contents.
- Prints: may be used as display pieces hung up in open air, such as on a wall, or in a photo frame, scrapbook, folder, journal, or other book or casing that preserves and protects its contents.
- Jewellery: may be worn on one's person, or used as display pieces when hanging from a hook, rail, or other surface.
Assessed risks
Items sold in this shop have not been independently evaluated nor certified under any safety standards. This risk assessment was conducted by myself and is provided only for customer information, so that items can be used and handled responsibly.
If you discover any safety issues with items you have purchased from my shop other than the potential risks outlined below, please contact me as soon as possible via email to [email protected]. I will provide you with the details for the relevant manufacturer(s) so we can investigate and report safety concerns to national authorities if necessary.
Stationery – low risk
- Stickers and lengths of cut tape present a choking hazard. Keep away from children.
- Do not apply stickers or tape to skin. The adhesive may cause pain by adhering to and pulling out hairs.
Prints and cards – low risk
- Prints and cards may cause papercuts. Be mindful when handling.
Acrylic keychains and standees – low risk
- Chipped or snapped acrylic board creates a sharp edge that can cause injury. Cease using and dispose of responsibly any broken acrylic items.
- Keychain clasps may pose a pinching hazard if suddenly released against skin. Only attach them to surfaces where the clasp can fully close, such as zipper tags, metal jump rings, or hanging hooks.
- Keep keychain clasps away from heat. Because they are metal alloys, they may conduct heat and cause burns if exposed to high temperatures.
- Small removable pieces in the car keychains (i.e. the front window and acrylic figure) are small enough to be choking hazards. Keep away from children, and do not put in your or anyone else's mouth.
Enamel pins – medium risk
- The backing posts of enamel pins are sharp enough to pierce fabric/cardboard and can pose a puncture hazard if applied to skin with force. When pushing backing posts through material, keep fingers clear to avoid injury. Using minimal force at first to identify where the posts are on the opposite side of the material is advised.
- Some backing posts on enamel pins have small spurs to keep the pin in place, which are also sharp. When removing the clutches from these pins with spurs, keep fingers away from the bases of the pin posts.
- All enamel pins sold in my shop come with rubber clutches which wholly cover the backing posts and any spurs.
- Mini pins and rubber clutches are small enough to be choking hazards. Keep away from children, and do not put in your or anyone else's mouth.
- The backing posts on enamel pins are not safe for piercings. Do not attempt to use as earrings.
- Applying excessive force to the backing posts may cause them to snap, creating a sharp edge that can cause injury. Cease using and dispose of responsibly any broken metal items.
- Enamel pins are plated with metal alloy and polished, meaning they reflect light easily. Be careful with using them around light sources that could create flashes of light when viewed at a certain angle.
- Keep enamel pins away from sources of heat. Because both the base and plating are metal alloys, they may conduct heat and cause burns if exposed to high temperatures
Product materials
Below is a list of materials used by the manufacturers that I pay to get my products produced. The level of detail varies between manufacturers based on what information is available. I do not publicly disclose my manufacturers to protect my product designs from being stolen or bought out, but I will readily share their contact details and location if required for safety concerns. My current manufacturers are located domestically (Australia) and internationally (China, the EU, the US).
Each product type is also marked according to whether it can be home recycled (♻️), is home compostable (🌱), can be easily reused (🔁), or is general waste only (🗑️).
Stickers
All matte stickers: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), laminate, acrylic adhesive coating, 90# layflat liner.
Glitter and holographic stickers: PVC and polyester blend, laminate, acrylic adhesive coating, 90# layflat liner (paper coated with polyethylene).
Label stickers: clear polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, glossy UV finish.
Plain vinyl stickers: PVC, permanent adhesive, coated paper backing.
Kraft and washi stickers: printed paper, permanent adhesive, coated paper backing.
🗑️ Vinyl stickers are not recyclable, so please dispose of responsibly with general waste.
🗑️ Sticker backing papers / liners are unfortunately also not recyclable at the consumer level because of the coating.
Prints
300~350gsm cardstock paper. Gloss prints have a UV varnish coating, and holographic effect prints are gloss prints with PVC cold laminate applied over the UV varnish.
♻️ Recyclable! [1,2]
Acrylics
Standees: acrylic board, UV printing, removable protective film.
Keychains: acrylic board, UV printing, removable protective film, metal alloy clasp.
🗑️ Acrylic board is not recyclable at the consumer level, so please dispose of responsibly alongside the protective film with general waste.
Synthetic wood pins
Three-layer composite board with recycled cherry wood, UV printing, metal backing posts, rubber clutches.
🗑️ Not recyclable at the consumer level, so please dispose of responsibly with general waste.
Enamel pins
Zinc metal alloy, synthetic enamel paint, electroplating, rubber clutches.
Note: not all pins on the market are zinc-based; I specifically request this over iron. Choosing materials that only oxidise with a tarnish/patina instead of rust means that they have a chance of lasting longer.
🗑️ Not recyclable at the consumer level, so please dispose of responsibly with general waste.
🔁 That said, enamel pins are manufactured to last a long time, so if you want to move yours on but they aren't in good enough condition to trade or resell, I strongly encourage you to gift them to others, or even donate to your local opportunity/thrift/charity shop. You never know how much joy you will bring to someone who finds their favourite little characters in a dingy old secondhand store!
Packaging materials
For enamel pins: cellulose bags, cellulose sticky tape.
For stickers: cellulose bags / splash-proof paper bags, washi tape. Some old sticker packs use sealable plastic bags, but these are being phased out in favour of cellulose.
Prints: compostable heropack bags and/or cardboard letter mailers (depending on what else you ordered).
Acrylics: cotton drawstring bags for small keychains, hex wrap, sometimes secondhand bubble wrap.
General padding: tissue paper / hex wrap / kraft paper (depending on what is on hand), kraft paper tape, some thermal printed labels.
Mailers: compostable heropack padded bags / cardboard boxes / cardboard letter mailers, water-activated tape.
🌱 Cellulose bags and tape are compostable! Also known as natural cellophane. I use Natureflex bags which are certified home compostable (AS 5810 2010), and Sellotape enviro tape. If you don't have a home composting system, you can dispose of them with green waste.
🌱Heropack padded bags and compostable bags are also, of course, compostable. Check the packaging for text that says how to prepare them for composting.
♻️ Tissue paper / hex wrap / kraft paper are all home recyclable.
♻️ Cardboard boxes and letter mailers are home recyclable.
♻️ Water-activated tape (the printed tape on the outside of your box) and washi tape (used to seal paper bags or keep things together in your package) are also home recyclable.
♻️ Kraft paper tape is home recyclable when stuck to cardboard, so leave it on your package instead of peeling it all off!
🔁 Cotton drawstring bags can be re-used for gifting, storage/sorting at home, or even for hanging dried flowers in your closet! They are also a lot more eco-friendly than synthetic organza bags. The bags I used are technically designed for tea leaves, but I wouldn't recommend using the bag you receive for tea unless you wash it thoroughly before use.
🗑️ Sealable plastic bags are not recyclable and have to be disposed of with general waste. These are being phased out in favour of cellulose.
🗑️ Splash-proof paper bags are also not recyclable because of their plastic inner layer, so they are also being phased out in favour of cellulose.
🗑️ Bubble wrap is not recyclable, but all bubble wrap you receive for me is reused from other sources (only what is in good condition, though). I hope to get my hands on compostable bubble wrap in the future!
🗑️ It is difficult to determine whether thermal labels are recyclable, but it is likely that they are not. Please dispose of responsibly with general waste.
