Editorial standards.

Bylines and the pen-name policy

The BondageBox Guides are published under five stable bylines: Margo Hartley (Senior Editor), Sasha Lawrence (Bondage Desk), Iris Kemp (Materials Notebook), Theo Walsh (Couples Desk) and June Calloway (Style & Lifestyle). Each byline owns a desk and writes in a consistent voice across that desk.

These are disclosed pen names. They are not the legal names of individual contributors. The pattern follows the columnist conventions used by The Economist (Bagehot, Charlemagne, Lexington) and a number of UK trade publications: a stable editorial voice attached to a desk, owned by the in-house editorial team, with full accountability sitting with the named senior editor and the publisher.

Every guide published under a BondageBox byline is researched, written, fact-checked and edited by the BondageBox editorial team. Pieces are not ghost-written by manufacturers or affiliates. Reach the editorial team at [email protected].

Margo Hartley, Senior Editor

The disclosed pen-name for the Senior Editor of the BondageBox Guides. The byline owns the cross-cutting buying guides, head-to-head comparisons, and the safety and consent standards that every category piece is held to. Signs off every product material call (silicone purity, condom certification, lubricant pH), every external citation, and every correction. Profile: /team/margo-hartley.

Sasha Lawrence, Bondage Desk

The disclosed pen-name for the Bondage and Techniques desk: restraints, rope, impact play, scene-building. The technical voice on the team; all rope and restraint guides published under this byline are written from hands-on testing of the specific products discussed. Applies the NCSF-aligned consent and risk framework as the editorial baseline for every scene-related guide. Profile: /team/sasha-lawrence.

Iris Kemp, Materials Notebook

The disclosed pen-name for the materials and care desk: silicone, latex, glass, steel, lubricants. Every material call (platinum-cure vs tin-cure silicone, ISO-graded steel, REACH-compliant latex) is verified hands-on against supplier documentation before publication. Cross-references manufacturer claims against ISO 10993 (biocompatibility) and EU REACH (chemical compliance) registries. Profile: /team/iris-kemp.

Theo Walsh, Couples Desk

The disclosed pen-name for the Couples Desk: couples, beginners, gifts and first-time-buyer guides. The patient, plain, undramatic voice on the team. Every beginner-tier product recommendation published under this byline is tested with a first-time-buyer review group before publication to confirm beginner-suitability. Profile: /team/theo-walsh.

June Calloway, Style & Lifestyle

The disclosed pen-name for the Style and Lifestyle desk: the wardrobe pieces (latex, fetish lingerie, leather), the atelier visits, the wider lifestyle around the practice. All bespoke and atelier coverage is based on in-person workshop visits and direct maker interviews; no remote write-ups. Maintains the BondageBox natural rubber latex care and storage protocol. Profile: /team/june-calloway.

Sourcing

Every factual claim that is not common knowledge is sourced. Our preferred source hierarchy:

1. Peer-reviewed academic literature for claims about physiology, sexual behaviour, and material chemistry. Examples: Veale 2015 (BJU International) for adult penis dimensions, Frederick 2018 (Archives of Sexual Behavior) for the orgasm gap, Joyal & Carpentier 2017 for BDSM-fantasy prevalence.
2. Standards bodies for product specifications and safety. Examples: WHO/UNFPA Male Latex Condom Specification, ISO 4074 for latex condoms, EN ISO 11737 for sterilisation testing.
3. Manufacturer technical data sheets for product-specific dimensions, materials and certifications.
4. UK public-health guidance (NHS, Public Health England) for safer-sex advice.

Wikipedia, retailer marketing copy, and AI-generated summaries are not cited as primary sources. Where we cannot find a primary source for a claim, we either remove the claim or label it as the editorial team's opinion.

Fact-checking

Every guide is read through by a second member of the editorial team before publication. The fact-check focuses on three things: numerical claims (always verified against a cited source), product specifications (verified against the manufacturer's current technical data sheet), and safety advice (verified against the latest WHO, NHS or relevant standards-body guidance).

When external research updates render a previous claim stale, the guide is updated and the change is noted in the article's modification date. Major edits trigger a fresh fact-check.

Corrections

Errors are corrected as soon as they are confirmed. Material corrections (errors that change the meaning of an article) are noted at the bottom of the article with the date and a one-line description of what changed. Trivial corrections (typos, broken links, formatting) are made silently.

To request a correction, email [email protected] with the article URL and the specific claim you believe is wrong. We will respond within five working days.

AI policy

AI tools (large language models) are used inside our editorial workflow for first-draft scaffolding, fact-cross-check brainstorming, and sub-editing. Every published guide is read, materially rewritten and signed off by a human editor before publication. No guide is published as the output of a model run.

We do not use AI to generate cited statistics, fabricate sources, or invent expert quotes. Where we cite a study, we have read the abstract and the relevant section of the paper; we do not cite from AI-generated summaries.

Commercial relationships and conflicts of interest

BondageBox is a UK adult retailer; almost every product we cover is one we also sell. We disclose this on every product comparison and buying guide by including a brand-agnostic "honest comparison" section that names competitors and external retailers where they offer a better option than our own catalogue.

We do not accept payment from brands in exchange for editorial coverage or rankings. Our buying-guide ranking criteria are documented at the top of each guide. Where a brand has supplied a product for review, this is disclosed inline in the relevant article.

Affiliate or trade arrangements with external retailers (when present) are disclosed on the page where they appear.

Safety, consent, and aftercare

Every guide that covers a practice with material risk (impact play, breath play, anal play, suspension, electrical play, edge play) includes a safety briefing and links to a relevant primary source. We do not publish "how to do X without a safeword" content. We do not publish content advocating non-consensual practice.

BondageBox sells to adults aged 18 and over. Our content is written for adults aged 18 and over. We do not publish content involving minors in any context.

Update cadence

Standard guides are reviewed annually. Buying guides with year-tagged URLs (e.g. best vibrators UK 2026) are reviewed quarterly to reflect product launches, stock changes and pricing shifts. Materials and safety guides are updated as soon as a referenced standard or study is materially revised.

Contact

Editorial: [email protected]
Press: [email protected]
Trade and partnerships: see the trade page.

Last reviewed: May 2026. This page is updated when our process changes; we do not back-date edits.