2024-03-17 12:06:57
New Delhi: There is a lot of growth in the condom business in the country. In 2023, its market grew the fastest in the last five years. Last year its growth rate was almost double. Many types of dotted, ribbed, jart flavored and night glowing variants have come in the market. Due to this, the condom market is growing rapidly in the country. According to the latest IQVIA Consumer Health Retail Audit data, the condom market size in the country reached Rs 1,755 crore last year. In 2023, it saw a growth of 13% in terms of value, which is the highest in five years. The condom market in the country grew at the rate of 7% in the year 2022. Companies said that people’s thinking regarding condoms is changing. Now it is not limited to just protection but people are using it to enhance their experience. Rajeev Juneja, MD and vice chairman of Mankind, which manufactures Manforce brand condoms, said, “Condoms were always sold from a safety perspective and youth felt that the product was a hindrance to pleasure. Therefore innovation has helped in attracting young consumers towards it. Also, women are now finding their likes and dislikes in it. Earlier this decision was taken only by men. Manforce has 30.1% share in India’s condom market.
whose share is how much?
Reckitt’s Durex has 14.9% share in the Indian market. TTK Healthcare’s brand score has 8.5% and Godrej Consumer Products’ Kama Sutra has 8%. All these companies have launched many variants of condoms. These include invisible condoms with ultrathin design, vegan, chemical free and cruelty free variants. Awareness is increasing among people in the country regarding safe sex and family planning. Condoms are mainly used for contraception and to avoid infection with sexually transmitted diseases. However, due to popular beliefs regarding sex, it is not easy to buy condoms at a store.
According to the Condom Alliance 2021 report, ‘The taboo around sex and any related conversations in India does not exist in more liberal Western countries. Therefore, youth in those countries do not face the primary barrier of shame regarding condom use or purchase.’ Vishal Vyas, assistant vice president of marketing at TTK Healthcare, said that now people’s thinking about this is changing. Online shopping has played an important role in this. Openness about this has increased in the last few years and the increase in online shopping due to the pandemic has given people an option.
What are the companies doing?
Vyas said, ‘There was a perception that staying at home during Covid would lead to an increase in condom sales, but we did not see any jump in sales. However, companies are increasing awareness about this, so there seems to be no reason for it not to increase. Companies say that condom usage in India is about 16-17 percent compared to other big countries of the world. Juneja said, ‘This category has a reach of 9.3% in India and about 17-18% in the top 20% income group. Hence, higher average sales value and category premiumisation will drive growth. Juneja said Manforce has a reach of 480,000 outlets, which is double that of the number two brand.