Durex

For the adhesive tape called Durex, see 3M.

Durex
A box of Durex Fetherlite condoms
OwnerReckitt
CountryUnited Kingdom
Introduced1915; 109 years ago (1915) (as London Rubber Company)
Previous ownersSSL International
Websitedurex.com

Durex is a brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by the British company Reckitt and currently led by Ben Wilson.[1] It was initially developed in London under the purview of the London Rubber Company and British Latex Products Ltd, where it was manufactured between 1932 and 1994.[2][3] The London Rubber Company was formed in 1915, and the Durex brand name ("Durability, reliability, and excellence") was launched in 1929, although London Rubber did not begin manufacturing own-brand condoms until 1932, in collaboration with a rubber technology student from Poland named Lucian Lundau.[2][3][4] The first book on The London Rubber Company and the history of Durex condoms, written by Jessica Borge, was published in September 2020 by McGill-Queen's University Press.[2][3]

The London Rubber Company later merged with SSL International, and has since 2010 been owned by Reckitt Benckiser. It is one of the best-selling condom brands around the world, with 30% of the global market.[5] In 2006, Durex condoms were the second-best-selling brand of condoms in the United States, with Trojan condoms being the first. It is supplied by, among others, the company Karex.[6]

In 2007 the last factory making Durex condoms in the UK stopped manufacturing and production has since moved to China, India and Thailand.[5] The modern range includes a wide variety of latex condom, including the Sheik and Ramses brands in North America,[7] and the Avanti condom. Durex also provides a range of lubricants and sex toys.

Although Durex was not an official sponsor of the Olympic Games, Durex provided 150,000 free condoms to more than 10,000 athletes that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.[8]

  1. ^ Elmhirst, Sophie (27 June 2023). "'People are like, Wow!': the man trying to make condoms sexy". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Borge, Jessica (2020). Protective practices : A history of the London Rubber Company and the condom business. Foreword by Lesley A. Hall. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. 32–88. ISBN 978-0-2280-0333-5. OCLC 1143645992. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Protective Practices: The London Rubber Company and Condoms". londonrubbercompany.com. August 2020. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  4. ^ Borge, Jessica (11 February 2021). "Durex condoms: how their teenage immigrant inventor was forgotten by history". Archived from the original on 11 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b "New Chapter in the 81-year History of Durex". BBC News. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  6. ^ "What's the best-selling condom in America?". By Brendan I. Koerner – Slate Magazine. 29 September 2006. Archived from the original on 9 January 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  7. ^ "First plastic condom for men becomes available next year". 14 October 1993. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  8. ^ Boyle, Matthew. "Top Secret: Durex's Olympic Condoms" Bloomberg Businessweek Retrieved on 20 April 2012