Durex condom sales rise as restrictions ease

Earlier the pandemic demand for Durex declined due to social distancing measures

Condom sales have risen over the last three months as coronavirus restrictions and social distancing measures ease worldwide, according to Reckitt Benckiser, maker of health, hygiene and nutrition products.

According to Reckitt's latest earnings report, its condom brand, Durex, saw double-digit growth "led by strong growth in China which benefited from the easing of restrictions on social distancing." 

"Over time, we would expect this recovery to be replicated in other markets where lockdowns have led to temporarily reduced demand," according to the company's latest earnings report. 

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The consumer goods company also noted that "most other markets" have also shown revenue growth throughout the last three months.  

It's quite a difference compared to earlier in the pandemic when the item wasn't as in-demand due to social distancing measures. 

"Our Sexual Wellbeing segment improved in the second half of the year as social distancing restrictions related to COVID-19 eased," Reckitt CEO Laxman Narasimhan said in the company's annual report. 

Durex condoms (iStock)

Narasimhan previously said condom sales dropped within most markets last March when much of the world was under lockdown orders to stem the spread of the virus. 

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"Intimate occasions are going down and that is a manifestation of anxiety," he told the BBC last April.

In the company's latest quarterly report, Narasimhan reaffirmed that Reckitt has "already seen some of the adverse effects of COVID begin to reverse."