Grocers enjoy condoms and lube growth

Brits want more in the bedroom. Just not necessarily more sex. Volume sales of condoms have sunk 5.4%, meaning supermarkets have sold 400k fewer packs in the past year, but value sales are up 1.4%.

That’s because what Brits really want from their condoms is not being able to feel them, and for that they’ll pay more. Durex’s 2.5% growth on volumes down 7.3% is thanks to the 2014 launch of ReelFeel.

“This product has been extremely successful, satisfying consumers who seek a more natural sensation,” says Jerome Lemaire, marketing director at Reckitt Benckiser. We made this our sex care Top Launch in last year’s Top Products report.

Durex, which dominates with 80.1% value share, isn’t the only one going au naturel. Ansell’s Mates premium sub-brand Skyn claims to be the pioneer of the material natural feel condoms are made of: polyisoprene.

“Consumers want products that deliver the ultimate feeling of not wearing a condom,” says a spokesman, who adds that Skyn now has a 10.2% share of the overall condom market. A good year for Skyn wasn’t enough to bolster Mates’ overall performance, however: the brand is down 4.7% on volumes down 5%.

It’s no surprise shoppers aged between 25 and 34 get through more condoms than any other age group, with 62% of condoms used by just 20% of users, says Lemaire. Future growth could be driven by attracting other age groups, he adds: “We need to find ways to make the purchase of condoms easier and more comfortable for any age.”

One thing Brits do want more of in the bedroom is lubrication, it seems. Sexual lubricants may account for just £18.6m in sales for the supermarkets, but they’re going in the right direction, with sales up 4.4% in value and 3.2% in volume. The January relaunch of Durex Pleasure Gels and the reformulation of the Play and Tingling variants have helped add value. “There are two clear types of shoppers buying lubes - the older problem/solution shopper aged 50 plus and then the 20 to 35-year-old shopper buying for pleasure, so it is a very diverse market,” says Lemaire. “We’ve improved the formulations in some of our products and are using attractive new packaging that highlights their benefits.”

With the population aging, Durex isn’t the only brand targeting older people. Bayer Healthcare is going for this age group with Canesintima Intimate Moisturiser, launched this year in a bid to provide a solution for post-menopausal women. But, as in the rest of sex care, smaller players have their work cut out challenging the dominance of Durex. Canesintima has so far racked up £213k since launch.