Mumbai: The US-Iran war has been gradually affecting every part of our lives, and now even our relationships. With crude oil shipments continuing to be blocked at the Strait of Hormuz, leading condom manufacturers, including Durex, Cupid, and Karex Bhd, have said that price rises of 20% -30% will be unavoidable.
A severe crunch of raw materials- silicone, naphtha and ammonia has slowed down production, and with a lack of alternatives, has meant that price rise will remain the only solution.
About 86% of the ammonia used for producing latex condoms comes from Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar, with silicone prices also rising 40-50% since the war started. This scarcity has halted production in India, which produces almost 400 crore condoms each year.
Generally, raw material shipments for condoms took about one month to arrive, now it is almost double that, with many ships still stuck at sea. For such a product range, that depends on high volumes, and consistent supplies, such delays can create immediate shortages.
To complicate matters, demand has grown by 30% this year, and many buyers are now stocking up in anticipation of the shortage.
India remains one of the largest condom markets in the world, with almost 2.4 billion condoms sold each year. The overall sexual wellness market is close to $900 million and is steadily expanding, as conversations around sexual wellness become more open and purchases more discreet.
Local brands have turned this functional contraceptive into a lifestyle product, with flavoured variants and aggressive marketing campaigns to boost adoption. Quick Commerce has also boosted demand, as this becomes a discretionary purchase that is delivered within minutes.
