Condom packaging, Manix 'Super'

Empty pack of 2 Manix 'Super' condoms (preservatifs) supplied in individual plastic containers, with instruction leaflet, manufactured by Okamoto Industries, Japan, and distributed in France by Laboratoires Degan, c1991 (expiry date December 1996)

Part of a small personal collection of condoms and packaging dating from around the 1990s, this product is an example of the increased use of condoms internationally following the emergence of HIV and AIDS. Previously marketed as contraception, condom products diversified as they began to be targeted at a wider range of people, which led to new flavours, textures, and colours.

Laboratoires Degan, the distributor of these condoms, is known partly for its humorous adverts depicting bedrooms and sauna rooms in various stages of disarray, hinting that their condoms were likely used in these situations.