Packet of 2 flavoured condoms

Carton of 2 flavoured condoms, manufactured by Yorkshire Trading Ltd, England, c1993 (expiry date December 1998)

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.

The novelty flavouring of these condoms helps to mask the taste and smell of latex, encouraging more people to use a condom during oral sex. Using a condom or dental dam is the only way to protect against sexually transmitted infections during sex, whether that is oral or vaginal and anal penetration.

Some flavoured condoms are not advised for vaginal sex as they are coated in a thin sugar-based lubricant; this is what gives the condoms the different tastes. This sugar base can affect the PH balance of the vagina and can lead to thrush. Many contemporary flavoured condoms no longer use sugar, meaning they are safer for vaginal sex.