FROM glow in the dark to new vibrating condoms, condom manufacturers are becoming increasingly creative when it comes to safe sex.
Manufacturer Ansell recently released its new vibrating condom, Vibe 4U – a battery-operated silicone ring that fits over a normal condom to make it pulsate. Ansell spokeswoman Lucinda McEvoy says the device, which retails at $12 (for one), has become the No.1-selling condom in Australia since its December release.
McEvoy claims that even people who don't like using condoms and others who have no need for contraception are keenly trying the product – simply for the sensation.
"We had groups of all ages interested," she says. "People who we would have thought weren't actually buying condoms wanted to give it a go."
But the vibrating condoms are not the only imaginative creations on the market.
A scan of your local supermarket or sex store aisle will reveal everything from studded and ribbed rubbers to novelty varieties, including condoms in the shape of devils, hands and horses.
For those who like a few tunes to get them in the mood, there are the new musical condoms. Fitted with a mini electronic device connected to tiny sensors, the condom produces songs which get louder as the sex becomes more passionate, while the choice of tune is determined by the position.
Also new is the ice condom, containing a special lubricant which cools to create an icy feeling.
For those who prefer a little heat, there are the warming condoms, which use the same principle but in reverse.
McEvoy says the condom market has shifted in recent years, with people looking past protection as the sole buying factor.
"People are now appreciating that you need to use condoms for safe sex, but you can add to your experience as well," she says.
"I suppose (the industry is moving) towards enhancement – something to make your experience more fun and interesting rather than just about the protection side of things."
Andrew Crutchfield, from Condom Kingdom at Surfers Paradise, says packaging also plays a large part in determining what condoms go through the checkout.
"People are looking at the wall and basing their choice on the packages that stand out," he says.
Crutchfield says packets featuring semi-naked models with a seductive look tended to be the most popular sellers in his store. Packaging also helped make the flavoured and coloured varieties popular, especially in the 18 to 25-year-old market.
McEvoy says, the more unusual Ansell varieties, such as the Vibe 4U and warming condoms, are bought by slightly older customers, aged 24 and over.
"Younger users might not be comfortable enough to use them and tend to be a little bit more insecure," she says.
The more "out there" condoms also have proved popular with female consumers, McEvoy says, with many buying the product purely for fun and to spice up their relationship.
"These new condoms are a great way to make safe sex fun," McEvoy says. "People tend to see condoms as something to begrudge, but this is a way of making them a little more interesting so people actually do want to use them."
Elizabeth Rann, from Terry White Chemists' merchandising department, agrees.
"Manufacturers have to make them interesting for people to want to buy them and that's a way that we can actually encourage people to practise safe sex," she says.
Rann says new varieties also have encouraged people to seek more information about their buys.
"We are actually finding a lot more people are asking questions about sizing and how they work," she says. "If they've got questions they're actually upfront asking, whereas before they wouldn't – they'd sort of hide and be too embarrassed to do anything."
However, not so enamoured of the new range of condoms is the Australian Family Association's Victor Sirl.
"These condoms are greatly over-hyped to get people to think that there's some kind of sensational opportunities they're missing out on," he says.
Sirl believes the products could encourage young people to experiment sexually and calls for stockists to be limited.
"Restrictions should be considered because it's not the kind of thing that should be in the face of young people, absolutely not," he says.
But CEO of Family Planning Queensland, Kelsey Powell, says anything that encourages safe sex is positive.
And director for the Centre of Disease Control on the Sunshine Coast Andrew Langley says the new breed of condoms could be influencing the decrease in Queensland of sexually transmitted diseases such as gonorrhoea and syphilis.
"The fact that these diseases haven't increased indicates that conditions are being controlled," he says.
"(New varieties of condoms) add to the fun aspect and that might encourage people who might not usually use them."
