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Condom production begins on large rubber plantations in subtropical climates. Tall trees containing liquid latex rubber grow there. The trees are as tall as palm trees and grow in long rows in the hot sun. Most of the latex rubber is used for car tires and hoses, but a small fraction also goes into condom production.

When bottling the latex, a long cut is made around the stem. A little below the cut, a small container is suspended, into which the latex flows. The latex is a white viscous liquid. Once tapped from the trees, it is refined and condensed into a 60 percent concentrate and shipped to the condom factory.

The latex’s density, stability and purity are checked before manufacturing, and once this is done, the various chemicals are mixed with the latex rubber. In a mill, the mixture is ground down to a cohesive mass. Then it is time for vulcanization.

Vulcanization is the most important part of condom production – it is thanks to this process that condoms resist heat and retain their elasticity. It was the American Charles Goodyear who accidentally discovered the vulcanization process in 1839. He tried to improve the rubber’s durability by mixing different chemicals with it. One day, while he was mixing sulfur with latex, a splash landed on a hot stove in his laboratory. The heat from the stove gave the latex mixture a new, hard-wearing consistency. The strong “weatherproof” rubber had been created! The name Goodyear is primarily familiar to most people through the car tire manufacturer of the same name. It is thanks to the vulcanization process that the condoms can be made so thin.

Once the latex mass is finished, it’s time to mold it into condoms. The casting is similar to candle casting. There are glass molds on a machine that are carefully dipped into the latex mass, dried and then dipped again in a couple of rounds. The latex flows downwards, towards the top of the condom, making it a bit thicker and stronger than the rest of the condom. The tip is also often the part of the condom that experiences the most friction when being used.

After casting, the condoms are washed and dried and then powdered with talc to prevent them from sticking together. Then they are unrolled and placed on new steel molds. An electric current is used to test if there are any holes in the condom. This test is carried out on every condom.

Condoms are tested, packaged and distributed in the RFSU factory and laboratory.

People have used condoms for thousands of years, though the material has changed, of course. About 2,000 years ago, the Chinese used oiled tissue paper condoms. The Japanese are said to have used leather condoms. For a long time in Europe, linen cloth was used to put on the glans, but it chafed and was soon replaced by pig caecum and fish bladders. The answer to how to avoid unwanted pregnancies has long been sought in the animal world. Long before the time of the condom, a spermicide made from crocodile feces was used in ancient Egypt which was considered completely safe.

The view of condoms changed in the 16th century. Then Columbus’ men brought syphilis to Europe from Haiti, and suddenly the condom became necessary again. Haitian Indians were resistant to syphilis because they had the disease as children. But Columbus’ men were infected, and at the time syphilis was a painful, deadly disease.

It took a while for the condom to really become acceptable though. Neither in Germany nor in England did they call the condom by its proper name during the 18th century. Instead, they were known as “French letters” in England and “English caps” in Germany – expressions that were used well into the 20th century. The French court physician Astruc is probably the originator of this. He wrote the following: “He who is about to have intercourse puts his penis inside as if in an envelope, to protect himself, in the same way as against the dangers that an uncertain battle can bring.”

Giacomo Casanova, the great 18th century seducer, was a big consumer of animal gut condoms. He used to blow up his pet condoms to make sure there were no holes in them.

The big condom breakthrough came at the end of the 18th century. England’s King Charles II had a reputation as a ladies’ man with many children in the countryside. This was not considered very appropriate. Therefore, Charles tasked a doctor with finding him some protection. The doctor’s name is said to have been Condom, and he suggested to the king to use a bag on his penis. If the story is true, Mr. Condom can be named the father of the modern condom. Those who don’t believe the story of Mr. Condom instead suggest that the condom got its name from the Latin word for container, “condus.”

Sweden’s oldest preserved condom can be found at the History Museum in Lund. It dates from 1813 and is provided with a special instruction manual. It says that before use, the condom must be boiled in milk and then powdered with flour.

We have a tire manufacturer to thank for today’s condoms. In 1839, Charles Goodyear invented the vulcanization method. It turned sticky raw rubber into dry, elastic rubber. In addition to car tires, it was possible to manufacture rubber condoms as well. These were stretchable and cheaper to manufacture than intestinal condoms. Thirty years later, condoms began to be manufactured and distributed in earnest. When there was talk of birth control around the year 1900, more condoms were used than ever before. But it also increased resistance to condoms.

In 1911, the Contraceptives Act was introduced in Sweden, a law that prohibited information about condoms and all other contraceptives. Condoms were seen as a threat to marriage and the family. Another argument was that they helped to maintain prostitution.

In Sweden, you could buy condoms made from animal intestines right into the 1930s. The method of making condoms was further developed in the 1930s. Condoms became even cheaper, thinner and more stretchy. The medical profession finally succeeded in convincing parliament that condoms were the only protection against venereal infection.

The Contraceptives Act was repealed in 1938, but the secret stamp lived on for a long time. Condoms were sold under names such as “rubber goods”, “medical supplies” and “controlled goods” until 1959, when condom dispensers were allowed.

The last vestiges of the law of the Contraception Act were repealed in 1970 and condoms became free to sell, advertise and use. Birth control pills had been approved as a contraceptive and in the mid-1970s they had their big breakthrough. This meant that the use of condoms was halved in ten years. People enjoyed themselves without “carbon paper,” but without condoms the setbacks came, resulting in a sharp increase in venereal diseases.

Condoms began to be marketed by RFSU largely with humor and with a focus on the greatly increased number of venereal diseases. One of the most well-known campaigns was “Tonight 80 Swedes will get gonorrhea – a condom is the only contraceptive that protects!”

Read more about our campaigns from the past under the heading RFSU.

The motto “the condom is the only contraceptive that protects both against unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections” still applies today. In addition, condoms are the man’s only form of contraception.

You are absolutely right that condoms should not be kept warm, but using them in the sauna is not dangerous. It is long-term storage in high temperatures that causes the condoms to age faster than they do at room temperature, but then we are talking about degrees up to 50C, and the time aspect would be about one year.

You don’t have to worry at all. Condoms are not damaged by extreme cold. Just let them thaw at room temperature and they are ready to use. However, strong heat (sunlight, for example) is not recommended. Condoms are aged by heat and can lose elasticity, causing them to break. But no, it’s not a problem if it’s cold.

A condom has a shelf life of 5 years from manufacture. We write a “best-before” date on the label of the packets. The condoms are always manufactured 5 years before this date.

All condoms except 17006, have a 100% silicone-based lubricant without animal additives. The silicone therefore contains no additives such as glycerin.

Silicone lubricant on condoms means that they do not dry out in the package and that they are easier to roll on.

No. Our quality manager confirms that our condoms do not contain any animal material and there is no animal testing either. As a vegan, you can use RFSU condoms with a clear conscience.