Condom Types in India: 7 Kinds and How to Choose

This article is for information and is not medical advice.

Condoms sold in India come in seven types: standard latex, non-latex polyisoprene for latex allergy, ultra-thin, textured (dotted or ribbed), flavoured, climax-delay, and the internal or female condom. Width matters more than type, and latex needs water-based or silicone-based lube, never oil. MyMuse sells no condoms, so use this as a shelf guide.

Last reviewed 05 Oct 2026 by Surya G., Team MyMuse. Prices checked the same day.

What types of condoms are sold in India?

Seven, and the word on the front of the box maps onto them loosely. Standard latex is the baseline, the material the WHO and UNFPA write their procurement specification around. The rest are variations: a different material for skin that reacts to latex, a thinner wall, a textured surface, a flavoured coating, a delaying agent in the tip, or a sheath worn inside the body instead of over the penis.

Variant names and MRPs were read on 04 Oct 2026 from Durex India, Skore, Manforce, HLL Lifecare and Cupid. Treat them as list prices, not today's shelf price. Searched in Hindi and Tamil: patla or पतला is ultra-thin, kaanta wala is dotted, flavour wala is flavoured, महिला कंडोम is the female condom, and காண்டம் வகைகள் is the Tamil for condom types.

Latex or non-latex: which one if latex irritates you?

Non-latex, and in India that nearly always means polyisoprene. Durex India's own page for Real Feel calls it "latex-free, super soft material", names SSL Manufacturing in Thailand as the maker with Reckitt Benckiser importing, and gives a three-year shelf life (Durex India, Real Feel). KamaSutra Skyn is the other polyisoprene line you will see at a chemist.

One thing catches people out. Switching material does not buy you permission to use oil. A WHO, UNFPA and FHI360 advisory note records that polyisoprene condoms are "just as sensitive to oil-based lubricants as are latex condoms" (WHO/UNFPA/FHI360 advisory note, 2012). Polyurethane, the material that does tolerate most lubricants, is imported and uncommon here. Lambskin is not sold by any Indian brand site we checked, so skip the listicles that include it.

Ultra-thin, dotted or ribbed: what is the actual difference?

Sensation, not protection. All three are latex condoms made to the same width standard, and none of them is safer or riskier than a plain one. Ultra-thin means a thinner wall: Durex sells Invisible 003 as its thinnest, alongside Invisible and Air. The WHO and UNFPA specification allows a wall anywhere from 0.045 to 0.080 mm, which is the band every "003" and "super thin" claim sits inside (WHO/UNFPA male latex condom specification).

Textured means raised dots or ribs, sometimes both on one condom. Manforce prints the dot count on the pack of its Dots 1740. On Quora the Indian answers to "dotted or ultra thin" split cleanly and keep splitting, which is the honest answer: this one is taste. Buy a mixed pack before you buy ten of anything.

Which condom flavours are sold in India, and are they for vaginal sex?

Flavoured condoms are made for oral sex, and the caution is worth reading before you assume otherwise. Apollo Pharmacy's buying guide says they are "primarily designed for oral intimacy and may not always be ideal for vaginal use unless clearly specified" (Apollo Pharmacy, 24 Feb 2026). If the pack does not say it is cleared for vaginal use, treat it as an oral-only pack.

The range is wide. Durex lists Wild Strawberry, Bubblegum and Intense Chocolate; Skore runs chocolate, orange, pinacolada, strawberry, watermelon, cherry and Irish coffee; Manforce adds litchi, cocktail blends, apple-peach and black grape; Moods carries chocolate, banana, strawberry, coffee and bubblegum plus rose, jasmine and musk scents. Flavoured lube is a separate question, answered in our guide to flavoured lubricant in India.

What is a climax-delay condom and what is inside it?

A climax-delay condom carries a mild numbing agent inside the tip, and the brands sell it as "extra time" or "long last". Durex Extra Time, Skore Extra Time and Timeless, Manforce Overtime, Moods all-night and Cupid Extra Time are the ones on Indian shelves.

We are not printing an ingredient or a percentage, because nobody on our team has read one off a pack yet, and the blogs that quote a figure are run by condom sellers. Two practical notes instead. A numbing agent does not stay on your side of the latex, so a partner can feel it too. And read the pack: it will tell you what is in the tip and how long before sex to put it on.

What is a female (internal) condom, and where do you buy one in India?

It is a sheath worn inside the vagina, held by an inner ring at the cervix and an outer ring outside. Two are made in India: the Cupid Female Condom from Cupid Limited in Nashik, whose homepage carries the WHO and UNFPA prequalification mark (Cupid Limited), and Velvet from HLL Lifecare, listed at 100 rupees MRP on the company's Moods Planet site. Chemists stock them unevenly; online is usually easier.

On how well it works, the NHS is specific: an internal condom is "up to 95% effective at preventing pregnancy" with perfect use and "79% effective" in typical use, and "you can insert an internal condom up to 8 hours before sex" (NHS, internal condoms). The oil rule follows the material: latex versions want water-based or silicone-based lube only.

Does size matter more than type?

Yes, and it is the question most people are really asking when they search for types. Fit is decided by width, not by the word on the front. The WHO and UNFPA specification puts public-sector standard widths at 49 mm and 53 mm with a tolerance of plus or minus 2 mm, and notes that "there is no recognized size for larger condoms", so an XL pack is whatever its maker says it is.

A thin condom is not a narrow one and a dotted condom is not a wide one: texture and thickness leave the width alone. Work out your number first in our guide to condom sizes in India, or in कंडोम का साइज गाइड if Hindi is easier, then come back and pick a type.

Which lubricant works with which condom?

Water-based or silicone-based with latex and polyisoprene. Never oil. The NHS says it plainly: "do not use oil-based lubricant with latex condoms, use water-based or silicone-based lubricant instead", and adds the two checks nobody does, "check the packet for a European CE mark or UKCA mark" and "check the use by date has not expired" (NHS, condoms). Used correctly every time, the NHS puts condoms at "up to 98% effective at preventing pregnancy", and at 82% when they are not.

That rules out coconut oil, body lotion and massage oils, and it rules out MyMuse's own oil-based lube. Glide (₹699) is the water-based one: 50 ml, five ingredients, and its product page states it is "safe to use with all types of condoms and silicone toys". A drop inside the tip and more on the outside is the whole technique. More on matching lube to material in the complete lubricant guide.

Prices checked on 05 Oct 2026.

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MyMuse is an Indian sexual-wellness brand selling personal massagers, lubricants and intimacy products on mymuse.in and quick-commerce apps. Condoms are not part of the range, so no brand above is a competitor and none paid to be here.

Written by Surya G., Team MyMuse