More sex? This refers to the sale of condoms in the United States.

New York (CNN Business) – Condom sales are down during the pandemic as people take refuge in their homes and put an end to their sex lives. But now, with more Americans vaccinated and coronavirus-related safety restrictions relaxed, condom manufacturers are no longer struggling to increase their sales.

Condom sales in the United States rose 23.4% to $ 37 million in the four weeks ending April 18th compared to the same period last year, according to the latest figures released by the research firm IRI. Sales data across major retailers, supermarkets, pharmacies, and other retail channels.

That’s after a 4.4% drop in the whole of 2020, according to IRI.

Durex condoms maker Reckitt Benckiser said on Wednesday that Durex recorded a double-digit sales increase during the company’s fourth quarter compared to the same quarter last year. Durex sales grew last year, despite the “challenging first half of the year”, and sales were flat compared to 2019.

The company didn’t separate specific numbers on Durex, but attributed the recent growth to lax social distancing rules.

Laxman CEO Narasimhan told analysts on Wednesday that the company was seeing “improvements in sales from Durex in markets as social restrictions are easing.”

Walgreens and CVS also said that condom sales have grown in stores in recent weeks compared to last year. A CVS spokesperson described the growth as “significant” in an email, but did not provide data.

Church & Dwight, the Trojan-based condom manufacturer, said in January that this year had looked “promising” for condom sales. “There is a more anticipated rebound in sales in the condom category, where condoms are fun. Young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are eager to reclaim their social life,” said Marketing Director Britta Bomhard.

On Thursday, CEO Matt Farrell told analysts that condoms are expected to grow year on year as society opens up and consumers have more mobility.

Even before the pandemic, condom sales were slow. Sales fell 2.4% in 2017 and 3.4% in 2018 before rising 1.2% in 2019, according to IRI data.

The company that owns Troy, Church & Dwight, said in its February 2020 annual offering that “condom use has decreased, as a result of the population under the age of 18-24, alternative contraception options, less fear of HIV, and the number of Less sexual practices and more… competition.

Condoms have lost market share in recent years due to other forms of contraception, including the contraceptive pill for women, said Kevin Grundy, consumer goods analyst at Jefferies.

Less sexual intercourse

Sexual inactivity increased among American adults, mostly young adults, between 2000 and 2018, according to a study by researchers from Indiana University and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. Researchers attributed young Americans who have less sex to a variety of factors, including late adulthood and the advent of technology and social media.

The researchers found that men who were unemployed, worked part-time or had less income were more likely to be sexually inactive, noting that the percentage of sexually inactive men between the ages of 18 and 24 increased from 18.9% between the ages of 18 and 24. 2000 and 2000. 2002 to 30.9% between 2016 and 2018.