Featured Image Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images
Topics: History, London, Sex Education, Sex and Relationships
Liv Bridge
Topics: History, London, Sex Education, Sex and Relationships
People are only just realizing what the brand Durex stands for - and it's not what you'd expect.
The condom brand has dominated the global market for what seems like the dawn of time, but few know what it's name actually stands for.
In actuality, it's been around 110 years, starting out as the London Rubber Company in 1915 before acquiring the name Durex in 1929 and seeking new horizons as a condom brand in the 1950s.
According to its lengthy history page, Durex shared many world-firsts that revolutionized the market.
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It was the first to develop and use electronic testing on its products, it made the first 'anatomically shaped' rubber and in the 1970s, became the first condom brand to go global and advertise in most countries.
Fast forward to the end of the 1990s and Durex boasted a global 'quality seal' as standard and a range of colorful, flavored and latex-free versions, followed by ribbed and dotted condoms and lubricants throughout the 2000s.
Yet what many people don't know is that its name cleverly comes from a kind of acronym - and it's not 'During Sex' as many have been led to believe.
Instead, according to the BBC, the name actually tips a hat to the company's ethos: DUrability, REliability and EXcellence.
The revelation has left dozens of people around the world stunned, admitting they never knew or really questioned the unusual name.
"I thought it is durable," one said, while others said they thought it was a reference to an ex-partner.
Another said she was studying brand names and how it gives them capital in the market when she stumbled across the fun fact.
"Corona when dark once Covid hit while other brand names have become a verb like 'Googling it'. Even Durex actually stands for durability, reliability and excellence," she wrote.
Another joked: "Who knew that #DUREX name was derived from Durability, Reliability and Excellence? Call me a Durex-beast in bed then! hahaha."
According to British Heritage, its inception came from the 'intellectual prowess' of a Polish rubber technology student, Lucian Landau, though it wasn't until 1932 that Durex took on manufacturing its own brand.
Durex also states on its website: "We’ve been making condoms with the finest raw materials since 1929, so we know a thing or two about performance. And we don’t just mean in the bedroom (or wherever you’re doing it).
"Our condoms are electronically tested for holes, dermatologically tested for comfort, and they perform better than standard in global quality tests, so everyone everywhere is free to enjoy sex that feels good with anyone, anywhere.
"We partner with people who know all about sex. They’re health professionals, scientists and academics, and they’re on a mission to help us make sex feel good."
So there you have it, your next fun fact ice breaker.