Domestic startups challenging foreign condom brands

A number of new companies are attempting to seize a greater share of the country's potentially huge market, as Yang Wanli reports.

When choosing condoms, most Chinese remain resolutely "old school" and go for trusted or well-known international brands. Now, though, a number of domestic startups are striving to seize a larger share of the market from the foreign brands that have dominated sales for decades.

In June, Zhongchuan, a manufacturer based in Gansu province, released its latest product - a condom made from waterborne polyurethane, a relatively new material. The prophylactic is just 0.01 millimeters thick, which means it is thinner than a strand of human hair (which usually has a diameter of 0.08 mm), and is aimed at taking market share from two Japanese manufacturers, Okamoto and Sigami, who claim to make the thinnest sheaths.