Overview
KamaSutra is an Indian brand of condoms and related sexual wellness products. Launched in the early 1990s, it is widely cited as one of the largest condom brands in India by market share, particularly in the premium and mid-premium segment. The brand is owned by Raymond Consumer Care, a part of the Raymond Group, although ownership of the parent business has changed hands over the years.
Key facts
| Brand name | KamaSutra (often stylised as KS) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sexual wellness / FMCG |
| Product category | Condoms, lubricants, personal care |
| Country of origin | India |
| Launched | 1991 |
| Parent company | Raymond Consumer Care |
| Market position | Among the leading condom brands in India |
Background
The brand draws its name from the Kama Sutra, the ancient Sanskrit text on human relationships traditionally attributed to Vatsyayana. The choice of name was intended to position the product as an aspirational, lifestyle-oriented alternative to the largely utilitarian condom marketing that prevailed in India through the 1970s and 1980s, which had been dominated by government-promoted family planning brands such as Nirodh.
KamaSutra was developed in collaboration between JK Group's Ansell-linked condom manufacturing operations and the Raymond-owned consumer products business, and was marketed by Trans Marketing Limited (TML), later restructured as JK Ansell and subsequently absorbed into Raymond Consumer Care.
History
- 1991: KamaSutra is launched in India, entering the market as a premium, image-led brand aimed at urban, younger consumers.
- 1990s: The brand becomes notable for its advertising campaigns, including a print campaign featuring model Pooja Bedi and actor Marc Robinson photographed by Prabuddha Dasgupta, which is often credited with changing the tone of condom advertising in India.
- 2000s: Product range expands to include flavoured, textured, and ultra-thin variants, alongside personal lubricants.
- 2010s: KamaSutra continues to feature prominently in retail surveys of Indian condom market share, alongside competitors such as Manforce, Durex and Skore.
- 2020s: Following a restructuring within the Raymond Group, the brand is housed under Raymond Consumer Care, which oversees its FMCG portfolio including KS condoms and the Park Avenue range of toiletries.
Marketing and significance
KamaSutra is frequently cited in Indian advertising and marketing studies as an early example of lifestyle-led category creation in the country. By foregrounding pleasure and intimacy rather than disease prevention or family planning, the brand helped shift public discourse on contraceptives and contributed to the emergence of an organised sexual wellness category in Indian retail.
The brand has also engaged with public health messaging, particularly around HIV/AIDS awareness and safe-sex campaigns, and its products are sold through general trade, modern trade, pharmacy chains and e-commerce platforms across India.
Products
- Condoms in plain, ribbed, dotted, contoured and ultra-thin variants
- Flavoured condoms
- Personal lubricants and intimate gels
- Other sexual wellness accessories
Related topics
- Raymond Group
- Condom use in India
- Nirodh
- Manforce
- Advertising in India
- Family planning in India
- Kama Sutra
References
- Wikidata entry: Q6355178
- Raymond Consumer Care, corporate communications.