Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 25 From Nirodh, the condom brand closely associated with the country’s early family-planning programme, to MOODS Graphene and MOODS Shotz, the six-decade journey of HLL Lifecare mirrors the changing way India has approached contraception.
In a document released ahead of World Contraception Day on September 26, the public-sector enterprise says the conversation around contraception has moved well beyond population control and limiting family size to include reproductive choice, sexual health, privacy and shared responsibility between partners.
From an annual production capacity of 144 million condoms in its early years to more than 162 crore condoms manufactured in a single year today, the company says its journey reflects not only the growth of a public-sector enterprise but also India’s changing relationship with contraception.
When HLL was incorporated in 1966 as Hindustan Latex Limited, the country was still building its national family-planning infrastructure.
According to the company document, condoms were largely imported and expensive at the time, prompting the government to establish the public-sector company to manufacture contraceptives domestically at affordable prices.
Keralam’s availability of natural rubber latex led to Thiruvananthapuram being chosen for HLL’s first manufacturing facility. The company began commercial production in 1969 with an annual capacity of 144 million condoms.
One of its early products was Nirodh, which went on to become one of the country’s most recognisable condom brands and was closely associated with the government’s family-planning programme.
Nearly 60 years later, HLL says both the products and the conversation around contraception have changed significantly.
For younger Indians, the company notes, discussions around contraception are taking place in a world shaped by dating apps, social media, e-commerce and instant access to information and misinformation.
The scale of HLL’s manufacturing has also grown dramatically. The company says it manufactured around 162.34 crore condoms in 2024-25 and has produced and distributed more than 5,500 crore condoms over its journey.
Contraceptive products contributed Rs 470.48 crore to HLL’s sales in 2024-25, according to the document.
The company’s portfolio now extends beyond condoms to oral contraceptive pills, non-steroidal oral contraceptives, emergency contraceptive pills, Copper-Ts and tubal rings, apart from male and female condoms.
HLL also supplies contraceptive products to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the government’s family-planning programme.
The evolution of its brands, HLL says, reflects the changing consumer conversation.
MOODS, launched in 1987, became the company’s flagship condom brand. HLL now produces more than 30 condom variants, with newer products focusing on thinness, texture, flavour, comfort and consumer experience.
Among them is MOODS Graphene, developed by HLL’s Corporate R&D Centre with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The technology incorporates graphene into natural-rubber latex to improve properties, including heat transfer and tensile strength, with the objective of producing a thinner condom while retaining protection.
More recently, HLL launched MOODS Shotz, a range offering variants around thinness, texture, flavour and prolonged pleasure. But the company’s innovation story extends beyond condoms.
HLL’s Saheli is an indigenous, once-a-week, non-steroidal oral contraceptive based on Centchroman, originally developed by CSIR-CDRI.
Unlike conventional hormonal oral contraceptives, the company says, Saheli represented an Indian contribution to expanding contraceptive choices for women.
Its Corporate R&D Centre, in collaboration with the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, also developed Emily, an indigenous levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system that provides long-acting contraception and can also be used in managing heavy menstrual bleeding.
Another innovation highlighted by HLL is Velvet, an indigenously developed natural-rubber-latex female condom manufactured entirely in-house.
The female-initiated contraceptive was designed to give women greater control over protection against unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
The company says its research is continuing, with work on new hormonal molecules and next-generation contraceptive products.
The changing conversation is particularly relevant for younger Indians, HLL says. Citing UNFPA, the document notes that 8.42 lakh young people accessed sexual and reproductive-health information through its JustAsk! digital platform in 2025.
The figure points to a growing demand for private, accessible and non-judgmental information on contraception and reproductive health, the company says.
HLL’s healthcare products now reach more than 100 countries.
(PTI News)
