After a long process of negotiation, SSL International, the British company responsible for manufacturing the world's best selling condom brand “Durex”, among other products, is being bought by the Anglo-Dutch producer of home cleaning products, Cillit Bang. This represents a new chapter in the long life of this condom brand. With ingenious campaigns and advertisements, they have achieved their goal of becoming one of the largest condom sellers in the world, with over 30% of the market. As a matter of fact, some time ago, there was an advertisement which was offering £500 to volunteers who were willing to test the quality of their latest range of products.

Born in 1915 when the “London Rubber Company” was formed, the Durex preservatives have had long standing in the market. At the beginning, they suffered some setbacks, but after the permission granted by the Church of England for married couples to use birth control, their sales began to rise. However, today, the brand “Durex” is once again in the headlines, but for truly different reasons. The takeover of this company, that has a long history of producing quality hygienic products, will be completed with a £2.54 billion tag price. Besides paying a final dividend to SSL investors, the Anglo-Dutch company has agreed to pay 1.163 pence per share.

This is not the first time that the name of this famous preservative has gone through a business related “evolution”. Although the name has a long history, it was not until 1999 that SSL was formed after a merger between “London International” and “Seton Scholl Healthcare”, the makers of the famous brand “Dr. Scholl”, which specializes in foot care products. Despite the success of the condom brand, the company has faced financial difficulties back in 2001, and when added to a fraud scandal, this provoked a tumble in the share price, one from which the company has never fully recovered even 9 years down the line.

Nowadays, those financial hardships are in the past, and analysts say that this take over will be beneficial for both companies, since they will be able to diversify their products and the commercialization overseas.