How Moments navigated intimate wellness into the retail mainstream

The condom aisle once carried all the ambience of clinical language and a distinctly male gaze lingering over the category. Despite its former existence in a pigeonhole of taboo, over the past decade, intimate wellness has undergone a remarkable commercial maturation inside Australian retail, moving from the periphery of adult stores into pharmacies, wellness aisles and mainstream consumer discourse. Condom and intimacy brand Moments has grown alongside that transformation. According to Moments founder and managing director Nikhil Daftary, the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated that evolution. “People were forced to slow down and actually think about their health more holistically, and that naturally extended to sexual wellbeing,” he told Inside FMCG. For an industry valued at $690 million in 2025 and projected to surpass $1 billion by 2034, Daftary believes consumers are finally beginning to view intimate wellness through the same lens as skincare, fitness and mental health, as part of overall wellbeing rather than something shrouded in embarrassment.Moments launched almost a decade ago under Coral Healthcare with three condom variations. Eight years later, the range has expanded to 15 condom varieties, five intimacy products and two lubricants, including one of the thinnest condoms available on the Australian market. The company’s growth mirrors a far bigger change of perspective in the market. In 2021, David Jones introduced an intimate wellness category and, during a Valentine’s Day activation in 2023, partnered with Australian intimate wellness brand Frenchie, marking one of the first significant department store embraces of the category. The evolutionAt Sephora’s annual House of Sephora showcase in Sydney earlier this year, more than 30 new brands and product launches were unveiled, and among them were four intimate brand names, including Dame, Lelo, and Vush. “Gone are the days of sex being shameful or taboo, with the products relegated to dingy corners and back rooms,” sex educator and Frenchie ambassador Eleanor Hadley told Retail Beauty. “Now sexual wellness deserves to be out in the open, normalised and positioned to spark conversation.”The uplift of the Australian sexual wellness market has coincided with growing acceptance of sexual education and concern around rising rates of sexually transmitted infections. The Federal Government’s response has been an uprising of public health initiatives, including its launch of the Young, Deadly, Syphilis Free campaign in 2017 and the national Beforeplay STI testing campaign in 2025, reinforcing Aussies to “use protection and book an STI test today.” The timing is computed, younger consumers are far more informed and open than previous generations, driven in part by social media and society’s shift towards more candid conversations around health, relationships and self-care. Recent figures also suggest women now account for more than 40 per cent of condom purchases.From adult retail to pharmacy aislesIt is a natural progression for a category that has matured considerably over the past decade. “People now expect brands to feel more inclusive, modern and relatable,” Daftary said. The argument is difficult to dispute. Retailers importantly now recognise condoms and other intimate wellness products as everyday consumer goods rather than products burdened by stigma. Enter Chemist Warehouse, joining a growing roster of Moments stockists that already includes Coles and Amazon. Daftary explained that making the category feel part of everyday wellness shopping was one of the central reasons Moments was established in the first place. In that respect, Chemist Warehouse, which boasts its own sexual wellbeing category online and aisle in store, represented an important step towards making the category feel less confronting and more accessible. “We were meeting people where they already were,” he explained. Condoms, despite the taboo attached to them, are fundamental healthcare products that provide protection, confidence, and well-being, and the brand has sought to position them accordingly within mainstream retail environments.Intimate health enters the mainstreamEarlier this year, Karex, global supplier to Durex and Trojan and producer of more than five billion condoms annually, warned it may raise prices by 20 to 30 per cent if supply chain disruptions linked to the Iran conflict persist. A stark reality that may alter supply to Australia from global contenders for the foreseeable future. Daftary, however, expects stronger demand across lubricants, intimacy care and pleasure categories, alongside a future that is gender-inclusive, education-led and conversation-driven. “The brands that help reduce stigma while still feeling approachable and credible will be the ones that continue growing.”One firm measure of Moments’ success is the time it took to secure shelf space with some of Australia’s largest retailers. Securing a place on Coles’ shelves took five years, earning a spot in Chemist Warehouse took seven, following annual pitches to both retailers. According to Daftary, these strong retail partnerships remain critical to the brand’s long-term success. “Being able to perform consistently in major retailers, support pharmacy partners and continue innovating over time is what ultimately builds longevity.”Moments’ messaging to its customers has maintained a grounded and practical approach, with the brand’s website featuring community education content and advice from couples therapists and sexologists. “Sometimes it’s simply making someone feel more comfortable buying condoms, having conversations about sexual health, or feeling represented in a category where they previously didn’t,” said Daftary. If the past decade has paved the way for removing stigma, the next may be about cementing intimate wellness in retail as a part of everyday health and wellbeing.