Our History
Skins Sexual Health was founded back in 2006 with a simple yet powerful idea - to completely reshape the way people think about condoms. At the time, there was still a sense of awkwardness surrounding sex and protection. Buying condoms felt like a furtive, uncomfortable task for many, and the products themselves often lacked warmth or personality. We wanted to change that, to create a brand that felt inclusive, relatable and genuinely empowering.
From the outset, our aim was to open up the conversation around sex, pleasure, and protection. Skins condoms were designed to be products people could talk about openly and use with pride because safe sex should never feel like a chore or a source of embarrassment. Our name alone was a deliberate choice: punchy, memorable and rooted in real life. It’s how people naturally talk, and we’ve never believed in being overly clinical or stiff when it comes to sexual health.
Official Registration and Partnerships
In 2007, we made our mark with the official registration of the Skins trademark, and it wasn’t long before we were partnering with the NHS. By 2008, we were supplying condoms in bulk to the health service, complete with our now-iconic slogan: “Never Go In Without A Skin.” It was more than just a cheeky catchphrase; it captured our ethos perfectly- bold, unapologetic, and rooted in common sense.
Over the years, we’ve worked with a range of organisations and pop culture touchpoints to keep sexual health front and centre. In 2009, we partnered with Universal Pictures for the UK DVD release of American Pie: Reunion, a collaboration that brought the message of safer sex to a mainstream, youthful audience. Three years later, we teamed up with Gaz, Scott and Vicky (cast members) from Geordie Shore to produce special edition condom packs designed to resonate with their fans - fun, familiar, and unafraid to talk about sex in a real way.
2013 marked another exciting chapter, as we became Safe Sex Ambassadors for The Big Reunion, then the UK’s largest indoor pop festival. Events like these allowed us to meet people where they are celebrating, dancing, living life and give them the tools and information they needed to stay safe without taking away from the experience. That same spirit continued as we joined forces with medical professionals from the popular UK television show, Embarrassing Bodies. Together, we worked to challenge lingering taboos around buying condoms and helped push sexual health further into the national conversation, particularly during Sexual Health Week.
At Skins, innovation has always been about more than just product design. In 2016, we launched The Cube, a creative campaign that set out to shift public perception and present condoms as a normal, even stylish, part of everyday life. Later that year, we sponsored the Eyes Open World AIDS Day conference, offering vital support to over 100 healthcare professionals working tirelessly in sexual health services.
Our commitment to education didn’t stop there. In 2018, we got involved with the University of Lincoln’s Sexual Health, Awareness & Guidance Day, a hands-on initiative to support students in making informed, confident decisions about their bodies and relationships. That same year, we reached rural communities through our partnership with the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs Annual Convention. Too often, conversations about sexual health are centred in cities or targeted only at younger audiences. We wanted to ensure that access to information and products extended far beyond that.
Throughout everything, our message has remained consistent: sex should feel good and feeling good should include feeling safe. We believe in real conversations, real experiences and real connections. From the products we design to the campaigns we launch, everything we do is about supporting people in their choices, their pleasure, and their wellbeing.
Skins is more than just a brand. It’s a community built on trust, transparency, and the belief that everyone deserves a healthier, happier sex life, free from shame, stigma, or silence.
