France Orders Recall of About 7 Million Ultra-Thin Condoms After Lab Tests Show Burst Failures

France has ordered a recall of about 7 million ultra-thin condoms across the European Union. The order follows lab tests that found manufacturing defects raising the risk of tearing and bursting.

The consumer watchdog, the DGCCRF, announced the move Friday, Oct. 30. The underlying ministerial order is dated Oct. 22 and was published in France's Official Journal on Oct. 30.

What the order says

The order covers 15 product references made by Malaysian company Richter Rubber Technology. Sales and imports of all ultra-thin condoms made with the faulty production process are suspended for one year. The suspension can be renewed if needed.

French authorities also ordered the products pulled from points of sale. They ordered a recall of units already sold in France.

The French economy ministry said only part of the roughly 7 million affected condoms was sold in France. The rest went to other EU markets under several brand names.

The brands named include My Lubie, Einhorn, Adloran, R&S Consumer Goods, Amor, Primeros and You Me. The full list of products and batches is on France's Rappel Conso recall site.

The defect

The DGCCRF said its investigation found that the production process used for the ultra-thin range "risks fluctuating the thickness and the quality of the latex." Lab tests found the sampled condoms failed the pressure and burst volume tests. They also failed the test for the absence of perforations.

The order says the manufacturer has "a lack of control over the manufacturing process of its products." It also says some users reported condom breakages and unwanted pregnancies linked to the sampled batches.

According to the order, a German company, RRT Vertrieb und Service GmbH, acts as the Malaysian manufacturer's representative.

The agency said the defects put users at increased risk of sexually transmitted infections and unintended pregnancy.

A recall that took months

This is not the first action. French anti-fraud and health agencies recalled condoms in late May and again in early August. Reuters and Euronews put that combined volume at about 260,000. Other accounts of the French announcements put the figure near 300,000 in France.

The authorities opened a wider investigation after those recalls. Since then, eight users have told the watchdog about condoms ripping. The agency classified the analyzed batches as non-compliant and dangerous.

The latest order is far larger than the earlier recalls: about 7 million condoms across the EU, against roughly 260,000 to 300,000 in the first rounds. It is not clear how many of the 7 million have already been used.

French authorities warned that affected condoms may still be on shelves or in people's homes. Anyone who recently used them is advised to get screened for STIs at a medical laboratory. Anyone with a late period should take a pregnancy test.

Scale of the French market

France sold just over 115 million condoms in 2024. The 7 million figure counts the whole EU, and the French share is not broken out.

The case also illustrates a core government function. Regulators test products, publish findings and pull dangerous goods from sale. Buyers of a medical-grade product have no practical way to test it themselves.

It remains unclear how other EU countries will enforce the order, and how many of the affected condoms were distributed outside France.

The one-year suspension is renewable. Its next test is whether the manufacturer can show regulators a production process that keeps the latex consistent.