 However , European militaries continued to provide condoms to their members for disease protection , even in countries where they were illegal for the general population . Through the 1920s , catchy names and slick packaging became an increasingly important marketing technique for many consumer items , including condoms and cigarettes . Quality testing became more common , involving filling each condom with air followed by one of several methods intended to detect loss of pressure . Worldwide , condom sales doubled in the 1920s . 
