The energy shock is cascading into consumer products in ways both predictable and surprising. British consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser, the parent company of Durex condoms, Harpic, and Nurofen, warned on Wednesday that oil at $110 per barrel for the rest of 2026 could cost the company between £130 million and £150 million ($190 million) in additional production costs. Malaysia’s Karex, the world’s largest condom manufacturer and a key Durex supplier, has already signaled price hikes of its own.
In the airline industry, Spain’s Volotea has introduced a new variable pricing policy that effectively offloads fuel cost uncertainty directly onto passengers — a move that Italian outlet L’Espresso reports may violate two EU consumer protection directives. It’s a sign of things to come: as energy costs become unpredictable, companies are increasingly asking consumers to absorb the risk.
