Essilor launches a new category of lenses: OPTIFOG™ anti-fogging lenses

Essilor today announced the launch of Optifog, the first high-performance anti-fogging lenses, in response to high consumer demand. This new category of lenses represents a major technological breakthrough in keeping with the long tradition of innovation at Essilor.

A major innovation for the optics industry

This category of lenses builds on the five major technological breakthroughs of recent decades in all of which Essilor played a major role:

• plastic lenses with Orma 500 in 1954
• progressive lenses with the launch of the Varilux brand in 1959
• photochromic lenses with Transitions in 1991
• antireflective lenses with the Crizal brand in 1992
• polarized lenses with Xperio in 2008

With Optifog, Essilor is now starting a new chapter in optical research which will offer an innovative technological solution to the issue of fog.

Hubert Sagnières, Chief Executive Officer of Essilor, noted: "Innovation has always been at the heart of Essilor’s strategy, to provide better vision for spectacle wearers under all conditions. With this new category of lenses, millions of consumers will now have access to a solution which will eliminate problems of lenses fogging up. This ground-breaking innovation is the fruit of our on-going R&D efforts to help everyone see the world better.”

A revolutionary technology

A real scientific breakthrough, Optifog lenses prevent eyeglasses from fogging up, thanks to a hydrophilic coating, while simultaneously offering all the optical and anti-smudge performance of Essilor lenses.

Potential market of more than a billion consumers around the world

According to research carried out around the world, 75% of eyeglass wearers would welcome an anti-fog solution for improved comfort and vision in their daily life (at work, playing sports, in transport etc.) The number of eyeglass wearers affected by fog problems is currently estimated at 1.2 billion worldwide, reflecting the potential of this technological breakthrough.

On all continents, irrespective of climate conditions, eyeglass wearers face the problem of fogging when they move from a cold to a warm environment:

- in warm humid regions, spectacle wearers face fogging problems on a daily basis year round (for instance, when they leave an air-conditioned environment).

- in temperate or cold climates the problems can arise in many different everyday situations: having a hot drink in the morning, when cooking, riding a motorcycle or taking part in a sports activity.

Around the world, fogging is also a problem for a large number of professional activities, particularly those that require the wearing of masks (in healthcare, for example) or other protective equipment.

Innovation at the heart of Essilor’s strategy

With three Innovation and Technology Centers and 550 researchers around the world developing the lenses of the future, and with an investment of €150 million each year, Essilor keeps innovation at the heart of its strategy to drive growth.

As a result, in an industry that is still young and where the innovation curve is promising, some 50% of Essilor’s sales every year result from products launched within the past three years.

Orma®, Varilux®, Crizal®, Xperio® and OPTIFOG™ are registered trademarks of Essilor International.

Transitions® is a registered trademark of Transitions Optical Inc.

About Essilor

The world’s leading ophthalmic opticals company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its corporate mission is to enable everyone around the world to access lenses that meet his or her unique vision requirements. To support this mission, the Company allocates around €150 million to research and development, in a commitment to continuously bringing new, more effective products to market. Essilor’s flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Definity®, Xperio®, Kodak® and Foster Grant®. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Essilor reported consolidated revenue of more than €3.9 billion in 2010 and employs 42,700 people in around 100 countries. It operates 14 plants, 332 prescription laboratories and several research and development centers around the world. For more information, please visit www.essilor.com.

The Essilor share trades on the NYSE Euronext Paris market and is included in the CAC 40 index.

Codes and symbols: ISIN: FR0000121667; Reuters: ESSI.PA; Bloomberg: EI:FP.