Are Cosmetic Tints Still A Thing?

**John@OWDC** · 03-02-2022, 11:02 AM

Just starting to sketch out the video on selling - talking with customers about tints.
Are true cosmetic tints even a thing anymore?
Are you still seeing/doing 20% brown gradients for instance?
When was the last time you called for a grey/rose?
Still doing blue to match the hair?
Do some demos still come in with a fashion/cosmetic tint that your customer wants duplicated?
Lab people - get much call for that kind of stuff?
And PLEASE it may well be that 1/2 the country still loves 'em!
I've been out of the trenches long enough to check.
Thanks!

**lensmanmd** · 03-02-2022, 05:24 PM

They are actually making a comeback. We are seeing an uptick in dbl grads like back in the 80's and 2000's. Most common are lavender, pink and blue, with rose grads and blue/pink or rose dbl grads.

**jefe** · 03-02-2022, 09:53 PM

There is definitely some demand for cosmetic tints in my part of MA.

**John@OWDC** · 03-03-2022, 07:30 AM

Of course I checked with Janet at our lab too and they also confirm seeing an uptick in cosmetic tint use.
In fact she had a set of demo lenses "match tint" sitting on her desk!
Fashion - what goes around comes around... now where did I put those bell-bottom jeans I had?
Thanks for the feedback.

**dima** · 03-03-2022, 09:01 AM

Yes they come back to fashion....Also now I have the options to sell to client uv400 protection too

**Don Gilman** · 03-03-2022, 09:30 AM

Originally Posted by dima

Yes they come back to fashion....Also now I have the options to sell to client uv400 protection too

Way way back in 1976 on our bi centennial and I owned a lab we did a bunch of triple gradients. Blue top, clear middle, red bottom.

**KrystleClear** · 03-04-2022, 11:54 AM

I still do them but most of my patients are 70+ years old. I haven't sold a cosmetic tint to a younger person since back in the early 2010s when I started. (The occasional "stoner" kid would want a light blue or purple tint - like Ozzy Osborne.) For whatever reason, the most common cosmetic tint I do is a 10-20% pink (these are patients who have no medical reason for the pink, they just like it). I personally hope they come back in. A little tint could hide a multitude of sins.

**KrystleClear** · 03-04-2022, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Don Gilman

Way way back in 1976 on our bi centennial and I owned a lab we did a bunch of triple gradients. Blue top, clear middle, red bottom.

I would absolutely love something wacky like that! The lab would hate me.

**mervinek** · 03-04-2022, 12:57 PM

I haven't done a cosmetic tint in ages, unless you include a grey gradient tint to camouflage a severe cataract in one eye.

**lensmanmd** · 03-04-2022, 06:01 PM

Originally Posted by KrystleClear

I would absolutely love something wacky like that! The lab would hate me.

Yes, they would. I hated those......

**Uilleann** · 03-07-2022, 11:27 AM

Given that any meaningful scratch resistance goes bye-bye with tintable lens, and that they fade, and change color over time, I haven't seen a rush at our door to have many done. Maybe 4 or 5 in the past 7-8 years.

**John@OWDC** · 03-10-2022, 07:48 AM

If anyone has a new frame on their board with tinted demo lenses PLEASE send me some pictures or post them! THANKS

**Rockstargazer** · 03-26-2022, 05:45 PM

Cosmetic tints are definitely back in vogue, I have clients walking in asking for a "Gloria Steinham" tint, or "Jack Nicholson" dark amber tint lately. Here's one I did recently for a guy who then promptly went to his hair colorist and had them dye his hair to match!!! Triple gradient Blue/Purple/Pink!! See photo-- of course my shop is in San Francisco..............

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**John@OWDC** · 03-27-2022, 08:30 AM

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah - nice work!

OK if I use the image in the video?

Better yet would be one with the matching hair.

Thanks
John

**Rockstargazer** · 03-30-2022, 02:48 PM

Here is the photo with hair to match the 3 color gradient tint!

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Also another example of a custom tint I did for a client who did NOT dye his hair to match!! LOL

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**macattack** · 03-30-2022, 03:36 PM

The matching hair really seals the deal!! It makes me miss my rainbow hair days, though I didn't have tinted lenses to match... maybe I'll have to now. As an optician under 35 I don't have a lot of first hand experience with tints, but I'm really interested in learning. I hope to find a used tint machine at some point to practice with - anyone have tips on the best ones to keep an eye out for? What's the Marco 101 of tint machines?

**NAICITPO** · 03-30-2022, 06:03 PM

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Definitely still a thing!

**lensmanmd** · 03-30-2022, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by John@OWDC

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah - nice work!

OK if I use the image in the video?

Better yet would be one with the matching hair.

Thanks
John

Please temper this with CR39……We, labs, have to choose between HC for AR vs tints. Most tintable HCs don’t play well w/AR. Most AR compatible HCs don’t tint well.

**John@OWDC** · 03-31-2022, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by lensmanmd

Please temper this with CR39……We, labs, have to choose between HC for AR vs tints. Most tintable HCs don’t play well w/AR. Most AR compatible HCs don’t tint well.

I saw this comment and was hoping someone might have something to say about it: "Given that any meaningful scratch resistance goes bye-bye with tintable lens, and that they fade, and change color over time, I haven't seen a rush at our door to have many done. Maybe 4 or 5 in the past 7-8 years."

Lensmanmd - would you elaborate a bit more and for the newbie I'm assuming HC is hard-coat?
Which, as I understand it, means that if the lab knows what they are doing "meaningful scratch resistance goes bye-bye" is not a correct statement?

And FWIW - I mention numerous times in the upcoming video that for several reasons tints and AR's together are not a good idea.

Thanks

**Uncle Fester** · 03-31-2022, 09:17 AM

Can we promote peel and stick small cake decorating initials while we're at it?

**Lensman11** · 03-31-2022, 10:39 AM

Tintable hard coats are less scratch resistant therefore not the best choice for AR. It is possible to tint a lens before it is hard coated but if you dip coat your hard coating will become contaminated as some of the tint will leach out. It is possible to tint then spin coat although that would would usually be a uv cure coating which is generally not as hard as a thermal cure. Just say no to AR with a tint for the best results. It is possible to spin coat a thermally cured coating but I only know of one lab that did it but stopped when dipping became available as the labor cost for dipping is substantially lower.

**lensmanmd** · 03-31-2022, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by John@OWDC

I saw this comment and was hoping someone might have something to say about it: "Given that any meaningful scratch resistance goes bye-bye with tintable lens, and that they fade, and change color over time, I haven't seen a rush at our door to have many done. Maybe 4 or 5 in the past 7-8 years."

Lensmanmd - would you elaborate a bit more and for the newbie I'm assuming HC is hard-coat?
Which, as I understand it, means that if the lab knows what they are doing "meaningful scratch resistance goes bye-bye" is not a correct statement?

And FWIW - I mention numerous times in the upcoming video that for several reasons tints and AR's together are not a good idea.

Thanks

As i am packing for my trip to New York..........

Some of us have such limited space, that we cannot add more coaters. Imagine squeezing 2 FF lines, 6 edgers, 2 coaters and 2 Fusions in a 3000 sq ft production area.
That said, for redundancy, we need to have the same coating in both of our coaters. With over 50% of orders being AR, we need to have a good HC (Hard Coat) and space dictates spin.

It's a balance of durability and tintabilty. We've tested many brands of coatings and have chosen one brand that offers both. That brand (will not name publicly) has very good abrasion properties, and is tintable (to a point). Darkness maxes out at about 65% blockage, but not dark enough for true suns. It's all about balance.

Poly, Trivex, 160, 167, etc., all need some sort of backside coating. Only CR39 doesn't, unless AR is being applied. And here lies my conundrum.

If only I had more space........I could run a TD for AR, and a softer HC for darker tints. I'm working on that piece..........

"meaningful scratch resistance" is a term that is open to many interpretations, esp by the consumer.

**John@OWDC** · 04-01-2022, 08:26 AM

Thanks!

**Rockstargazer** · 04-03-2022, 12:29 AM

So here's my two cents worth on tinting/AR/PSR- Anytime you have a lens custom tinted and also AR Coated- you are rolling the dice big time because AR process will lighten the custom tint quite a bit. Therefore if you have an in-house sample tint you're client is expecting to see on their new lenses you will never have a 100% match. Typically the lab would tint the lenses a shade darker than what is specified. Example: You order a Grey 1- the lab will tint them Grey 2 and send them off to be coated. You cross fingers they come back a grey 1. It's a pain in the *** for the lab and the dispenser. What if it comes back too dark? too light? Then you do a DR REDO and on and on and on. I've found it far less problematic to do the tints in house, where you have control of the final product. I don't even know if the big labs in US are set up for this type of custom specialty. With robotics and high production pulling a job offline to do a custom tint seems a recipe for disaster. I'm sure the NON corporate owned labs still do this sort of thing- just don't expect the evil empire will............. Cheers all!