Eyelovin: More than meets the eye

The first request of coloured contact lenses can be traced back to 1853 when a female patient in London requested an artificial eye to cover her differently coloured irises. Coloured contact lenses was initially invented to cover disfiguring abnormalities of the iris and cornea before they became cosmetics.

Going back further, the idea of contact lenses was hatched by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1508, but it wasn’t quite like the pupil-sized contact lens. Penned in his journal Codex of The Eye, his idea was to immerse the head into a clear bowl of water in order to alter the vision. He continued to create glass lens with water in it. The idea fell through since humans need to breathe.

Back then, coloured contact lenses were made with hard lenses. They were painful and uncomfortable. The soft contact lenses as we know it today were invented in 1960s by Czech chemist Professor Otto Wichterle. He also had the idea of diffusing a coloured dye into hydrogel.

In 1972, Titmus Eurocon, later acquired by CIBA Vision, received patent for its colour tinted soft lens. The development of coloured lens at the time was predominantly driven by the film industry. Cosmetics lens made their first appearance in Salem’s Lot film in 1979. Optometrist Dr. Morton Greenspoon was hired by Paramount Pictures to be the contact lens consultant for its films.

Coloured contact lenses with more subtle tint for daily wear were launched in 1990s. Throughout the decades, the market for coloured contact lenses eventually spreads globally, spanning from prescription and non-prescription (Plano) to UV blocking coloured contact lenses.

In Asia, coloured contact lenses craze is popularised by the South Koreans, Japanese and Chinese. Those countries also dominate the sales according to a 2019 report. As mentioned on part one of the series, the rise of K-pop and K-dramas helps spread the trend. Character cosplay creates a market for cosmetics coloured contact lenses.

While the craze has brought billions for contact lenses market in those countries, it hasn’t fully captivated the Indonesian market according to beauty and wellness company Eyelovin. “Beauty influencers wear them, but coloured contact lenses haven’t turned into fashion statement. Most likely because wearing contact lenses depends on fitness factor,” said Eyelovin Director Wella Christie.

Despite the eyes being the only features uncovered by face mask during pandemic, Eyelovin posted a decline in coloured contact lenses sale in 2020. Several sources we interviewed said that they didn’t buy coloured contact lenses as often as pre-pandemic. It makes sense because there was no event and people spent most of their time at home.

Before pandemic, 18-year-old student Stephanie could purchase coloured contact lenses three times a year. An average spending for 26-year-old Yenni who wears coloured contact lenses on a daily basis is around Rp400,000 per transaction, while Pamela’s average spending per purchase is half of Yenni’s.

An avid cosplayer like Gloria usually orders cosmetics coloured contact lenses whenever there’s an event. Pandemic shut down every gathering and event in large groups, so there is no need for Gloria to purchase coloured contact lenses as often as pre-pandemic.

In addition, during our research for this article, we found that the latest YouTube content from Indonesian beauty vloggers about coloured contact lenses is three months ago. The majority of the highly viewed videos about coloured contact lenses were published a year ago.

It is worth noting that the eye category is unlike others. Eyes are the most highly developed organs with a larger part of our brain are connected to our vision compared to other senses. 80% of what we perceive comes through our sights. Therefore, even when it comes to selling eye products in the beauty category, safety and wellness have to remain the priorities. For Wella, that includes making sure every chemical ingredient in the contact lenses and solution is FDA approved.

Although Eyelovin has come a long way and developed its in-house brand, Wella started as a dropshipper more than a decade ago. During the process, she noticed the mistakes people often make when buying and maintaining contact lenses. Choosing contact lens solution, for instance, has to be tailored to the type of contact lens people are wearing.

“We balance out health and aesthetics by educating our audience about how to wear and take care of soft lenses the right way, how to choose soft lenses with specs that are suitable for eyes,” said Wella.

The decision to create an e-commerce site is a smart move. In the beauty tech space, eyes are an untapped category with other companies mostly working on optical glasses and sunglasses along with makeup and skincare. Eyelovin is in unique positioning, yet nailing it is also tricky. For starter, educating the audience as mentioned above. Next, ramping up the number of contact lens brands to cater to different types of eyes.

The latter could affect operating cost to purchase and store those lenses, but it’s mandatory since contact lenses revolve around the fitness factor. Moreover, it aligns with Eyelovin’s mission to be the most comprehensive marketplace for contact lenses in the country. The team opts to do one thing at a time and add more categories later on instead - a strategy that is unheard of these days with tech companies.

Nonetheless, Eyelovin still has plenty of things to do in its list to achieve its vision as health and beauty lifestyle trendsetter in the country. One of them includes development in tech area, such as making the process of trying contact lenses from home seamless.

And perhaps, an external investment. “We are open to it,” both founders said when asked about the possibility.