Ali Rhdifa
President of Infoptic
Arnaud Rajchenbach
Head of Marketing and Sales at Transitions Optical Canada
Anne-Catherine Scherlen
Doctor of Optometry & Neuroscientist, Head of Clinical Marketing at Transitions® Optical (Global Team)
Following the landmark success of Transitions® GEN S™—which set a new industry benchmark for ultra-rapid photochromic kinetics and complete indoor clarity—Transitions® Color Touch™ inaugurates a bold new category in dynamic eyewear. Designed for wearers who view their frames as both a style statement and a continuous visual comfort tool, Color Touch pairs a desirable 20% indoor cosmetic tint at rest with uncompromising Category 3 sunwear performance outdoors.
In this exclusive roundtable led by Ali Rhdifa, President of Infoptic Media, Arnaud Rajchenbach and Dr. Anne-Catherine Scherlen decode the clinical neuroscience, molecular tone-on-tone engineering, and dispensing versatility behind Transitions Optical’s latest innovation.
1. Indoor Aesthetic Comfort Meets GEN S Dynamic Power
With Transitions GEN S already celebrated for its crystal-clear indoor state and ultra-fast outdoor darkening, why introduce a permanent 20% indoor tint with Transitions Color Touch—and how does it respond to modern visual environments?
Color Touch is not a replacement for GEN S, which remains our core flagship lens; rather, it is a strategic complement that expands the dynamic lens category. A growing segment of wearers actively seeks a subtle, permanent cosmetic wash indoors to elevate their frame design while simultaneously softening the harsh glare of modern office LEDs and digital screens—without ever having to switch pairs when stepping outside into bright sunlight.
Clinically, that subtle 20% baseline tint performs a dual role. Indoors and during night driving, it gently attenuates artificial luminance peaks and halogen/LED scatter without reducing visual acuity or distorting natural colour perception. Even more importantly, by keeping the visual system in a state of comfortable luminance regulation indoors, the eye is already pre-acclimated when transitioning outdoors—where GEN S photochromic kinetics immediately take over to deliver full Category 3 solar protection.
2. The 5-Shade Tone-on-Tone Palette & Molecular Fidelity
Conventional dipped cosmetic tints applied over generic grey photochromic substrates frequently suffer from muddied, unpredictable colour shifts during activation and fade-back. To eliminate this phenomenon entirely, Transitions Optical engineered a proprietary 100% Transitions Tone-on-Tone Formula across five signature shades.
Each indoor cosmetic tint is chemically and optically paired with its matching GEN S photochromic base: a Color Touch Ruby sits directly on a GEN S Ruby base, while a Color Touch Amethyst is built on a GEN S Amethyst matrix. Because the static dye and the dynamic photochromic molecules share synchronized spectral coordinates during both activation and deactivation, wearers experience pure, saturated chromatic fidelity from a 20% indoor fashion wash all the way to Category 3 sunwear intensity—with zero grey shade drift.
3. Gradient vs. Solid (Washed) Finishes & Active Filtration
To give opticians and eyewear stylists complete creative freedom across single-vision and progressive prescriptions, Transitions® Color Touch™ is available in two distinct indoor aesthetic finishes:
Gradient Finish — Elegance & Functionality
Features an approximate 20% tint in the upper portion of the lens that gracefully fades toward the bottom zone—delivering refined upper-field glare modulation for distance vision alongside an ultra-clear lower reading zone for effortless near tasks.
Solid Finish (Washed) — Uniformity & Character
Delivers a continuous 20% tint across the entire lens surface at rest, creating a bold, contemporary fashion signature and uniform indoor luminance soothing before transforming into a homogeneous Category 3 sun lens outdoors.
Indoor blue-violet light filtration in the deactivated state depending on the chosen shade.
Maximum outdoor darkening paired with 100% UVA & UVB protection.
Total chromatic symbiosis between the indoor cosmetic tint and the GEN S photochromic matrix.
💡 Key Takeaways & Major Insights from the Discussion
- A New Hybrid Category: Transitions® Color Touch™ complements GEN S™ by merging a permanent 20% indoor fashion tint with rapid Category 3 outdoor darkening.
- All-Day & Night Visual Comfort: Certified suitable for night driving and continuous indoor wear, easing visual fatigue under harsh LED lighting and digital screens.
- 100% Tone-on-Tone Molecular Engineering: Matching each indoor tint with its corresponding GEN S colour base (Ruby, Amber, Sapphire, Amethyst, Emerald) guarantees zero grey shade drift during activation or fade-back.
- Tailored Dispensing Finishes: Available in both Solid (Washed) for uniform character and Gradient for unobstructed near-vision reading comfort.
- Built-In Photoprotection: Filters between 26% and 51% of harmful blue-violet light indoors (and up to 77%–89% outdoors) while blocking 100% of UVA and UVB rays.
