01 Industry Environment & Policy Support

Macroeconomic Recovery

In 2022, China's GDP grew by 3% despite pandemic pressures.

Consumer sentiment and spending were suppressed but rebounded strongly in early 2023 following the State Council's “Expanded Domestic Demand Strategy”.

Policies encourage high-quality, diversified eyewear innovation, especially for children and adolescents.

National Strategy: Myopia Prevention & Control

The “14th Five-Year Plan for Eye Health” prioritizes youth myopia control.

Government, industry associations, and schools collaborate to reduce myopia rates by 2030.

Policies also target functional lenses, lightweight materials, and smart eyewear development.

02 Eyewear Market Panorama

Market Size & Competitive Landscape

2022 total retail market reached RMB 77.7 billion, down 8.6% YoY, but lenses outperformed thanks to surging myopia control products.

Lens market: RMB 34.0 billion (-1.4%). Frame market: RMB 27.8 billion (-10.1%).

Forecast: Lens retail to reach RMB 57.4 billion by 2026, frames RMB 39.2 billion (CAGR >7%).

• ✔ Lens sales value: Zeiss (24.6%), Essilor (24.3%), Wanxin (8.9%), Hoya (6.5%).
• ✔ Lens volume: Wanxin leads (15.4%), Mingyue (10.2%), Hongchen (8.4%).
• ✔ Frames market highly fragmented; premium international brands coexist with emerging local names like Jinshi, FanSu, Libai.

Import & Export Snapshot

Eyewear exports grew 11.5% in 2022 to US$7.4 billion.

Exports to ASEAN surged >50%. China remains the world's manufacturing hub, while imports target high-end designer frames.

03 Lens Market Analysis

Boom of Functional Lenses: Myopia Control & Progressive Addition

Myopia control lenses (spectacle lenses for children) have exploded due to policy push and parental willingness to pay.

Key products: Zeiss MyoCare / MyoVision, Essilor Stellest, Hoya MiYOSMART, Wanxin Yibai, Mingyue Easy Control.

Technologies include peripheral defocus, multi-point defocus, and DIMS. 45.4% of parents spend >RMB 1,000 on children's glasses, prioritizing efficacy.

Lens Competition: Sales Value & Volume

Top 4 by value: Zeiss (24.6%), Essilor (24.3%), Wanxin (8.9%), Hoya (6.5%).

By volume: Wanxin (15.4%), Mingyue (10.2%), Hongchen (8.4%). Myopia-control products further consolidate leaders.

04 Eyeglass Frames Market Dynamics

Comfort & Personalization Drive New Trends

Comfort has become the top purchase driver for frames (>50% consumers).

Titanium, beta-titanium, and hybrid materials are preferred. Full-rim and keyhole bridge styles lead.

Minimalist, casual, and artistic aesthetics dominate. Emerging brands: Jinshi (extreme comfort), Libai, Muhou (Chinese aesthetics).

“One Person, Multiple Glasses” & Scenario-specific Design

48.4% of consumers own ≥2 pairs of prescription glasses. Motivations: multi-scenario use, outfit matching, self-expression.

Sports, protective, and smart glasses (Huawei x Gentle Monster, Irisian cloud clip) are rising.

Material evolution: TR90, beta-titanium, hybrid rule; children's frames stress safety and durability.

Colors: gradient and translucent hues, polygonal full-rim are in vogue.

05 Consumer Demand Deep Dive

Based on July 2023 survey of 2,121 eyewear purchasers across adult myopes, children's myopia, and presbyopes.

Key Findings

• Adult myopes (n=1035): 50.3% rank comfort first; 70%+ choose functional lenses (anti-fatigue, blue-blocking). Frames: titanium/hybrid, casual elegant styles.
• Children & adolescent myopia (parents): “Effective myopia control” is #1 (42.1%). Average spend RMB 1,000-2,000. Preferred channels: hospitals/optometric centers. Frames: titanium + silicone, cute/artistic designs.
• Presbyopes: Bifocal/single-vision still mainstream; progressive adoption remains low but promising. Lightweight, foldable, affordable frames hot on e-commerce.
• Purchase channels trend: Brick-and-mortar chains (Baodao, Bausch) dominate; online platforms (Douyin, Meituan) fuel local traffic and “content to store” visits.

Reasons for “Multiple Glasses”

Nearly 50% of myopes own at least two pairs; multi-scene use, clothing matching, and self-expression key drivers.

For sunglasses, >40% purchase multiple pairs for fashion coordination and personality display.

06 Future Outlook: Lenses & Frames Evolution

Lenses: Youth + Senior Dual Engines

Frames: Comfort · Aesthetics · Smart · Scenario

• ▶ Comfort-first design: Ultra-lightweight, pressure-free (Jinshi as pioneer).
• ▶ Expressive aesthetics: Retro-futuristic, geometric cutouts, cat-eye sunglasses thrive on social media.
• ▶ Scenario-specific: Cycling, skiing, and protective goggles gain traction; co-branding with outdoor IP.
• ▶ Smart eyewear: Huawei, Xiaomi, Apple gradually launch audio glasses; AR try-on and vision health wearables emerging.

07 Brand Building & New Retail Formats

Branding Moves: Celebrity Endorsements & Professional Credibility

Lens manufacturers publish clinical trial data for myopia-control products to boost trust.

Brands like MuJiu (Wood90) signed star spokesperson Gong Jun, generating 1.2 billion exposures.

Baodao Optical trained 8,000 employees as social influencers to build community and acquire customers.

“New Store Concepts” and Optical-Medicine Integration

Flagship stores like Chongqing C. E. Optical Art Museum and Wuhan Jingliang Glasses Museum blend culture with retail.

Traditional optical shops transform into “Vision Care Centers” offering myopia management, orthokeratology, and vision therapy — bridging commercial and medical services.

Digital Traffic & Local Life Platforms

Douyin, Meituan, and other platforms drive coupon-based in-store visits. Content seeding + local life services restructure “offline scenario traffic”.

Omni-channel marketing and O2O closed loops become the new norm for eyewear retail.

📊 Whitepaper Key Metrics at a Glance

⚡ Emerging technologies: Diffusion Optical Technology (Kodak), C.A.R.E. (Zeiss), C.A.M.D. (Mingyue) reshape myopia management.

Progressive addition lenses (PALs) enter the next growth wave thanks to aging demographics and better fitting protocols.

Copyright © iResearch Inc. This document is a structured summary based on the “2023 China Eyewear Industry White Paper” for professional reference and knowledge sharing.