Top priority: kindness to skin

F&W further extends leadership with phthalate-free nose pads

As a leading manufacturer of nose pads made from PVC and silicone, we are committed to ensuring that our products are tolerated well by the skin. While silicone as a raw material contains no plasticizers, these represent a significant component of PVC pads. Until now, our competitors – particularly those in Asia – almost exclusively offered PVC pads containing the phthalate plasticizer DEHP or DOP. Concern has been raised about the effect of these phthalates on fertility and in causing birth defects. Since 2000, the European Union has also banned their use in toys that can be placed in children’s mouths for infants under three years of age.

Given these concerns, we have used only the plasticizer DINP in our PVC pads since early 2005. Labelling is not required for this plasticizer but it still contains phthalates and we were keen not to use these in the long term.

In mid-2007 we finally succeeded in finding a raw material with plasticizers containing no phthalates. Effective from this date, all PVC pads produced by our company are made solely from this material.

Although we currently deploy the best possible raw material when it comes to kindness to skin, it is also vital to remember that glasses are often worn for 16 hours or more every day and therefore typically come into contact with the skin for long periods. Over time, therefore, substances such as the skin’s natural oils, sweat and cosmetics build up on the pads and subsequently bacteria too. As a result, we recommend that spectacle wearers wash their frames more often and change the pads regularly. Opticians are happy to provide expert advice and are able to replace pads quickly and easily.