Top 10 Companies in the High Index Lens Monomer Industry (2025): Market Leaders Powering Optical Innovation

In Business Insights
June 16, 2025

The Global High Index Lens Monomer Market was valued at USD 72.3 Million in 2024 and is projected to reach USD 114 Million by 2032, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 6.8% during the forecast period (2024–2032). This growth is driven by increasing global myopia rates, technological advancements in optical materials, and growing consumer demand for thinner, lighter corrective lenses with superior clarity.

As vision correction needs become more complex worldwide, manufacturers are innovating to develop high-performance materials that meet both optical and cosmetic requirements. Today we examine the Top 10 Companies in the High Index Lens Monomer Industry – chemical innovators and material specialists shaping the future of precision optics through advanced polymer technologies.

Download FREE Sample Report: High Index Lens Monomer Market – View in Detailed Research Report


🔟 1. Mitsui Chemicals

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Key Offering: MR Series (1.67-1.74 index)

The undisputed market leader, Mitsui Chemicals pioneered high-index lens monomer technology with its patented MR polymer platform. Their sulfur-containing monomers enable ultra-thin lens designs while maintaining exceptional optical performance metrics.

Key Advantages:

  • Market-leading 1.74 index materials with 45% thickness reduction vs standard lenses
  • Proprietary anti-reflective coating compatibility
  • Global production capacity of 15,000 metric tons annually

9️⃣ 2. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical (MGC)

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Key Offering: HI-REF™ Series (1.60-1.74 index)

MGC combines material science expertise with precision manufacturing to produce high-purity monomers favored by premium eyewear brands. Their multi-stage purification system minimizes optical distortions and yellowing.

Key Advantages:

  • Exceptional Abbe values (up to 42) for reduced chromatic aberration
  • Biocompatible formulations suitable for sensitive wearers
  • Strategic partnerships with coating technology providers

8️⃣ 3. Miwon Commercial

Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea
Key Offering: Urethane Acrylates (1.60-1.71 index)

This Korean innovator has disrupted traditional suppliers with cost-effective urethane-based formulations that don’t compromise on performance. Their monomers are particularly valued in the safety eyewear segment.

Key Advantages:

  • Industry-leading impact resistance (passes ANSI Z87.1 standards)
  • 30% faster curing times than conventional monomers
  • Flexible material properties for rimless frame designs

Download FREE Sample Report: High Index Lens Monomer Market – View in Detailed Research Report


7️⃣ 4. Efirm New Material

Headquarters: Shanghai, China
Key Offering: EF-HM Series (1.67-1.74 index)

As China’s dominant domestic producer, Efirm combines competitive pricing with quality that meets international optical standards. Their vertically integrated supply chain ensures consistent material properties.

Key Advantages:

  • Specialized formulations for Asian anthropometric needs
  • Annual production capacity exceeding 8,000 metric tons
  • Custom index development for OEM clients

6️⃣ 5. Jiangsu Shike New Materials

Headquarters: Jiangsu, China
Key Offering: SK-HI Series (1.60-1.67 index)

Specializing in mid-range high-index materials, Jiangsu Shike serves China’s booming domestic optical market with cost-optimized solutions that maintain performance benchmarks.

Key Advantages:

  • Automated production with ±0.001 refractive index tolerance
  • Progressive lens-specific formulations
  • 25% price advantage versus imported alternatives

5️⃣ 6. Arkema

Headquarters: Colombes, France
Key Offering: Specialty High-Index Monomers

The French chemical leader has leveraged its polymer expertise to develop high-index materials meeting stringent European optical standards, with particular strengths in durability.

Key Advantages:

  • Exceptional chemical resistance properties
  • Low-stress formulations reducing optical distortions
  • Bio-based material development pipeline

4️⃣ 7. Showa Denko (SDK)

Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
Key Offering: Premium 1.70 Index Monomers

SDK’s materials division produces specialty high-index monomers prized for their optical clarity and consistency, using proprietary purification techniques.

Key Advantages:

  • Ultra-low birefringence (<5 nm/cm)
  • High purity (99.9%+) with minimal inclusions
  • Thermal stability superior to industry norms

Download FREE Sample Report: High Index Lens Monomer Market – View in Detailed Research Report


3️⃣ 8. Songwon Industrial

Headquarters: Ulsan, South Korea
Key Offering: Stabilizers and Additives

While not a direct monomer producer, Songwon plays a critical role in the ecosystem through its specialty additives that enhance processing and performance of high-index materials.

Key Advantages:

  • UV stabilizers extending product lifetime by 40%
  • Anti-yellowing agents maintaining optical clarity
  • Custom additive packages for specific formulations

2️⃣ 9. IGM Resins

Headquarters: Waalwijk, Netherlands
Key Offering: Photopolymerization Systems

IGM’s advanced photoinitiators enable efficient curing of high-index monomers while reducing energy consumption in lens manufacturing processes.

Key Advantages:

  • Low-migration chemistry meeting FDA standards
  • Dual-cure systems for complex geometries
  • 30% faster curing than conventional systems

1️⃣ 10. Dymax Corporation

Headquarters: Torrington, USA
Key Offering: Optical Bonding Solutions

Completing our list, Dymax provides specialty adhesives critical for assembling high-index lenses into modern eyewear designs without compromising optical properties.

Key Advantages:

  • Refractive index matching from 1.56 to 1.74
  • UV-cure adhesives enabling rimless designs
  • Superior resistance to thermal cycling

Get Full Report Here: High Index Lens Monomer Market – View in Detailed Research Report


🔍 Market Outlook: The Clear Future of High-Index Optics

The high-index lens monomer segment continues to evolve rapidly, driven by both technological innovation and changing consumer expectations. As material science advances, we’re seeing three key development vectors emerge.

📈 Key Industry Trends:

  • Development of 1.76+ index materials for extreme myopia correction
  • Integration of smart lens technologies requiring specialized formulations
  • Growing emphasis on sustainable production methods and bio-based materials
  • Expansion into emerging markets with rapidly growing vision correction needs

Get Full Report Here: High Index Lens Monomer Market – View in Detailed Research Report

The companies profiled represent the vanguard of optical materials science, developing solutions that combine visual performance, patient comfort, and manufacturing efficiency to meet the world’s growing vision correction needs.