A Guide to Vuarnet Sunglass Lenses
- Sunglass Science
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
Vuarnet has been making high-quality lenses for decades, and they have unique lens configurations that are worth taking a look at at a high level before reviewing each lens individually. This is a general guide to Vuarnet sunglass lenses.
All Vuarnet sunglasses are made from mineral glass with anti-reflective, oleophobic,
hydrophobic and HEV Blue/IR blocking coatings. The Vuarnet mineral lens filters 100% of UV (UVA, UVB, & UVC) and provides up to 99% protection against potentially damaging blue light, also known as HEV (High Energy Visible Light), the highest energy light in the visible spectrum.
Vuarnet lenses are designed to absorb up to 94% of dangerous infrared, protecting your
eyes from irritating dryness, heat, and destruction. Not many brands specify that they block IR light. It isn't that important in terms of eye health, but it can help with comfort in very bright places.
There are five types of Vuarnet lenses, with six sunglass tint colors. There have been many other lenses in the past, but Vuarnet currently offers these as of 2026.
The five types are:
Pure - non-polarized, non-mirrored.
Lynx - non-polarized, with a bi-gradient mirror (mirror coating on top and bottom but none in the middle).
Polar - non-mirrored, with a polarized filter added between the lenses.
PolarLynx - polarized and bi-gradient mirror.
Flash Mirror (Polar or non) - a full mirror coating on the lens. Vuarnet seems to be moving away from these at the moment.
Pure and polarized will look the same from the outside. Lynx and PolarLynx will look the same.
The six base tint colors are:
Grey
Brown
Blue
Skilynx (dark yellow)
Photochromic Pink (select models)
Photochromic Yellow (select models)
The grey base tint can come with any of the lens configurations. For example:
Pure Grey - non-polarized, non-mirrored grey lens.
Grey Polar - polarized grey lens.
GreyLynx - non-polarized grey lens with bi-gradient mirror.
Grey PolarLynx - polarized grey lens with bi-gradient mirror.
Brown can come in pure, Polar, or Lynx, but not PolarLynx.
Blue can come in Polar or PolarLynx.
Skilynx, photochromic pink and yellow lenses only have one configuration, non-polarized with a bi-gradient silver mirror.
(There is another lens called Eclipse, a Category 4 5% VLT lens, one of the most protective lenses in the market. It has no mirror and is not polarized. Because it is a specialty lens that is only in a few frames, I will not focus on it here.)
This can be confusing, so I made a chart:
Pure | Polar | Lynx | PolarLynx | Flash Mirror | |
Grey | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Silver |
Brown | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Gold |
Blue | No | Yes | No | Yes | NA |
Skilynx | No | No | Yes | No | NA |
PH Pink | No | No | Yes | No | NA |
PH Yellow | No | No | Yes | No | NA |
Vuarnet lenses are generally dark, noticeably darker than most other brands that aim for a 15% Visible Light Transmission (85% of light is blocked). Most of Vuarnet's lenses are 9-12% VLT. 10% VLT lets in 33% less light than 15% VLT, so it will feel about one-third darker than the Ray-Ban G15, for example. The lens tints are also more saturated colors than most other brands.
Vuarnet is geared towards alpine and mountain conditions, typically very bright. They are one of just a few brands that feature several models with removable side shields that completely block any light from the sides or top, a useful feature in extremely bright conditions that complements very dark lenses.
VLT | Infrared Blocking | HEV Blocking | |
|---|---|---|---|
Pure Grey | 12% | 13% | 8% |
Grey Polar | 12% | 9% | 7% |
Greylynx | 10% | 10% | 7% |
Grey Polarlynx | 9% | 9% | 7% |
Pure Brown | 12% | 7% | 4% |
Brown Polar | 12% | 74% | 2% |
Brownlynx | 10% | 7% | 3% |
Blue Polar | 13% | 10% | 14% |
Blue Polarlynx | 9% | 10% | 11% |
Skilynx | 10% | 8% | 1% |
Pure Grey Silver Mirror | 9% | 6% | 7% |
Photochromic Pink Lynx | 24% to 71% | 91% | 37%-79% |
Photochromic Yellow Lynx | 33% to 65% | 91% | 65% to 88% |
Eclipse | 5% | 4% | 3% |
I need to verify the 74% IR number on Brown Polar with Vuarnet.
The grey and blue lenses, in any configuration, have an "NPE Filter" in them that adds "improvement in color perception". I am working on getting more details about this filter, as there is no explanation available online or in marketing materials.
The lenses continue to be manufactured in France, and their clarity and quality are immediately noticeable. It is a brand that isn't cheap, but when you see, feel, and wear them, it is understandable why that is.
The lens tints are more nuanced than some other brands, and I will review each of them in depth.
