The Best Rose-Tinted Sunglass Lenses (And Why You Will Love Them)
- Sunglass Science
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Here is my list of the best rose sunglass lenses. The list is not in any particular order, and each has features or tint profiles that make it more suitable for certain purposes or more appealing to a wider audience. I will provide a brief summary for each lens, highlighting the tints, but for a comprehensive understanding of what each lens offers, please refer to the full reviews (for the ones that are currently available).
I highly recommend reading about how rose lenses work to understand why such a prominent tint does not make the view unbearably red and instead feels like a color-boosted grey lens.
I own and wear all of these lenses. Rose lenses that I have not tried, but want to, are the Garrett Leight Semi-Flat Pure Acai Polar and the Smith ChromaPop Glass Polarchromic Rose Blue Mirror.
These are the best rose-tinted sunglass lenses:
MauiRose | Serengeti Sedona | Dita Land | Costa Gold Mirror | Revo Drive | Otis Green Mirror | IO Green Mirror | Oakley Dark Golf | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mirror | Bi-Gradient Silver | None/Bi-Gradient Silver | None | Gold | Silver | Green | Green | Subtle Silver |
Material | Glass or other (see review) | Glass or poly | Nylon | Glass | Nylon | Glass | Poly | Poly |
Coatings | All | All | All | All | All | All | All | None |
VLT | 12% | 10-16% | 13.6% | 14% | 15% | 13% | 10% | 22% |
Scratch Resistance | High | High | Moderate | High | Moderate | High | Moderate | Low |
RXable | Yes, not in glass | Yes, glass and Trivex etc | Yes, CR39 and MR8 | Yes | Yes | Not in USA | Yes | Yes |
1) Maui Jim MauiRose
The MauiRose lens stands out as one of the best rose lenses on the market. It delivers strong contrast, sharp clarity, and a deep rose tint that boosts reds and blues while muting greens slightly, which makes foliage, water, and sky appear richer and more vibrant.
In SuperThin Glass form, the clarity is off the charts, and though Maui Jim also offers lighter materials (MauiBrilliant, MauiPure), the feel and saturation stay fairly consistent across versions.
Where the MauiRose really shines is in less-than-perfect, but still bright light: winter scenery, mixed light, or bright but hazy conditions. In those environments, it adds warmth and definition to what might otherwise look dull or flat.
It’s also great for sports and outdoor use, especially when you care more about visual contrast and detail (for example, on golf courses or in forests) rather than “natural” or neutral color rendering.
Because the tint is fairly dark and strongly rose, the effect can feel “hot” in blazing sun.
2) Serengeti Sedona
The Serengeti Sedona is my go-to lens to drive with in winter. The lens balances colors wonderfully, adding a lot of warmth and color without much distortion.
The Sedona almost exclusively comes in a silver bi-gradient mirror (similar to the MauiRose). The lens is mineral glass and is mildly photochromic, which helps prevent the tint from being too dark behind a car windshield.
See here for the full review. Click here to see on Serengeti's website. (use code SUNSCIENCE30 for 30% off!)
3) Dita Lancier Land
The Dita Lancier Land lens is a phenomenal lens geared towards driving, all conditions, and great views. It is a rose lens with a bit of brown to it, a relatively dark 13.4% VLT, and is polarized. The lens material is lightweight nylon. Unlike other rose or brown lenses that can throw the normal color balance off, the Land lens brightens and enhances all colors while keeping the colors feeling normal, especially the sky (which is rare for a rose or brown lens). This is the best all-around lens in the Lancier collection, and arguably any other collection.
4) Costa Del Mar Gold Mirror
Costa’s 580G Gold Mirror is a high-contrast rose-based lens built on their premium 580G glass platform, with a 14 % VLT and embedded gold mirror that tempers the intense rose tint for a slightly more neutral, balanced view. It delivers vivid, warm visuals with boosted reds and deep blues, strong polarization, and excellent clarity from premium coatings and glass optics. The mirror is sandwiched between glass layers for better scratch resistance than most mirrored lenses, and although glass adds a bit of weight, durability and optical quality remain exceptional.
In use, the Gold Mirror stands out in bright, sunny conditions where the warm, enhanced contrast helps define details in landscapes and on the water, while still working reasonably well in mixed light. Compared with other rose lenses, it leans a bit more neutral thanks to the gold mirror, making it a versatile choice for people who want the color-enhancement benefits of rose tints without an overwhelming red cast.
5) Revo Drive
The Revo Drive lens closely resembles the Dita Lancier Land lens and is an exceptional option for driving, various conditions, and enjoying stunning views. The key difference is its silver mirror coating on the front and a slightly more neutral tint, though the tint remains very similar. It features a rose lens with a hint of brown, a relatively midrange 15% VLT, and is polarized. Made from lightweight nylon, this lens stands out from other rose or brown lenses that typically alter the natural color balance. Instead, the Drive lens enhances and brightens all colors while maintaining a natural feel, particularly with the sky (a rare quality for rose or brown lenses). Revo needs to put this lens in more options, as there is currently a limited selection for this lens.
Click here to see on Amazon.
6) Otis LIT Green Mirror
The LIT Green Mirror lens is not actually a rose-based lens, unlike the other options here. However, the green mirror effect on this lens is so prominent that it makes the tint nearly as rose as any lens here. Usually, green mirrors have a more purple effect (like the MauiGreen or Oakley Prizm Jade lenses), but this green is particularly deep. The lens is glass with all coatings, and I really enjoy wearing this lens year-round. It is not available in that many models, but if you find one that works for you, it will perform great for you.
Click here to see on Amazon.
7) Island Optics Green Mirror
A more affordable option, the IO Green Mirror is polycarbonate but fully coated. Like the Otis Green Mirror, it is a grey base with a very strong green mirror that gives it a rose tint. This may be the darkest rose option on this lens with a 10% VLT.
Click here to see on Island Optics.
8) Oakley Prizm Dark Golf
The Oakley Prizm Dark Golf cannot compete with the other lenses on this lens in terms of materials and coatings, as it is mainly uncoated polycarbonate. Where it does stand out is that it is not polarized, which is very hard to find for a rose lens. Though Oakley makes other rose-based lenses that are not polarized, in my opinion, this lens is the best, and is similar in tint to the Dita Land and Revo Drive. I wear it often when I play sports, something the glass and polarized options on this lens are not necessarily best positioned for.
Conclusion - The Best Rose-Tinted Sunglass Lenses
Rose lenses are one of the most misunderstood tints in sunglasses, yet when done right, they deliver some of the best contrast and visual clarity available. The lenses on this list each approach rose a little differently, from warm and bold to subtle and neutral, which is why there is no single “best” option for everyone. Your ideal choice depends on how and where you use your sunglasses, whether that is driving, sports, bright sun, or mixed light. If you are curious why these lenses work so well despite their strong color, the full reviews dive deeper into the optics and real-world performance behind each one. Reach out with any questions I can help with.