What Gelflex does

Gelflex is a Perth-based, privately held manufacturer of soft, rigid gas permeable, and specialty contact lenses, founded in 1971 and operating from a cast mould manufacturing facility in Malaga, Western Australia. It is Australia's only manufacturer of disposable contact lenses and the country's largest supplier of Orthokeratology lenses. Its product portfolio covers disposable soft lenses (Sofclear Comfort, Enhance, Colours, Retro, Crazy), gas permeable lenses, scleral lenses, custom soft lenses, keratoconus lenses (Rose K family), and Ortho-K overnight vision correction systems, supplemented by distributed partner brands such as Paragon CRT, Euclid Ortho-K, and NaturalVue Multifocal.

The company manufactures using cast mould technology and CNC machining with 12 DAC lathes, and has developed proprietary features including Radial Edge Technology, BioMoist packaging (HPMC and PEG hydrating solution), and UV protection in its Sofclear Comfort line. Its Gelcalc desktop software supports practitioner fitting calculations. Gelflex holds ISO 13485:2016, CE Mark, TGA ARTG listing, and FDA registration, enabling regulatory-approved distribution in 40+ countries including the US, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania.

Gelflex generates revenue primarily through B2B hardware sales of disposable and specialty lenses sold via qualified optometrists and eye care practitioners, plus international distributor channels and a private label/OEM program. It also provides professional services including technical support, fitting consultations, certification programs, and training via its Training Resource Centre. Distribution is led by an in-house customer service team and a network of international distributors; the company maintains offices in Perth (headquarters and manufacturing), Melbourne, Batam (Indonesia), and Rome (Italy). The Crazy Lenses decorative line is the only known product restriction, not sold in Australia.

Name

Gelflex

Legal name

Gelflex

Website

https://gelflex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gelflex is an Australian manufacturer of soft, rigid gas permeable, and specialty contact lenses, founded in 1971 and selling in 40+ countries. It serves optometrists, distributors, and private label/OEM customers with disposable, Ortho-K, keratoconus, and scleral lens products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contact Lens Manufacturing

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Contact Lenses & Care Systems (Soft/RGP/Scleral Lenses; Cleaning/Disinfection Solutions) (HLAHAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Injection Molded Optical & Transparent Parts (Lenses, Light Guides) (IMANAFAL)

Keywords

• Contact lens manufacturing
• Specialty contact lenses
• Orthokeratology lenses
• Gas permeable lenses
• Disposable contact lenses

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Disposable Contact Lenses: Sale of disposable soft contact lenses including everyday, fashion, enhance, and crazy lenses in various modalities (single use and monthly)
2. Specialty Custom Lenses: Custom-designed specialty lenses including gas permeable, scleral, orthokeratology, keratoconus, and custom soft lenses manufactured to exact specifications
3. Professional Services and Training: Technical support, fitting consultations, certification programs, and training resources for practitioners
4. Private Label/OEM: Private label manufacturing capabilities for businesses to develop their own branded contact lens products

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gelflex manufactures and distributes a comprehensive portfolio of soft, rigid gas permeable, and specialty contact lenses from its facility in Perth, Australia. The company produces disposable everyday, fashion, and colour-enhancing lenses under its Sofclear brand, along with custom-designed specialty lenses for keratoconus, scleral, and orthokeratology applications, and offers private label/OEM manufacturing for distributors and other brands.

Product overview

Gelflex is Australia’s only manufacturer of disposable contact lenses, producing a comprehensive portfolio of disposable and specialty custom lenses since 1971. The core product line includes Sofclear Comfort (everyday lenses with BioMoist), Sofclear Enhance (colour enhancing), Sofclear Colours and Sofclear Retro (fashion lenses), and Crazy Lenses (decorative). Specialty offerings encompass Gas Permeable Lenses, Scleral Lenses, Custom Soft Lenses, Keratoconus Lenses, and Orthokeratology systems. Gelflex distributes partner Ortho-K products including Paragon CRT and Euclid. The company operates 12 DAC lathes for custom lens manufacturing and holds ISO 13485:2016, CE, TGA, and FDA certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sofclear Comfort: Comfort-focused everyday disposable contact lenses with BioMoist technology and UV protection
• Sofclear Colours
• Sofclear Enhance
• Gelflex Crazy
• Sofclear
• NaturalVue Multifocal
• Gelflex

Products and services

• Sofclear Comfort Disposable everyday soft contact lenses with BioMoist packaging formulation (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and polyethylene glycol) for moisture retention and resistance to protein/lipid build-up, with UV protection and Radial Edge Technology for uniform edge thickness. Available in Single Use and Monthly modalities.
• Sofclear Enhance Natural eye colour enhancing disposable contact lenses using carefully formulated special tints to highlight and brighten natural eye colour, packaged in BioMoist and featuring Radial Edge Technology. Available for Monthly use.
• Sofclear Colours Vibrant range of fashion colour soft contact lenses with Radial Edge Technology for comfort. Available in Single Use and Monthly modalities across multiple colour options including the Sofclear Retro sub-line.
• Crazy Lenses Decorative crazy colour contact lenses for parties, Halloween, and special occasions. Available in Single Use and Monthly modalities. Not available for sale in Australia.
• Gas Permeable Lenses Custom designed rigid gas permeable contact lenses including Aspheric, Tri Curve, Keratoconus, Linear Plus Bifocal, and Post Graft designs, manufactured to exact specifications using precision CNC lathe equipment.
• Scleral Lenses Large-diameter gas permeable scleral lenses including full Scleral, Mini Scleral, and CTE Mini Scleral designs for patients with irregular cornea conditions.
• Custom Soft Lenses Custom soft contact lenses including Soft Bifocal and Soft Multifocal designs manufactured to exact specifications for individual patients.
• Keratoconus Lenses Specialty lenses for keratoconus patients including ACL Kera, Rose K, Rose K2 XL, and Rose K2 XL Oblate designs, with comprehensive fitting guides and certification programs.
• Orthokeratology Lenses Overnight vision correction lenses including Gelflex's own Ortho-K system as well as distributed Paragon CRT and Euclid Ortho-K systems (Emerald and Sapphire designs). Gelflex is Australia's largest supplier of Orthokeratology lenses.
• NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day Distributed etafilcon A multifocal daily disposable contact lenses that create extended depth of focus for a wider clear vision range for presbyopes, distributed by Gelflex as part of its specialty offerings.
• Private Label/OEM Contact Lens Manufacturing Custom private label development and OEM manufacturing for businesses wanting to create or resell their own branded contact lens products, including marketing support for Gelflex branded and private label lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Australia's only manufacturer of disposable contact lenses
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Australian Contact Lenses (ACL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGelflex acquired Australian Contact Lenses (ACL) in Melbourne, which includes the RGP business from Coopervision in South Australia. This acquisition expanded Gelflex's product portfolio and manufacturing capabilities in specialty contact lenses.
• Paragon Vision SciencescoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for Paragon CRT orthokeratology lens systems. Gelflex offers Paragon CRT as one of three trusted Ortho-K systems, with associated fitting guides, troubleshooting resources, and certification programs.
• Euclid Ortho-KcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for Euclid Ortho-K systems including Emerald and Sapphire lenses. Gelflex provides fitting guides, certification courses, and support materials for Euclid products.
• GP Lens Institute (GPLI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLecture series partnership on keratoconic and post-surgical lenses. GPLI provides expert educational content through Gelflex's training platform.
• Paul Rose / Rose K LensescoreTechnology or IntegrationLicensed designer for Rose K, Rose K2, and Rose K2 XL keratoconus lens systems. Gelflex offers comprehensive fitting guides, training modules, case studies, and certification for Rose K lens designs.
• NaturalVue (VTI Vision)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistribution partnership for NaturalVue (etafilcon A) Multifocal 1 Day Contact Lenses. Gelflex distributes this product as part of their specialty lens offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gelflex
• Facebookfacebook.com/Gelflex
• Instagraminstagram.com/gelflexaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gelflex-laboratories

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gelflex