Skip to content
Worse on Purpose

Ray-Ban

Historic American sunglass brand, now an EssilorLuxottica property.

Status: Avoid
Founded
1936
Website
ray-ban.com
HQ
Italy
Ownership type
Conglomerate subsidiary
Parent
EssilorLuxottica
Acquired
1999 (by Luxottica)

Ownership

Acquired from Bausch & Lomb by Luxottica in 1999. Luxottica merged with Essilor in 2018 to form EssilorLuxottica (EPA: EL).

Why Avoid

Core Luxottica brand. Priced as luxury, produced to commodity standards. See Luxottica essay.

Sister brands under EssilorLuxottica

See all 11 sister brands

Read the full investigation

Investigation · April 9, 2026

Your Glasses Got Worse On Purpose

EssilorLuxottica makes your Ray-Bans, sells them through LensCrafters, insures them through EyeMed. Also owns the "independent" brands you thought were alternatives. How one Italian company built a vertical monopoly on your vision.

Read the full investigation

Track This Brand

When the verdict changes, you'll hear first.

Brands on this Ledger shift status as ownership changes or new investigations surface. The newsletter is how subscribers find out, and where the full reporting lives.

No spam. Nobody pays me to say nice things. Unsubscribe anytime.