Fort Worth, Texas, October 11, 2018 – If you’ve ever dreamed of attending New York Fashion Week: The Shows, now is your chance! Starting today, Alcon, the global leader in eye care and a division of Novartis, is inviting people to play with their eye color as part of the AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses sweepstakes for a chance to go backstage at the most exciting fashion event of the year. Entering is simple: wear or virtually try on one of 12 colors in the Alcon AIR OPTIX® COLORS portfolio and upload a photo of your look to Instagram. The sweepstakes, which runs through December 11, 2018, highlights the newly launched Gemstone Collection of contact lenses – a trio of colors including Amethyst, True Sapphire and Turquoise. 

“AIR OPTIX COLORS contact lenses offer a great option to enhance eye color and express yourself in new ways, whether or not you need vision correction,” said Sergio Duplan, Region President, Alcon North America. “This sweepstakes is a creative way to open our audience’s eyes to exploring new looks and sharing them through social media, for the opportunity to win a VIP experience at the premier New York fashion event of the year.” 

Simply follow these easy steps for a chance to be Alcon’s guest, with VIP lounge access before a runway show as well as a backstage tour to witness the behind-the-scenes excitement, during New York Fashion Week: The Shows:  

• Follow @AIROPTIXCOLORS on Instagram
• Snap a photo wearing your favorite AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses – whether you’re already an AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lens wearer, getting fitted for the first time at your eye doctor’s office or trying them on virtually at the AIR OPTIX® COLORS Color Studio 
• Post your photo on Instagram with the hashtags #Sweepstakes and #ReadyToPlay

Alcon has enlisted the help of two fashion-forward social media influencers, Laura Sanchez and Raye Boyce, to showcase their own favorite AIR OPTIX® COLORS looks, and help spread the word about the AIR OPTIX® COLORS sweepstakes to aspiring fashionistas from coast to coast. Both Laura and Raye have a passion for beauty, color and fashion, and will encourage their fans throughout the sweepstakes period to get up close and personal with the full palette of 12 AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses options including True Sapphire, Amethyst, Turquoise, Gray, Blue, Green, Pure Hazel, Brown, Sterling Gray, Brilliant Blue, Gemstone Green and Honey. 

“I love to play with my eye color and the new AIR OPTIX® COLORS Gemstone Collection is the perfect complement to cozy fall outfits, bold makeup looks and playful hair styles,” said Laura Sanchez, popular YouTube personality and social media beauty influencer. “And this fall, pairing any of Alcon’s AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lens colors with your look, and sharing your look on Instagram, could be your ticket to win an experience of a lifetime. Whether you already wear AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses, need to set up an appointment with your eye doctor for a fitting or want to try them on virtually, don’t miss out on an opportunity to play with your eye color and celebrate style at New York Fashion Week: The Shows next year!” 

Laura will also be teaming up with AIR OPTIX® COLORS at SEPHORiA, a one-of-a-kind experience curated by beauty brand powerhouse Sephora in Los Angeles where attendees can interact with the hottest beauty brands and influencers under one roof. Attendees can try-on a pair of AIR OPTIX® COLORS color contact lenses, snap a selfie onsite and share on Instagram with the official hashtags for a chance to win a VIP trip to New York Fashion Week: The Shows. 

Alcon AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses are available with a prescription from an eye doctor. These contact lenses are a monthly-replacement, daily-wear lens made with exclusive SmartShield® Technology to help protect the lens from irritating deposits for consistent comfort, plus breathability for healthy looking eyes. People interested in entering the sweepstakes by enhancing their eye color can visit www.airoptixcolors.com to find an eye doctor for a fitting and a free trial* of AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses. 

Visit www.facebook.com/airoptixcolors to see the complete details and Official Rules for the sweepstakes. Mark your calendars as Alcon plans to announce the sweepstakes winner at the end of December 2018 on AIR OPTIX® COLORS Facebook and Instagram channels.

*Eye exam may be required before contact lens trial. Professional fees may apply. One pair of non-corrective AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses will be provided for wear in-office only. Offer available at participating offices.

Important Information for AIR OPTIX® COLORS (lotrafilcon B) Contact Lenses
Contact lenses, even if worn for cosmetic reasons, are prescription medical devices that must only be worn under the prescription, direction and supervision of an eye care professional. Serious eye health problems may occur as a result of sharing contact lenses. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. Side effects like discomfort, mild burning or stinging may occur. To help avoid these problems, patients must follow the wear and replacement schedule and the lens care instructions provided by their eye doctor.

See product instructions for complete wear, care and safety information.

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS SWEEPSTAKES. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE ODDS OF WINNING.  Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of the 50 U.S. and D.C. (excluding PR, USVI and Guam), entrants must be 18 years or older.  Void where prohibited. Immediate family of Sponsor (defined as spouses, parents, siblings, children, grandparents and their respective spouses) and household members of each such person (whether related or not) are not eligible to enter or win.  Entrants must have an Instagram account. Sweepstakes begins 10/11/2018 12:00:00am ET and ends 12/11/2018 11:59:59pm ET.  To enter, post a photograph of yourself in either real or virtual AIR OPTIX® COLORS contact lenses to your Instagram account with the hastags #ReadytoPlay and #Sweepstakes. LIMIT ONE ENTRY PER PERSON.  Participation from a mobile device may incur standard data charges. One winner will be selected in a random drawing. The prize is two (2) round-trip, coach-class, airline tickets, with ground transportation, hotel accommodations and entrance to a NYFW: The Shows, February 2019 VIP experience. ARV of prize: USD$3,000. Any personal information collected is in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy located at https://www.alcon.com/privacy-policy. The Sweepstakes and Official Rules will be governed, construed and interpreted under the laws of the State of Texas. For Official Rules and details, visit www.facebook.com/airoptixcolors. Sponsor: Alcon Laboratories, Inc., 6201 South Freeway, Fort Worth, TX 76134.

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by words such as “potential,” “can,” “will,” “plan,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “look forward,” “believe,” “committed,” “investigational,” “pipeline,” “launch,” or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, clearances, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such products. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events, and are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. There can be no guarantee that the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted, approved or cleared for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products could be affected by, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including clinical trial results and additional analysis of existing clinical data; regulatory actions or delays or government regulation generally; global trends toward health care cost containment, including government, payor and general public pricing and reimbursement pressures; our ability to obtain or maintain proprietary intellectual property protection; the particular prescribing preferences of physicians and patients; general political and economic conditions; safety, quality or manufacturing issues; potential or actual data security and data privacy breaches, or disruptions of our information technology systems, and other risks and factors referred to in Novartis AG’s current Form 20-F on file with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Novartis is providing the information in this press release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Novartis

Novartis provides innovative healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic and biosimilar pharmaceuticals and eye care. Novartis has leading positions globally in each of these areas. In 2017, the Group achieved net sales of USD 49.1 billion, while R&D throughout the Group amounted to approximately USD 9.0 billion. Novartis Group companies employ approximately 125,000 full-time-equivalent associates. Novartis products are sold in approximately 155 countries around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.novartis.com.
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About Alcon

Alcon is the global leader in eye care. As a division of Novartis, we offer the broadest portfolio of products to enhance sight and improve people’s lives. Our products touch the lives of more than 260 million people each year living with conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, retinal diseases and refractive errors, and there are millions more who are waiting for solutions to meet their eye care needs. Our purpose is reimagining eye care, and we do this through innovative products, partnerships with Eye Care Professionals and programs that enhance access to quality eye care. Learn more at www.alcon.com. 

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