UPDATE - THESE GELS HAVE BEEN RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER (4/23/2026)
ORIGINAL MESSAGE (10/2/2025)
You might find them in a drugstore or online, but you won't find them here.
Genteal Gel and Systane Gel were on a manufacturer backorder for nearly a year. They have both come back on the market in a sporadic, limited-supply fashion in recent months.
However, we have chosen not to re-order either product because of the history of the facility where they are manufactured.
The contract manufacturing facility in question, Excelvision (in France), received a shocking Warning Letter from the FDA in May 2025 after a facility inspection in November 2024.
If you follow my emails, you may already have read how outraged I was to discover that Excel failed to follow up appropriately - for nearly 2 years - on consumer complaints about "mold, black specks and discoloration".
Upon inspection, the FDA that there were longstanding mold problems in production areas of the facility.
Previous to the Warning Letter, we had our own issues with Excel. There was an incident where we saw a visible product quality problem affecting multiple units. We asked for an investigation. We never got a plausible explanation or resolution and as a result, we stopped carrying the product (Freshkote). It was disheartening to learn that the lack of follow-up was apparently a pattern, not an isolated event.
We are aware of other reputable eye drops brands that had been made at Excel. Each of them has since moved to a different company with a better facility record - mostly Unither, a very reputable company that makes preservative-free eye drops at their facilities in France and New York.
However, the public drug label records for Genteal Gel and Systane Gel (see below) indicate they are still made at Excelvision. Alcon, when asked, confirmed that they have not changed manufacturing facilities. I find this astonishing. Alcon is a top trusted name, and deservedly so, and I don't understand why they would risk this kind of reputation taint.
DID YOU KNOW? Over-the-counter eye drop distributors in the USA are not required to disclose where their eye drops are manufactured. In most cases, you will not find the manufacturer listed on the package. In some cases, such as with Genteal and Systane Gels, we are able to find it on the product's DailyMed listing (National Library of Medicine website linked to FDA drug label database), but many major and most smaller brands do not make this information public at all. As a result, we have not yet been able to verify whether any other trusted brands are currently being made at Excel.
For more information on over-the-counter eye drop safety issues, please see Dry Eye Foundation website eyedropsafety.org.
-----
Manufacturer listed on Genteal Gel and Systane Gel drug label records online
5 comments
I have been using Genteal for severe dry eyes gel since about 2007, when after laser eye surgery i suddenly experienced severe dry eye and burning during the night. No other product on the market worked as well. I even went back on Restasis for a few weeks but it didn’t help. When Genteal suddenly disappeared from the store shelves and Amazon a couple of years ago, i contacted the company and was told they were in the process of opening a new facility in Switzerland. Now I’m reading that this product was being produced in France. I would like to know why a different facility couldn’t take over production, since as mentioned, this product is quite popular. I hope the CEO of Alcon is paying attention to what the customers are saying. We want this product back on the shelf! It’s really the only product of the entire Genteal line up that does the job for me. I haven’t found anything else that works this well. Please bring it back to market. Many of us depend on it.
Hi Lisa! Thick gels that are preservative-free will normally come in vials only so it’s hard to find any that come in mulit-dose bottles. Please watch this video by Rebecca to view the thickest eyedrops available that may work in place of Genteal Gel for nighttime use: https://youtu.be/c2TfaF06NT4?si=-w6CFDdcxHtzjZvg
The Genteal Gel for severe dry eye, the one that came in the tube, was the first thing I found that actually worked for me at night. Ointments don’t work for me. Isn’t there anyone reputable who’s making a thick gel that doesn’t come in individual vials and create so much waste, never mind cost? I don’t mind a preservative if I’m only using it once a day.
Hi Ellen! You could consider Ivizia Lubricant Eye Gel for Severe/Night Dry Eyes (30 PF vials). Also, an ointment (not a gel) that is available on the market without lanolin is Soothe Nighttime Lubricant Eye Ointment.
What alternative do you recommend for glaucoma patients in particular? I prefer not to use lanolin