Designer earplugs are becoming the unlikely hottest accessory for summer as Gen Z are forking out as much as £60 on a pair to protect their hearing at gigs and festivals.
While for years, earplugs have been made of foam, come in an unflattering colours, and are sold in packs of 100 for around £5, sleeker silicone models have taken social media by storm as music fans vow to prioritise hearing wellness and say they help everyday life.
TikTok and Instagram is filled with people showing off their Loop Earplugs – which could be mistaken for jewellery – with some people revealing they have multiple pairs.
While for years they were primarily worn by partners of snorers, sound technicians, and roadies, sleek silicone mode, people are now wearing them to gigs, raves and festivals – with people sharing they have multiple pairs for different activities.
Others on TikTok, who describe themselves as ‘neurospicy’ – meaning they may live with ADHD or Autism – say it helps with the anxiety of everyday noise.
Designer earplugs are becoming the unlikely hottest accessory for summer as Gen Z are forking out as much as £60 on a pair to protect their hearing at gigs and festivals
TikTok and Instagram is filled with people showing off their Loop Earplugs – which could be mistaken for jewellery – with some people revealing they have multiple pair
People have shared examples of having multiple pairs of the earplugs
Loop – who are the market leader in upscaled headphones have four models. The Quiet – best for sleeping – the Engage – best for conversations, social gatherings, parenting and noise sensitivities.
There’s also the Experience 2 – best for concerts and festivals and the Switch – which is ‘3 in 1’ and controlled by a switch which allows customers to change between engage, experience and quiet modes.
The main difference in each earbud is how much noise they block out. The quiet reduces sound by 24 decibels signal noise ratio, this effectively means it reduces noise levels by 24 decibels, so in an environment that’s 100 decibels, you will only hear 86 decibels.
The average noise volume at a concert or festival is around 100 decibels, while a normal conversation is around 55 decibels.
Sounds above 70 decibels will damage hearing if listened to for a sustained period over time, according to the heading health foundation.
The loop engage is said to ‘filter out background noise’ by blocking up to 16dB, while allowing people to still hear people speak. The experience plus, is said to filter noise by 17dB, meaning people can hear music at gigs but filter out crowd noise.
It’s much less than typical foam earplug, which filters noise by around 37dB, however many have complained this can make you feel like you’re underwater and muffle the sound of a live concert.
However, with Loops, each pair comes in an Airpod style sleek case, with different sized earbud to allow customers to change the ear tip so they can fit the ear perfectly.
Some users are even forking out an extra £20 on a ‘loop link’ a lanyard that stops people from losing their Loops.
Others have shared they have pairs in multiple colours, with Loop even collaborating with Tomorrowland festival to offer special edition colours for festivalgoers.
Loop – who are the market leader in upscaled headphones have four models. The Quiet – best for sleeping – the Engage – best for conversations, social gatherings, parenting and noise sensitivities
People have shown off their earplugs – with many saying it’s like jewellery
Others have listed Loops as an ‘Eras Tour essential’ leading to thousands of Taylor Swift fans buying them up ahead of attending her record breaking $1billion World Tour
One rival brand to Loop is Eargasm, which cost £63.45 a pair, and have similar marketing, which also offer around 21dB of noise reduction.
There’s also Set NZ, whose offering is £17.00 a pair and come in a sleek metal case among the dozens of other brands.
The move towards ear health comes as The World Health Organisation warned that a billion people under the age of 36 are at risk of losing their hearing to live music and other activities.
The move towards the so-called ‘experience economy’ after the pandemic is also partially to thank for the rise in earplug businesses.
Loop Earplugs co-founder Maarten Bodewes said the success is certainly down to this.
One fan shared a snap of herself wearing Loops while watching racecar driving
Others have shared themselves wearing earplugs while in nighclubs and at fesivals
Loop say they are the ‘holy grail’ for festivals
Pictured: How loud different objects are
‘Think about it: When you ask older people what matters most in life, it’s always the moments they’ve shared and the bonds they’ve formed that light up their memories, not the things they’ve bought,’ he told Entrepeneur magazine.
Bodewes and his co-founder Dimitri O, who have been friends since childhood founded the company after both suffering from tinnitus after a lifetime of going to see live music.
They said they tried ‘every earplug on the market’ and couldn’t find any that could deliver ‘protection, comfort and style’.
The gamble clearly paid off, with them doing $100 million in sales in 2023 and being named number 18 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2024.
Others have listed Loops as an ‘Eras Tour essential’ leading to thousands of Taylor Swift fans buying them up ahead of attending her record breaking $1billion World Tour.
Women’s Health named them ‘Eras Tour essentials’ while hundreds of reviews say they were able to ‘still enjoy the concert’ without damaging their ears.
One TIkToker called KC Davis a podcaster from the US, says she wears them ‘around her children’ – while others say they use various offerings to sleep. Another mother,called Shannon Noelle, from the US said that she wears them while driving which helps protect her ears when her children scream.
Another, called Zoe, from Singapore, says she wears them out to cafes because noise is ‘overwhelming’ and recommended buying pairs for gigs.
Others have praised how they are perfect for raves and gigs.
