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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 – which is the market leader in upscaled headphones – has four models ranging from £19.95 to £54.95.
The Quiet (£19.95) – best for sleeping – the Engage (£29.95) – best for conversations, social gatherings, parenting and noise sensitivities.
There’s also the Experience 2 (£29.95) – 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 model reduces sound by 24 decibels signal noise ratio, this effectively means 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 product is said to ‘filter out background noise’ by blocking up to 16dB, while allowing wearers to still hear others speak. The experience plus is said to filter noise by 17dB, meaning you can hear music at gigs but it filters out some of the crowd noise.
They block much less than typical foam earplugs, which filter around 37dB, however many have complained this can make you feel like you’re underwater and muffle the sound of a live concert.
With Loops, each pair comes in an Airpod-style, sleek case, with different sizes to allow customers to change the ear tip to find the perfect fit.
Some users are even forking out an extra £20 on a ‘Loop link’ – a lanyard that helps keep them from getting lost.
Others have shared they have multiple pairs in different colours, with Loop even collaborating with Tomorrowland festival to offer special edition colours for festivalgoers.
Loop – who is the market leader in upscaled headphones – has four models. Two of which are the Quiet – best for sleeping – and the Engage – best for conversations, social gatherings, parenting and noise sensitivities
People have shown off their earplugs – with many saying they are an accessory like jewellery
Others have listed Loops as an ‘Eras Tour essential’ leading to thousands of Taylor Swift fans buying them ahead of attending her record breaking $1billion World Tour
One rival brand to Loop is Eargasm, whose earplugs cost £63.45 a pair, and has similar marketing. Its products 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. The business brought in $100million in sales in 2023 and was 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, said she wears them ‘around her children’ – while others say they wear them to sleep. Another US mother, Shannon Noelle, said 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.
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