Earplugs are more popular than ever, with sales of customised versions from hearing practitioners
thriving along with online and in-store varieties. Able to be used in many situations, they’re making work and leisure safer while better design is improving comfort.
It seems there’s an earplug for just about everything these days. No longer do they only help prevent hearing loss in noisy workplaces; they also improve musicians’ lives, block snoring and aid sleeping, prevent infections from swimmers’ and surfers’ ear, and assist people with autism and other noise-sensitive conditions by reducing overwhelming sounds.
They’ve even become trendy among young people who – with increased awareness of the potential for loud music to damage their hearing – are sporting earplugs at concerts and music festivals, particularly opting for high-fidelity devices. Studies show prolonged exposure to noise levels above 85 decibels (dB) can lead to hearing damage, and typical festival sound levels can soar up to 100 dB or more.
High fidelity earplugs can also help tinnitus patients, and motorcycle enthusiasts are another group increasingly adopting earplugs for hearing protection.
This surge in popularity is something an increasing number of independent audiology clinics in Australia are leaning into, with custom-made earplugs adding a small point -of-difference and cementing the reputation of hearing practitioners as established professionals.
The Earplugs Global Market Report January 2025 from market research company, the Business Research Company, provides evidence that the market has grown strongly in recent years. The report estimates it will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.1% from $1.09 billion in 2024 to $1.16 billion in 2025 and $1.45 billion by 2029.
This is due to increased use of 3D modelling and printing earplugs for military application, growth in construction and manufacturing industries, and rising popularity of music festivals and concerts, it says. A rise in noise pollution, increase in awareness of the benefits of hearing protection, and increased use among singers and musicians are also driving this.
Major trends in the forecast period include technological advancements in comfort and design, advancements in noise-cancellation technology, materials, integrations with health monitoring sensors, and adoption of personalised fit through 3D printing.
Age-related hearing loss is another trigger for growth in the market as people with hearing loss may be more susceptible to noise-induced damage and tinnitus.
Electronic and non-electronic
The report categorises earplugs as electronic and non-electronic. Electronic earplugs include active noise-cancelling earplugs, communication earplugs and Bluetooth earplugs while non-electronic versions provide passive noise cancellation and are made of foam or silicone. They can be custom molded or flanged.
Users include construction workers, miners, consumers and those working in forestry, military, mining and manufacturing industries. Healthcare is another industry where workers can be exposed to noise and increasingly dentists and their assistants, operating room nurses and orthopaedic surgeons who are frequently exposed to loud noise, are wearing earplugs.
Lions Hearing Clinic at the Ear Science Institute Australia provides custom-made earplugs and says some companies make certain types of earplugs, such as sleep plugs, to minimise noise distractions at night and block out snoring.
It says sometimes people need hearing protection but also need to communicate with others through a phone or radio such as workers on noisy construction sites. “Communication plugs start with a custom noise plug, then your audiologist will add an earpiece,” it says. “The combination of the plug and earpiece protect your ears from noise, whilst maintaining your ability to communicate at the same time.”
Custom earplugs protect hearing better for people who work in noisy workplaces than one-size-fits-all solutions as they are designed to fit ears perfectly, the clinic advises.
Musicians’ earplugs contain a special filter that controls the type of noises being reduced and keeps the sound people want to hear from sounding muffled.
Sydney audiometrist Mr John Lucchese is ideally placed to help musicians with their custom ear protection. The former sound engineer and opera singer is co-owner and co-founder, with his wife Kylie, of NS Audiology independent audiology clinics based in St Leonards and at Five Dock.
“When we started in audiology, we immediately started servicing the arts,” he recalls. “We learnt all we could about the special needs of the music industry and became the first JHAudio supplier in Australia.”
Jerry Harvey (JH) Audio are pioneers of custom in-ear monitors used by engineers and top performing and touring artists.
“This led to us taking very specialised ear impressions for various custom audio products, including ear protection,” Lucchese says. “We have been in practice for many years and have built a reputation for outstanding ear impressions.
“With our connections in the music industry we have serviced clients from A list performers, engineers and audiophiles to TV broadcasters and entire casts for shows such as musicals and circus.”
While the earplug depends on the needs of the specific client, he uses 64 Audio, GN Musician HearSavers and Etymotic products the most. “We are also finding it more common that clients are purchasing custom ear protection online and coming to us for the ear impressions. There are so many products out there now.”
Lucchese believes their experience in taking specialised ear impressions is what sets them apart.
“We have done hundreds of ear impressions for a range of industries and for many custom ear products,” he says. “Having this experience means that when it comes to custom products, we get it right first time, every time.
“We also provide our clients with a 3D scan of their impressions, so if they would like a different kind of custom product made, they already have their impressions on hand.”
Better attenuators
There are many new products in this space, Lucchese says. “As little as 10 years ago, there were only a few generic plugs available and customs were just emerging,” he says.
“The attenuators used in custom hearing protection plugs have improved greatly, offering much flatter responses which are able to attenuate very specific sound sources, such as gun shots for shooters and hunters.”
Emerging trends include manufacturing earplugs with AI algorithms and 3D printing techniques, he says. Also, the younger generation are more aware of protecting their hearing and there is not as much stigma around wearing ear protection.
“We have many younger clients who want custom products to wear at music festivals and out clubbing,” he says.
While 3D scans of the ear are already happening and have been used in the hearing industry for hearing aid manufacture for many years, Lucchese says there are now new scanners which can be used for custom hearing protection and in-ear monitors.
“One drawback is that the scanners are still quite expensive but over time this will reduce and the transition to no physical impressions will be industry wide,” he predicts.
Superior outcomes start with a good impression, he adds. “It all starts with a really good ear impression. Manufacturers of custom ear products have their own preferences, so it’s important to check this before doing an impression as this impacts the manufacturing process.
“Some manufacturers want open-mouthed impressions with the use of a bite block, but some don’t require that. Also, for in-ear monitors, the second bend in the external auditory canal is vitally important in the impression, so they can direct the drivers towards the tympanic membrane.”
Information and understanding is paramount. “Informing clients on how hearing protection can be part of the solution and giving them some understanding about loudness and how long they can be exposed to loud sounds without the possibility of suffering hearing loss, will also ensure that your clients are able to look after their ears in loud environments,” he says.
Gold Coast hearing specialist Mr Partho Pal believes shifting attitudes toward earplugs and hearing protection have contributed significantly to their rising popularity. “With more people using AirPods, earbuds, and headphones, the idea of wearing something in your ears has become normalised,” he explains.
He says while active noise cancellation features in consumer devices can help reduce general environmental noise, they are not effective against industrial noise.
Pal achieved his Bachelor’s in Audiology and Speech Pathology and a Masters in Hospital and Healthcare Administration in India and has worked as an audiologist in several parts of the world but practises as an audiometrist in Australia.
He founded Australian Audiology Hearing Specialists, a Queensland-based company, 15 years ago as a contractor service provider. Early in his career, he performed industrial hearing tests for airline staff and other workers.
Pal held contracts with Lifestyle Hearing and Bay Audio before opening his own clinic in Tweed Heads. Today, the business has grown to five clinics, offering a wide range of hearing aids, primarily in the low to mid-price range. The practice serves adults and children and offers Hearing Services Program services as well as custom earplugs.
His extensive experience includes working with Aboriginal communities in remote Western Australia, where he helped implement newborn hearing screening protocols.
During his time in hospitals across Derby, Broome, Kalgoorlie, and the Kimberley, he regularly treated mine workers. “If someone was exposed to a blast or needed urgent care, they were referred to the hospital,” he recalls.
He has witnessed significant advancements in hearing protection over the years. “We started with basic soft-moulded plugs, then moved to 3M cushion-style plugs,” he says. “Now, we can check attenuation levels. Brands like ReSound, Starkey, and Pacific Ears offer filters allowing us to choose attenuation levels – 10, 14, or up to 25–26 decibels.”
Modern noise filters are more comfortable and versatile, allowing users to maintain some level of communication, he adds.
Pal says active electronic earplugs widely used by the US Defence Forces have been revolutionary but are unsuitable for mining environments, where any electrical discharge could pose a risk due to underground gases. In such cases, passive noise filters remain the standard.
Growing demand: Snoring partners drive sales
Since he began working in the field, the hearing protection segment has gained significant momentum, helping independents like his add another string to their bow.
Demand for earplugs has grown steadily, particularly for sleep-related issues.
“It’s still a small part of our business, but we’re seeing more people come forward – mostly one partner snoring while the other can’t sleep,” he explains.
He often refers clients for medical evaluation to rule out sleep apnoea, while offering both custom-fitted and standard soft foam plugs. “The soft sponge ones, like the 3M squishy plugs, are very effective – offering up to 40 dB attenuation, and they’re disposable and affordable.”
In industrial settings, trays of foam plugs are commonly made available, with staff encouraged to use them, he adds.
For custom options, Pal takes either physical or digital ear impressions, which are then sent to (GN) ReSound, Starkey or Pacific Ears for production. “These brands offer comparable levels of protection,” he says.
“For musicians’ plugs, musicians don’t want too much attenuation and prefer 18 dB attenuation because they want to listen and enjoy the music and feel the music, especially the drummers.
“We also have motorbike enthusiasts whose mufflers are very loud. They do recreational riding for maybe one, two or five hours, and even that can severely affect their hearing because they’re on top of that motorbike for so long.”
Apart from recommending earplugs for motorcyclists, Pal also suggests they wear padded gloves because “what most people forget is that vibration can also damage hearing”.
“Vibrations travel through bone conduction so often with miners or somebody using a jackhammer, they need to have protective gloves. It’s not only the noise over the years, but they need protective gloves to stop the vibrations from traveling via the bones into the cochlea and damaging the cochlea,” he says.
Being on the Gold Coast, Pal also fits a lot of ear plugs for swimmers and surfers. “They all need ear protection because they’re aware that as they grow older, they can get ‘swimmer’s ear’,” he adds.
Swimmer’s ear, or otitis externa, is an infection or inflammation of the skin in the outer ear canal, often caused by water trapped in the ear after swimming, creating a moist environment for bacteria and fungi to grow.
It can be painful, itchy and muffle hearing but can be treated with eardrops prescribed by doctors containing antibiotics, steroids, or acidic solutions to treat the infection and reduce inflammation.
Exostosis is another condition that earplugs can help prevent. These benign bony growths that extend outwards from the surface of a bone often appear as a bump or spur. They can occur in the ear canal and can cause pain.
“Exostosis is common around the Gold Coast with surfers and to prevent them you need to have protection from the splash of the water,” Pal says. “It’s not only the cold water, but the splash which can lead to exostosis. It’s basically the body’s defence mechanism to protect the eardrum from any sort of harm or injury.”
Warning about DIY impression kits
Pal warns that at-home impression-taking kits to order online earplugs, rather than being seen for a proper fit, provide “a high chance of people not being able to take the impression correctly”.
“The biggest challenge is you have to go up to the second bend in the ear canal and that is quite deep,” he says. “In addition, without performing an otoscopy before impressions you may end up pushing the wax down further in your ear canal which may result in perforation or subsequent ear infections.
“Even when the ear canal is clean and clear, people often either place the otoblock incorrectly or forget to use it altogether.”
He agrees digital ear scanners to take impressions are a great advance and believes there will be more uptake in future. This involves scanning to provide a digital impression and sending this digitally to the manufacturer.
“Digital ear scanners are quite expensive, but they are cost saving, save time, and postage costs. We have one in our Tweed Heads clinic but in our Brisbane clinic they prefer to take a physical impression mold and send it in an overnight courier,” Pal says.
He recommends updating soft, silicon mold-based ear plugs every two years. “We know the ear shape and canal shape change over time so it’s recommended that any ear molds should be replaced after two years,” he says.
“This is because soft silicon gets discoloured, and we advise changing noise filters after six months especially if they are used regularly.
“Some people come back after using them for five or six years though and they’re still going so there’s no hard and fast measurement yardstick to say they should be changed after two years.
“However, as people age, and especially for seniors, the ear canal shape changes because the ears become bigger as their collagen reduces.”
Another reason for increased earplug use is that the noise level is rising across the world, he says. “NASA has done measurements from outer space and seen how much noise has changed from Earth by determining how much noise it can pick up,” he says.
“There have been studies done showing the noise level has grown exponentially compared with what it was in the 1940s for example. We will see a deterioration in noise levels as more modern cars, electric cars and more silent things come into play.”
While earplugs are not a hugely profitable part of Lucchese’s business, he says it is something they have been steadily doing for a long time.
“It is an important service to provide to clients who rely on their ears for their profession or enjoy listening to music as part of their daily lives,” he says. “As a hearing care clinician, our industry is best placed to look after people’s ears and protect their hearing so they can always hear, listen and live.”
Pal also encourages hearing practitioners to provide customised ear plugs. “It’s an area of need and some people are not aware of where to go. It’s rapport building and establishment of yourself, your products, and faith in you as an established professional,” he says.
“They will take your advice more seriously than just buying something off the shelf or online. You know exactly what they need and it’s a more professional approach.
“Starting from humble beginnings of providing just a noise plug can build trust and relationships. A motorbike enthusiast aged 50 might come in for earplugs but then see your service, and might say, ‘Ok, let’s do a hearing test. I’ve never had a hearing test’.” And that could lead to a loyal client for life.
