SurfEars

What SurfEars does

SurfEars (operated by Ear Labs AB, headquartered in Kåseberga, Sweden) designs and sells vented earplugs that block water while allowing sound and pressure to pass through, solving ear conditions such as surfer's ear (exostoses) and swimmer's ear for water-sport athletes. The proprietary technology is a patented vented membrane architecture combined with a modular fit system (multiple gel sizes XS–L and interchangeable wing configurations) refined over more than a decade of iteration since the first product launched in 2014; current flagship SurfEars 4.0 added a wingless option for use under wetsuit hoods and helmets and components made from recycled ocean plastic.

The commercial portfolio comprises the flagship SurfEars 4.0 ($59.95 per pair), SurfEars Junior 2.0 for children, replacement parts and accessories, complementary merchandise (Stories For The Seas coffee table book, artist t-shirts), and the dBud sub-brand of volume-adjustable earplugs for musicians, travel, sleep, and everyday hearing protection. The company sells predominantly direct-to-consumer through surfears.com with global shipping, supplements with wholesale distribution via a Creatures of Leisure partnership into surf shops worldwide, and uses an independent distributor network. Marketing is community-led, anchored by a roster of professional-athlete ambassadors (Conner Coffin, Tom Carroll, Dominique Charrier, Helena Bourdillon, and others) supported by SEO-driven educational content on ear-health conditions and an expanding paid social presence on Meta, TikTok, and YouTube.

The company is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional investment or M&A activity, and operates with an 11–50 employee team. Cumulative unit sales have crossed 500,000 worldwide, the website displays a 4.8/5 rating from 700+ verified reviews, and ocean-conservation partnerships (Everwave, Surfers Against Sewage, Plastic Change) form part of the brand's sustainability positioning.

Name

SurfEars

Legal name

Ear Labs AB

Website

https://surfears.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SurfEars (Ear Labs AB, Sweden) designs and sells patented vented earplugs that block water while letting sound through, serving surfers, swimmers, divers, and kayakers via DTC e-commerce and global surf-shop distribution, with 500,000+ units sold worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hearing Protection Products

akta.pro primary industry

Water Sports & Marine Recreation Retail (Paddle/Surf/Dive/Boat Accessories) (CRAMABAI)

Keywords

• Vented earplugs
• Water sports earplugs
• Swimming ear protection
• Surfing earplugs
• Hearing protection products

Headquarters

HQ city

Malmö

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - E-commerce: Direct-to-consumer sales through surfears.com website globally. Products include SurfEars 4.0 (US$59.95), SurfEars Junior 2.0, spare parts, and complementary products like dBud earplugs and Stories For The Seas coffee table book.
2. Wholesale/Distribution: Products distributed through surf shops worldwide via partnership with Creatures of Leisure and independent distributors listed on their community/distributors page.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SurfEars designs, manufactures, and sells vented earplugs with a patented membrane that blocks water from entering the ear canal while letting sound and pressure pass through naturally. The product line targets water-sports athletes (surfers, swimmers, divers, kayakers) and also includes volume-adjustable earplugs (dBud) for everyday hearing protection, plus spare parts and branded merchandise. Sales are direct-to-consumer via surfears.com with global shipping, supplemented by wholesale distribution through surf shops.

Product overview

SurfEars is a consumer ear protection brand owned by EarLabs AB (Sweden), offering a portfolio of vented earplugs designed for water sports athletes and everyday hearing protection. The core product line centers on SurfEars 4.0 as the flagship vented earplug for surfing, swimming, diving, and kayaking, with SurfEars Junior 2.0 serving children. A complementary sub-brand, dBud, extends into volume-adjustable earplugs for musicians, concert-goers, travel, and sleep. The portfolio is supported by spare parts for product longevity and branded merchandise (coffee table book, artist t-shirts) that fund ocean conservation. All SurfEars products feature a patented vented membrane technology that blocks water while allowing natural hearing and pressure equalization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• dBud: Volume-adjustable earplugs designed for musicians, concert-goers, travel, sleep and modern everyday hearing protection.
• SurfEars Junior

Products and services

• SurfEars 4.0 Vented earplug with a patented membrane that blocks water while allowing natural sound and pressure pass-through. Designed for surfers, swimmers, divers, and kayakers, with a customizable fit system using multiple gel sizes (XS, S, M, L) and wing options. Priced at US$59.95 per pair.
• SurfEars Junior 2.0 Vented earplug designed specifically for children participating in water activities. Offers the same water-blocking and sound-pass-through technology as the adult version in a smaller size appropriate for children's ears.
• dBud Volume-Adjustable Earplugs Volume-adjustable earplugs designed for musicians, concert-goers, travel, sleep, and everyday hearing protection in loud environments. Part of the EarLabs product portfolio alongside SurfEars.
• Stories For The Seas Coffee Table Book Limited-edition 270-page coffee table book celebrating ocean beauty and resilience. 100% of profits are donated to ocean preservation non-profits.
• Artist Collab T-shirts (Art the Ocean) Collaborative t-shirt designs featuring artists, sold as part of the 'Art the Ocean' initiative to support ocean conservation awareness.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.8/5 rating from 700+ verified reviews
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EverwavecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNGO dedicated to cleaning rivers and intercepting waste before it reaches the ocean. SurfEars partnered with Everwave for their #BlueFriday initiative, pledging to remove 300kg of waste from waterways and funding additional waste removal for each order during the campaign period.
• Creatures of LeisurecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSurf accessories brand enabling SurfEars to reach surf shops worldwide through consolidated distribution. Creates environmental benefits through fewer shipments and local retail availability reducing transportation emissions.
• Surfers Against SewageminorOthersNon-profit ocean preservation organization. Recipient of 100% profits from SurfEars' 'Stories For The Seas' coffee table book sales, along with other ocean conservation nonprofits.
• Plastic ChangeminorOthersDanish non-profit focused on plastic pollution. Recipient of 100% profits from SurfEars' 'Stories For The Seas' coffee table book sales.
• Sin Azul No Hay VerdeminorOthersMexican non-profit organization for ocean preservation. Recipient of 100% profits from SurfEars' 'Stories For The Seas' coffee table book sales.
• Changing Tides FoundationminorOthersNon-profit foundation for ocean conservation. Recipient of 100% profits from SurfEars' 'Stories For The Seas' coffee table book sales.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mack's Earplugs (McKeon Products): Mack's is one of the largest swim/water earplug brands (Pillow Soft moldable silicone plugs). Competes with SurfEars in the broader earplug-for-water-sports category at a typically lower price point.
• Doc's Proplugs: Doc's Proplugs makes vented silicone earplugs specifically for surfing, swimming, and water sports — directly competing with SurfEars on the same core use case (preventing surfer's ear while allowing hearing). Closest functional competitor in the niche.
• Alpine Hearing Protection: Alpine makes reusable earplugs for music, sleep, swimming, and motorsport — directly overlapping SurfEars' water-sports use case plus dBud's music/sleep use case, with similar premium DTC positioning.
• Putty Buddies: Putty Buddies specializes in moldable silicone earplugs for kids' swimming — directly comparable to SurfEars Junior 2.0 in product, audience, and use case.

Emerging players

• Loop Earplugs: Loop has rapidly scaled fashionable, reusable earplugs for concerts, sleep, and everyday hearing protection. Not a water-sports competitor, but a comparable DTC lifestyle earplug brand with similar go-to-market and audience overlap for dBud.

Broad incumbents

• Etymotic Research: Long-established maker of high-fidelity earplugs (ER-20, ETY-Plugs) used for music and water. Competes on acoustic fidelity, a similar value proposition to SurfEars' vented design, but with broader industrial and clinical channels.
• Howard Leight (Honeywell): Honeywell's Howard Leight brand is a global leader in hearing protection with broad retail distribution. Could enter water-sports earplugs at scale and represents the most significant large-incumbent competitive threat to SurfEars.
• 3M Peltor: 3M Peltor is a global hearing-protection brand with strong R&D and distribution. Like Howard Leight, it represents a large-incumbent threat that could expand into the water-sports earplug niche.
• Speedo: Global swimming brand with broad retail and channel presence. While Speedo doesn't make a direct earplug equivalent, it competes for the same ear-care-in-swimming mindshare and could launch an earplug line at scale.
• Quiksilver: Iconic surf apparel and accessories brand with global surf-shop distribution overlap with SurfEars. Competes for surf-lifestyle brand equity and shelf space rather than earplugs directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/surfears
• Instagraminstagram.com/surfears
• Xx.com/gosurfears

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SurfEars