The Pharmacy Post

Ear Cleaning Products & Your Pharmacy

Thanks to popular videos on social media like TikTok, ear cleaning products have seen a real boost in demand recently. These products certainly appear to present a possible win for your pharmacy, but how safe and effective are they? Just because a product will sell well, doesn’t mean it belongs on your shelves! We take a look at the ear cleaning products on the market and what medical experts have to say about them.

To start with—is earwax a problem? Despite being considered unsightly or unclean, everyone has, and should have, earwax. An inner ear cleared of earwax is more prone for infection, as earwax is the body’s natural way of cleaning and protecting ears. Some doctors have theorized since the rise in popularity in in-ear headphones, people are noticing they have earwax buildup and think they are unclean, but this isn’t true. Few people have excess earwax buildup that needs to be addressed at all.

For people who do have excess earwax that may cause itching, discomfort, or hearing issues, the short answer is most earwax cleaning products are not a practical solution and you should go to an ENT doctor so they can safely clean it out. But are there any safe products that can provide relief without a visit to the doctor that a pharmacy should have on their shelves?

Ear Candles

Not only is the effectiveness of ear candles questioned by science as working at all, there is also a real danger of burning your ear, face, or hair. It’s also possible they can cause more blockages. This is information you should share with customers who ask about ear candles, as they are among the most dangerous and least reliable options for earwax cleaning.

Kits with Smartphone Cameras

These kits include a small camera and pick you can use with your smartphone to see inside your ear to find buildup and remove it. At first glance, this seems like a safe option as you’re not blindly rooting around, but experts say without real training, you still don’t know what you’re looking at and the risk of perforating your ear drum or causing an ear infection by scraping a sensitive area is still too high.

Spiral Pick Tools

These soft silicone spiral shaped tools are marketed as safer since they don’t have hard or sharp points. They might be safer than other pick tools, but their effectiveness is questionable, and they still carry the risk of compacting earwax and creating more blockages. Also, even with soft silicone, they can still damage parts of the inner ear and ear drum.

Steel Pick Tools

These are among the riskiest tools on the market, with a serious risk of causing more infections or damaging the ear drum. Medical experts agree people shouldn’t be sticking anything into their inner ear, and sharp hard tools like these are the worst ways to tackle excess ear wax.

Does Anything Work?

So, if all these tools are too risky to use, recommend, or stock, is there anything you can provide your customers who are having genuine earwax buildup issues? The answer is yes—but it’s not a tool to pull out earwax. Doctors recommend ear wax removal kits that use dissolving drops to help break up buildup and work itself out naturally. These kits are safe and effective and should be what your pharmacy is offering to customers. However, they should not be used by people who have had ear surgery or a hole in their eardrum. The water used in these kits should also be body temperature, as too hot or too cold water can cause involuntary eye movement and dizziness.

Of course, the products you sell is entirely up to you, but with trends sending people toward unsafe or ineffective options, you can help protect your customers and offer guidance as a trusted source of accurate health information. By providing the best solutions and the best advice, you gain not only healthier customers, but loyalty from the trust and care you provide.