Allergic to AirPod Pro eartips

I have experienced the same issue in both ears. It got to the point where I had to have antibiotics for an external ear infection recently.

while on holiday, I avoided using them at all to test whether they were the cause of each itchiness, scaliness and infection. My ears came back to normal in 2 weeks after months of problems.

i have switched to wrap around earphones instead or my good old plug in earphones (which don’t have the silicone tip) as a last resort. Problem solved.

Don't get the Airpod Max as you'll have the same issue. I thought switching would solve my problem, but now my whole ear is on fire instead of just the inside...

It appears the problem is most likely with Acrylates. It's a chemical (sensitizer) used in the plastic and glue, etc.

Apple put up a support article on it: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211158

Thank you so much for uploading this information.

First time I've seen any comment on what products are used in making the AirPod Pros. I Googled acrylates and note there have been a small number of medical studies of patients presenting with allergic contact dermatitis after wearing AirPod Pros. Patch testing has confirmed allergies to acrylates and methacrylates.

Interesting that rather than support their consumers, Apple have chosen to upload a disclaimer of sorts, which is not dated. Given my experience, I am assuming it is after the fact of many people advising of allergies, on a page about their headphones - the third point commenting on potential sensitivities.

This page has a link to an interesting paper on the contact dermatitis and related patch testing - if you are interesting in viewing the paper click on "access this abstract now" https://www.practiceupdate.com/content/contact-allergy-to-acrylates-in-apple-airpods-proR-headphones/126089

Today with a heavy heart I am returning my Apple AirPods Max. I'm getting the same allergic reaction that I got to the AirPods Pro. I wore them for 2 days and had crusty itchy ears. My head was itching anywhere the headphones touched me. I stopped wearing them for a week, put them on again yesterday and today have swollen itchy red ears again. I'm so bummed.

My first allergic reaction came from the AirPods Pro. I loved the noise cancellation of the AirPods Pro. The first time I put them in I thought the power went out. My fan went silent. They gave me double ear infections. I switched to Bose 700s. The noise-canceling is not as good as the Apple AirPods Pro in-ear but they're fine. The Bose don't cause any reaction.

A year or so after the AirPods Pro Max came out I decided to give them a try. The spatial audio is amazing. Noise cancellation is on par with Bose except it is either on or off. With the Bose you can change the level of noise cancellation like setting volume. The AirPods Max are heavy. The band across the top only connects to the top of the ear cups so when wearing they squeeze the top of the ear cops to your ear but the bottom don't press with the same firmness so there is some exterior sound bleed. I was prepared to accept that because the spatial audio is just next level. However, I can't wear them due to the contact dermatitis that happens even after wearing them for short periods of time. My ears are swollen and uncomfortable as well. It took a week for them to settle from the first try. Sadly I have to return them.

I received a full refund from Apple for my pros. I bought Bose quiet comfort and the same thing happened to my ears. I switched to foam and so far so good. I am allergic to silicone. The air pod pros case is made of silicone. That is the problem because I used foam tips on the air pods and still had the infections.

I've purchased and been using these for about 2 months and can say it's a significant improvement! It may not 100% cure/fix the irritation, but it has been significant. Given the past history I'm still not pushing it by wearing them all day (not that I did before either) or anything. I have been on several hour calls, or watching something and am very happy with the results. I can at least continue to use my AirPod Pros which I love.

I still occasionally put a little dab of cortizone cream on my ears after, but again it's probably paranoia more than anything else.

AZLA SednaEarfit XELASTEC for Airpods Pro / 3 Pairs (Size M/ML/L 3Pr) -- was the Amazon listing.

(Sorry this was a reply to an earlier post showing similar results and same XELASTEC tips)

I've been dealing with the same issue as well, and actually already commented on this here a year or so ago. I also initially thought that the issue was with the silicone tips. Invested in foam tips, bla bla bla. . . But then the AP 3rd generation came out, and they don't have any tips, but I had the same reaction. I stopped using them, with much sadness in my heart, and stuck to the AP 2nd Gen. which weirdly enough do not give me an allergic reaction. However, I regulary go online to see if a solution has been found. Today I stumbled upon this on Reddit:

"You probably allergic to the acrylates that Apple uses as a glue, just expose the AirPods to strong light source for a couple of hours (overnight would be sufficient too) to cure remnants of uncured acrylates then wipe them down. Cured acrylates are less allergenic. Do that and let me know if worked."

Someone responded to this post and apparently it works. So, I will give this a try while keeping my fingers crossed. Wish me luck.

Preface: This is just my experience---- and maybe not the same for everyone. Just thought I'd give an update to the issue.

Hey Folks, Sooooo I've basically been dealing with the same issues most here have. Started out with issues (itching, weeping, crusting, etc) with my ears. I probably used AirPods Pros for about a year before this started----no problems ever.

AirPods Pros - Itching, Weeping Crusting - Changed the ear tips... Same problem.

AirPods Gen 3 - Slight itching----but had ear cartilage pain...bad enough to cause me to go back to my ENT doc.

(In each case, I was prescribed cream and/or drops to clear up the problem... This has successfully helped each time)

AirPods Max - No problems so far.... Keeping fingers crossed.

Sooooo, not really sure why this started. Been seeing my ENT doctor----and he mentioned that problems like this can be very hard to diagnose and find the root cause. Some of the things that could be problems: Material allergy, body/skin PH changes, interactions with medications, age, time wearing in-ear audio gear, etc.

He mentioned that in his experience, over the ear headphones 'sometimes' can be a more healthy choice for ear/hearing health, especially if someone develops issues with in-ear headphones. Also, regularly using oil-based ear drops to help with itching, etc. There are actually over-the-counter ear drops that are supposed to help people who use in-ear headphones, hearing-aids, etc.

AirPods Max's ---work good for general listening enjoyment....but, I'm not going to use the in the gym or working out. My doctor recommended "Bone Conduction" headphones----the sound quality isn't near as good; but, shouldn't cause the same problems as in-ear gear. They are also reasonably cheap....and probably OK for exercising, etc. I know it's not a perfect answer---buuuuuut, if it helps, it helps.

I was able to clean and give my AirPods Pro to another family member.... I was able to return my AirPods Gen 3 to my local Best Buy where I purchased them....they were in the 14-day return policy. I was able to get the the AirPods Max on sale----sooo not too bad.

Anyway, I hope this insight into my problem helps... Again, this is just my personal experience-----and not applicable to everyone. Moving forward, I'll let everyone know if I have some kind of crazy reaction to my AirPods Max phones..... so far so good. Thanks Everyone!

After all my experiences, with Airpods Pro and Marshall Motif ANC which gave me the same reaction. I can hardly imagine my reaction is to the eartips or the plastic of the pods. The chance both brands use exactly the same kind of plastic seems unlikely to me.

At the doctor I was told that it doesn't look like an allergy but more a like an infection since it is deeper then where the earbuds reach. I was advised to use drops for a while and also to completely clean the airpods properly with alcohol. After that it should be fine. maybe this also explains why I have it only in one ear... allergy should be in both, right!

Doctors explanation was that the earbuds seal of and becomes warm in the ear, bacterias can start growing, etc. What still seems strange to me is that Wired earbuds don't give me any problem but also seals of.

I had exactly the same problem and I became allergic to the silicon tips. Then I tried the ear tip “AZLA SednaEarfit XELASTEC for AirPods Pro” This is the only thing which I can use. I highly recommend it. I tried many other ear tips before, but for me nothing worked but this one.

I've been lurking in/spectating this discussion thread since last year, and would also like to chime in and say that like everyone else here, my ears have also suffered itching/stinging sensations, along with impaired hearing mated with slight ringing in the ear as a result from using the AirPods Pro 1st Generation sometime last year. The issues have appeared 7 months into ownership and would persist even when using third party ear tips, including foam-based tips. I've since stopped using them and am thankful the symptoms were only temporary and that my ears had recovered.

When Apple had announced the 2nd Generation AirPods Pro, hope had been sparked within me that they may have finally mitigated the issue surrounding fatal ear canal irritation, therefore leading me to preorder them. I was interested in giving the AirPods Pro a second chance.

September 25th: AirPods Pro 2nd Gen arrives. The AirPods, upon taking them out of the box, have this strong odor that can be likened to blueberries, which especially seem to be emitted from the silicone ear tips - same phenomenon with AirPods Pro Gen 1. Things did seem to go well using the Gen 2's on day one, however upon surpassing 3 days with them, I had unfortunately started noticing the same trademark stinging sensation in my ear canals that I would get with the Gen 1's. Without hesitation, I immediately initiated the return process. This is simply not a risk I am willing to take against my auditory health and recognize that I am better off resorting to a different brand for wireless earbuds.

I'm disappointed, as functionally speaking the experience has been amazing with the ANC/transparency mode, spatial audio, and bass response on the Gen 2's. The ear irritation issue stemming from the materials has been the only thing holding me back from fully enjoying these earbuds, and if anything, ultimately defeats what could've been an amazing listening device.

Had this issue with Gen 1 pros. It was really bad. Itching. Draining. Flacking. Went to doctor multiple times. Even tried gels. It’s disappointing to hear that the issue still persists with the Gen 2’s.

After giving my Gen 1’s, I ended up buying another big name EarPods. Haven’t had any issues with them at all in regards to the irritation. Just loss a lot of functionality in regards to how seamless the AirPods are and spatial audio. Oh well. I’ll continue with them and, maybe, in 2-3 more years, Apple will finally use different material.

Hey man, been there. I've had Apple replace the buds numerous times with the same outcome. Didn't matter if I used a different tip ... same reaction. Ended up giving my Airpods to my son (doesn't affect him) and buying some Sony Earbuds. Haven't had an allergic reaction from them, and I've been using them for over a year.

I've read the the Airpod Pro 2 have the same issue (I had gen 1), so I'm continuing to stay clear of them. I really miss the fluidity with the integration with my other Apple products. Just not worth the itching, flacking, and draining ears.

Apple really needs to take this more serious. I assume we are the minority, so it's not a priority to them. They're still making a sh*t ton of money off of these. *sigh*

Published in the International Journal of Dermatology:

Contact allergy to acrylates in Apple AirPods Pro® headphones: A case series

I had never been allergic to anything. I used the AirPods Pro for 6 months before noticing a problem. After answering all of the Apple Support questions (they asked about any previous reaction to acrylic nails), it reminded me that I did react to the adhesive in acrylic nails after 10+ years of use, and eyelash extension adhesive years later, after 6 months use. It is the adhesive (Apple Support admits) used in their housing, that some people are allergic to. It contains Acrylate.

I had my AirPods Pro for slightly over 2 years, when I contacted Apple Support for ear issues. After several days of back and forth with calls and sending in photos and receipts and reviews from a supervisor, they reimbursed me for my AirPods Pro, the recommended foam tips I tried from Amazon, and an AirPods Pro silicone carry case I had purchased, since I no longer had any use for it. I don’t expect reimbursement for the foam tips to be typical, but I was super thankful. Now I’m reading through all these messages again, to find what other brand earbuds work for people AFTER having the allergic reaction with AirPods Pro.

If you need to get help, contact Apple Support and ask to speak to someone in ‘Safety’.