Meet the Company Innovating Ear Treatment

While the phrase ‘ear wax build up’ may bring about images of Shrek fastening himself a candle, for some people it brings that horrible itchy, painful feeling.  And ‘some people’ in this instance means millions of Americans;

• roughly 10% of the U.S. adult population (25 million) has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year,
• approximately 15% of American adults (37.5 million) report some trouble hearing, and
• five out of six children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they’re three years old.

With ear-related issues causing so much hassle and harm, logically there should be plenty of medical products to assist, right? Unfortunately this isn’t the case.

Texas based biotechnology company Eosera saw this market gap, and decided to do something about it. The company specializes in ear care products, with a focus on addressing underserved medical needs.

The Company’s Evolution

In 2015, Elyse Dickerson and Joe Griffin suddenly lost their jobs at a big pharma company, and rebounded by building a biotech company. The pair partnered with Tech Fort Worth and went through months of development and more than 200 formulations to create their first product, Earwax MD.  In 2017, the over-the-counter earwax solution went on sale on Amazon and in CVS stores all around the country. By the end of 2019, Eosera had added six more products to its line and expanded to a larger facility. Now, it sells its products in more than 13,000 stores across the U.S.

And rapid growth isn’t the only thing the company’s proud of. Eosera’s majority owned and operated by women, and empowering women in STEM is a big deal to the female CEO. It also manufactures all products in house, and practices ‘conscious capitalism’, a principle that companies should do more for their customers, investors, employees, and the environment than make money.

The company was founded because Elyse and Joe believed big pharma had it wrong. They believed people were worth more than just what they contributed to the bottom line, and they believed people were more than numbers. Creating a culture and an environment where people were valued, appreciated, heard, and treated fairly was and is extremely important to the pair. Before they even had a product, Elyse and Joe agreed upon starting their business that they wanted to put people first and money second. Echoed through the office is the manta “put people first and the profits will follow”. Having doubled Eosera’s sales year over year for the past 3 years, it’s safe to say they’re are doing something right. Eosera is innovating the industry by developing effective, long-lasting products and prioritizing people over profits.

The Products

The story behind Eosera’s products is actually simple; where there’s market need, the company finds a way to create it. A lot of products, specifically Ear Itch MD, Ear Itch MD Nighttime and Ear Clean MD, were created because of consumer market research. During this market research, the company found 77% of 25- to 44-year-olds reported that they are motivated to buy Eosera products to keep ears clean on a routine basis. 70% of consumers feel that ear health and cleaning ears consistently is important to them. With those statistics, how could Eosera not create a routine ear cleaning product? Additionally, in the same consumer market research, ear itch products were requested. So, Eosera delivered. And its premium ear care products are welcomed in a market where there aren’t a lot of options.

• Earwax MD is the company’s core product – a specialized drop solution. It’s the only one of its kind designed to dissolve ear wax in 15 to 30 minutes with a once-off treatment.
• Wax Blaster MD sounds futuristic, and in a way it kind of is; the ear irrigation kit is an innovative solution to help in extreme cases of ear wax impaction.  The spray-bottle-esk product includes a bottle, long spout, soft tips and a wash basin, eliminating the mess of cleaning ears, and allowing for safe, accurate spray.
• Ear Itch MD was made to help overcome that annoying, itchy feeling, and the safety issues around sticking cotton buds or fingers in ear canals. And, because all heroes need a side kick, the company created Ear Itch MD Nighttime, to be used nightly to moisturize and soothe itchiness.
• Ear Pain MD was made for when irritation passes the point of discomfort. Unlike most pain relief, this product is in the form of a drop, so can target the pain’s source. The company also developed a version for kids’ ears too, who are some of the worst impacted when it comes to ear infections and related issues.
• Ear Clean MD is Eosera’s most recent development – a product designed for consistent weekly use. It came from many years of research, and a realization that we clean our face and teeth on a daily basis, but not our ears.
• Earwax Pet means that furry friends are not left behind. This product is specially formulated for monthly cleaning of our pets’ ears (especially the ones likely to be rolling in dirt).

Product innovations are carefully thought out by scientists, tested, formulated, and marketed before they hit the shelves in stores like CVS and Rite Aid. Time is spent thinking and asking the market what it needs, and creating from there. Scientists at Eosera carefully and safely develop innovative products for consumers, in a market where there has been little to no innovation in decades.

Are you developing innovative health products? Did you know your work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.

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