Ear candling — also known as ear coning or Hopi ear candles — is an alternative therapy that involves placing a hollow, fabric candle into the ear canal, lighting it and claiming that the resulting heat and suction draws wax out of the ear. It is widely sold in health food shops, beauty salons and online, and is promoted with descriptions of ancient therapeutic origins and natural cleansing properties.

The clinical reality is unambiguous. The Cochrane Review, the US Food and Drug Administration, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), ENT UK and the NHS have all formally examined the evidence for ear candling and reached the same conclusion: it does not work as claimed, and it causes harm. The residue visible inside the candle after the procedure is candle wax — not ear wax. No clinical study has demonstrated that ear candling produces negative pressure in the ear canal or removes wax.

While the claimed benefit — wax removal — has not been demonstrated in any study, the harms are well-documented. Case reports in ENT and emergency medicine journals record the following adverse events:

• Burns to the face, pinna and outer ear — hot wax drips from the burning candle
• Candle wax deposits inside the ear canal — molten candle wax dripping inward, creating new blockages that require professional removal
• Eardrum perforation — from both heat and physical contact of the candle with the drum
• Scalp and hair fires — from the open flame in close proximity
• Temporary hearing loss — caused by candle wax deposits obstructing the canal
• Canal burns — thermal injury to the delicate skin of the ear canal

The FDA has received multiple reports of these injuries and issued a formal consumer warning advising the public not to use ear candles under any circumstances. No medical or audiological professional body in the UK or internationally endorses the practice.