If you don’t like the feel of traditional earbuds or you want to hear ambient sounds, then UP open-ear headphones might fit your needs (especially if traditional earbuds don’t fit your ears).

Danish company Libratone collaborated with Pantone to create its new headphones in Mocha Mousse, Pantone’s Color of the Year 2025.

Why open-ear headphones? Besides little ears, ear canal health, hygiene concerns, claustrophobia, and sound quality, open-ear headphones open people up to the surrounding world. UP delivers excellent audio that doesn’t sound like there’s an orchestra in your head—all while allowing users to hear ambient noise.

Open-ear headphones let you hear what’s happening, which is especially helpful in the workplace. You can chat with coworkers, talk to passersby hands-free (without removing earbuds), and hear when the boss laughs or shouts. This means you can stop isolating yourself from others while enjoying music. It generally makes the people around you feel like you’re not purposely blocking them out.

Made of food-grade silicone, UP open-ear headphones offer an ergonomic zero-pressure fit with no sound leakage—so you don’t need to worry that coworkers will discover you’re into Baroque harpsichord music. Other benefits include dust and water resistance, an eight-hour battery life, multiple-device compatibility—and delicious Pantone color.

Melomaniacs should also check out Transparent.