- New Yorkers are wearing the Dyson Zone headphones as masks in the haze.
- TikTok users are skeptical of the headphones' "air purifying" claims.
New York City continues to be engulfed in a red haze as wildfires blaze across eastern Canada — and some residents have a solution to cope with the smog: Dyson's $1,000 headphones. But users on TikTok aren't so sure, as some are skeptical if it really works.
Dyson claims that its headphones, named the "Dyson Zone," are meant to "tackle the dual challenges of city noise and air pollution." The headpiece comes with an over-the-mouth visor that's detachable.
Dyson said on its website that the headphones are fitted with "electrostatic media filters" which can filter out "99% of particle pollution as small as 0.1 microns." The headphones are sold at two price points: $949.99, which comes with five accessories, and $999.99, which comes with eight accessories.
Several New Yorkers posted videos on TikTok showing off their Dyson Zones, with one user, Eric Goldie, likening it to "wearing clean air."
"I feel like every New Yorker needs this," Goldie wrote in his TikTok. "I feel like I'm in the future," he said at the end of the video.
Several users raised concerns about the headphone's ability to filter out the thick smog, with some asking if the visor has a seal like the N95 mask used in personal protective equipment.
"Is there a seal? If not it may filter a lot but you are also breathing in unfiltered air," @akalmo93 wrote.
Another user, Bob Dillan, commented: "I was told those are essentially useless because there is not a seal."
@ericgoldie Replying to @Sabrina / Fashion Stylist Nothing like wearing clean air. #canada #wildfire #canadawildfire #canadian #nyc #newyorkcity #manhattan #newyorker #dyson #dysonzone #lavenderhaze ♬ Lavender Haze - Taylor Swift
Another New Yorker, Kate Kozuch, said in a TikTok that people made fun of her for wearing her Dyson Zone.
"Here we are in the apocalyptic-looking New York," Kozuch said, adding that she's "going to be wearing this around."
Kozuch's TikTok garnered a similar reaction to Goldie's video, with many users expressing their doubts about the headphone's filtration system.
"They're making fun of it because it doesn't work," Nick Graham commented.
"A doctor had literally said a regular doc-mask is better than that headset. Actually gets rid of bad stuff in the air," another user, @oxidtg, wrote, referring to surgical masks.
@kate_kozuch Who’s laughing now? #dysonzone #dysonzoneheadphone #wearableairpurifier #nyc #airquality #wildfire #nycairquality #airpurifier #techtok ♬ Creepy Scary Sound - Novia Nisa
New York authorities have advised residents to "limit outdoor activity and stay inside when possible," per a June 6 statement.
"If you are an older adult or have heart or breathing problems and need to be outside, wear a high-quality mask (e.g. N95 or KN95)," the statement read.
Dyson, Dillan, and Kozuch did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.