If you work a typical 9-to-5, you’ve probably landed on the ‘office air’ side of TikTok. The viral term is giving context to a mysterious struggle that corporate girlies have been dealing with for years. In short, why does a day in the office make us feel so…gross?
As part of the current social media trend, women of all ages are sharing clips of themselves arriving to the work—fresh blowout, dewy skin, flawless makeup—versus how they look after spending hours in ‘office air’: oily, mascara-smudged, deflated. The idea is that there’s something in the air, literally, in office buildings that washes us out and renders our favorite beauty products useless.
Maybe your setting spray that can withstand a wild night out starts to melt by your 1 p.m. meeting, or your freshly-washed roots seem to be begging for dry shampoo by the end of the work day. According to experts, that’s not in your head—and it’s not just bad lighting, either.
“Individuals with long office hours can commonly experience skin dehydration, oiliness, irritation, and dullness,” says board-certified dermatologist Lauren Moy. Unsurprisingly, those factors won’t do your makeup any favors. “Without balanced moisture, your makeup is prone to separation, your skin is inclined to over-produce oil, and your dehydrated skin can emphasize puffiness where you tend to retain water,” says professional makeup artist Selena Graham.
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The good news? Once you understand what causes office air, it’s much easier to avoid its side effects. Ahead, we asked the pros for their best tips to beat office air, from skin care and makeup tips to the most effective workday refreshes.
What is ‘office air,’ actually?
Before you freak out, the air you’re breathing in your office building isn’t inherently bad for your health. But there are common factors that contribute to the office air phenomenon. To start, “the air conditioning in offices removes the moisture from the air,” says Dr. Moy. “This creates a low-humidity environment which over time can increase transepidermal water loss, which means pulling water from the skin causing skin tightness, dullness, flaking, or rough texture. It can also weaken the skin barrier.”
“When this outer barrier of your skin is impacted, some people get more oily, or experience redness, while some get more breakouts or flares in their seborrhea, eczema, or rosacea,” says Gervaise Gerstner, a board-certified dermatologist and Chief Medical Officer of Virginskin. According to Dr. Gerstner, UV damage through windows, long-term screen exposure, and dehydration are also common office side effects that can show up on your skin.
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