The ‘Office Air’ Theory Is Taking Off Online — But Experts Are Skeptical

When Noa Donlan clocks in to her corporate job in the morning, she shows up fresh-faced — but then “office air” strikes.

“I’ll go to the bathroom and be like, ‘Oh my God, I could have sworn I left the house looking way cuter.’ And I’m like, what happened?” she told HuffPost.

In a series of popular TikToks this year, the Boston-based professional is showing the hour-by-hour visual progression of how “office air” worsens her appearance. “I get really oily and sweaty really quickly,” she said.

The idea of “office air” ruining good hair and skin days was popularized last year, but Donlan’s posts are touching a new nerve.

“What stood out to me the most was just how physically different I felt like I looked like at different points in the day,” Donlan said. “I was like, ‘I bet other people are maybe feeling the same way.’”