Still-life paintings known as vanitas, popular in the 17th century, served as reminders of the transient nature of everything on earth, doomed to wither and fade. It’s a lesson most of us get when we catch our reflection in the office mirror and are shocked to find our neatly groomed appearance has rapidly deteriorated somewhere between the commute and an 11am meeting.

Social media has recently questioned whether this phenomenon is really an inevitable consequence of nature, or if a more modern culprit is robbing hair and skin of beauty and vitality.

More than 80m posts on TikTok – such as this influencer – are demanding: “Can we talk about OFFICE AIR?! Why is it every time I work from the office I leave with greasy hair, dry skin and breakouts?”

The air in an office can affect skin and hair due to a number of factors, says Dr Anneliese Willems, a GP with a special interest in skincare and a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne. Air conditioning and heating systems can lower the humidity levels in the air, which can lead to increased “transepidermal water loss”. “That’s where you’re losing moisture through your skin,” Willems says. “This can result in having drier, tighter or flakier skin, and this is particularly exacerbated in people who are prone to conditions such as eczema or have underlying........

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