Why are Chinese workers wearing sunscreen at their desks? The bizarre fight against ‘office ageing’

Imagine arriving at work, opening your laptop and doing something you would normally reserve for a beach holiday.

Putting up a parasol.

Then comes the sunscreen. Perhaps a face covering. Maybe even a sun hat.

Welcome to the latest Chinese office trend: “office ageing”.

According to the South China Morning Post, Chinese workers have been sharing tips on Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote, about protecting themselves from what they believe is the skin-damaging effect of spending long hours at work. Some have gone as far as setting up parasols at their desks, while others use sunscreen, hats and full-face coverings.

It sounds funny.

But behind the umbrellas is a surprisingly serious workplace anxiety.

Why are Chinese workers worried about ‘office ageing’?

The trend gained attention after a RedNote user from Jiangsu said that just one month into a new job, his complexion had noticeably darkened and his eyes often felt strained, according to SCMP.

Other users joined in with their own experiences. One said she looked brighter after taking time away from work, while another complained about second-hand smoke in a shared office.

Soon, the office itself was being cast as the villain.

The theory behind “office ageing” is that long hours surrounded by artificial lighting, dry air and screens are leaving workers looking — and feeling — more exhausted.

But there is an important scientific wrinkle here.

There is no established evidence that ordinary computer screens or typical office lighting age healthy skin in the same way as prolonged exposure to the sun. Ultraviolet radiation from sunlight is a well-established cause of premature skin ageing, and UVA can pass through window glass.

Some fluorescent lamps can emit small amounts of UV, and research has explored whether prolonged low-level exposure could contribute to photoageing. But that is very different from proving that the average office is secretly turning its employees into raisins.

So why the parasols and sunscreen?

Part of the answer may be perception.

Office workers spend enormous amounts of time under artificial lights and air-conditioning, often staring at screens while sitting in the same position for hours.

And an office can affect how you feel even when it isn't literally ageing your skin.

The World Health Organization has documented what is known as “sick building syndrome”, in which people report symptoms such as eye and throat irritation, dry skin, headaches, fatigue and difficulty concentrating while spending time in certain buildings. Poor ventilation, temperature, humidity, dust and other indoor environmental factors can contribute.

In other words, the office may not be ageing your face quite as dramatically as social media suggests.

But it can certainly leave you feeling worn out.

When your desk starts looking like a beach

That is where the trend becomes wonderfully strange.

Some workers are effectively creating tiny personal shelters around their computers.

Parasols go up.

Sunscreen goes on.

Face coverings come out.

And the humble office desk starts looking less like a workstation and more like a miniature holiday resort.

The trend also fits into a broader wave of Chinese workers trying to make the office more bearable.

SCMP reported that some employees have turned empty milk-tea cups into makeshift humidifiers, while others keep unusual “desk pets” such as rocks or mango pits as small sources of comfort during stressful workdays.

It is part skincare, part workplace coping mechanism and part internet humour.

Is ‘office ageing’ really about ageing?

Perhaps not entirely.

Look closely and the parasol is almost beside the point.

The more interesting question is why workers feel their workplace is taking something from them in the first place.

Their skin. Their energy. Their sleep. Their posture. Their patience.

Chinese social-media users have described the phenomenon with a deliberately dramatic phrase: “I age in the office every day.”

That line captures the joke — but also the anxiety underneath it.

Because sometimes the strangest workplace trends are not really about the strange thing people are doing.

They are about why they feel they need to do it.

And if that means someone has to sit beneath a tiny parasol to survive their nine-to-five, well, perhaps the office needs a little shade too.