Why Are Luckin Coffee Store Staff Reporting Mask Skin Issues?

Staff at Luckin Coffee stores have reported skin problems after wearing a new batch of masks issued by headquarters. The masks are lighter in color and thinner in material than the previous version, and employees describe them as gauze-like, with a noticeable odor. After several days of use, workers developed red bumps and itching on the chin and cheeks, and some reported nasal itching.

Mask-wearing is standard in food and beverage work for food safety reasons, and the summer heat makes long shifts under a mask uncomfortable regardless of design. Employees who suspect the thin non-woven material have said they will buy their own masks instead. The reports raise the question of whether the coffee store chain should re-examine the quality of the batch.

In the food and beverage industry, it has long been common for employees to wear masks at work. However, in the scorching summer heat, keeping one's nose and mouth stuffy under a mask for long periods inevitably causes discomfort. Recently, employees at Luckin Coffee stores noticed that the new masks distributed by headquarters differ noticeably from the old version—lighter in color and thinner in material, yet the breathability does not seem to have improved as expected. After wearing them for a few days, many employees developed red bumps and itching on their chins and cheeks, and some suspect this batch of "gauze masks" is the culprit behind their skin breakouts. Employees also reported that the new masks have an odd odor, and a few sensitive individuals experienced itching in their noses after putting them on. Everyone worries that these thin masks not only have questionable protective effectiveness but may also trigger allergies due to material issues. Some employees have already said they will buy their own masks as substitutes. The brand requires mask-wearing out of food safety considerations, but the skin problems reported this time may be worth Luckin re-examining the mask quality.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

It is already the norm for food and beverage industry workers to wear masks during work hours, but in the hot summer, even with air conditioning, keeping half of one's face stuffy under a mask for long periods still causes discomfort.

Luckin workers who had been suffering from masks being too stuffy recently discovered that headquarters had "upgraded" the masks supplied to stores. Compared with the old version, the new masks are lighter in color and feel thinner. After actually wearing them, they found that although the new masks are as thin as gauze—when stretched open, one can faintly see the nose and mouth beneath the non-woven fabric—the breathability did not seem as good as expected.

After wearing them for a few days, one employee noticed red pimple-like bumps on their chin. At first, this employee thought the breakouts were caused by internal heat from recent days. But after asking around, they discovered that colleagues who had also used this batch of new masks all showed varying degrees of skin problems.

After posting on social media, they received comments from workers in other regions as well. Many said that since using the new masks, the lower half of their faces had begun to feel uncomfortable—some suddenly broke out in pimples on their chins, while others had redness and itching on both cheeks, looking like skin allergies.

Some said that if they kept wearing this new mask, the facial discomfort would worsen day by day. But if they switched to ordinary medical masks they bought themselves, the skin discomfort symptoms would noticeably improve, with breakouts, redness and itching all easing.

From this, Luckin employees suspect that this new batch of "gauze masks" may be the culprit behind their skin breakouts, and they question the quality of this batch of masks. Some employees said that when they received this batch of masks and opened them for use, they noticed the masks themselves had a strange smell, and a few people sensitive to odors said their noses became itchy after wearing the masks.

Many workers cannot help worrying that these thin masks may fail to provide wearers with effective protection; on the contrary, due to poor material quality, they may bring skin allergies and other troubles to people who wear masks for long periods. Therefore, some have already said they will no longer use the masks supplied by stores and plan to buy their own.

Considering the food safety issues that may exist in making drinks, it is a reasonable rule for the brand to require employees to wear masks, and most workers are also used to wearing masks during work hours to conceal their emotions on their faces.

But regarding the skin problems employees reported this time from wearing the new masks for long periods, perhaps Luckin should pay attention to mask quality.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For some content on the website, such as images, we will respect the original author's copyright and indicate the source. However, due to the large volume, a few images and texts may not have been credited in time; please forgive us. If the original author has any disputes, they may contact the website for handling. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop"; please indicate the source when reposting. If there is any infringement, please inform us for deletion. Thank you~!

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.