P.S. Dr. Park also recommends Thank You Farmer’s The Sun Essence, which she calls a favorite during steamy summer months. “It has a light, watery texture with a pearlescent finish that is ideal for normal to oily skin types,” she notes.
Type: chemical | Key ingredients: homosalate (9%), octinoxate (6.8%), octisalate (4.5%), octocrylene (4%), and vitamins B5, B3, E, and K (panthenol, niacinamide, tocopherol, and menadione) | Who it’s for: all skin types
Best Glowy Finish: Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotic SPF50+ PA++++
Why it’s worth it: If you’re on beauty TikTok, chances are you’ve seen Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotic SPF50+ PA++++ all over your FYP. The viral sensation is one of the best sunscreens we’ve tried in recent years, partly due to its glowy and healthy-looking finish. Chock-full of nourishing ingredients such as niacinamide, rice extract, and grain-derived probiotics, this chemical-free, cast-free formula might just make you look forward to applying sunscreen every single day.
P.S. We’ve noticed a trend of K-beauty brands formulating FDA-approved sunscreens to sell on Amazon—assumedly, to combat the high volume of counterfeits being sold on the site. Beauty of Joseon has one called Daily Relief Sunscreen SPF 40, which we have not tried, but wanted to point out.
Tester feedback: “Quite frankly, I might never go for another sunscreen again after the torrid affair I’m currently having with Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun SPF 50,” senior news editor Nicola Dall’Asen shared in our roundup for the best moisturizers with SPF. “On TikTok’s recommendation, I bought an entire four-pack of this K-beauty staple and have been tearing through it all summer—which is all too easy to do, given the way it melts into skin like butter and leaves a highlighter-level glow behind.”
Type: chemical | Key ingredients: rice extract, niacinamide, pumpkin ferment extract, green tea, ginseng | Who it’s for: normal, combination, and dry skin
Best Semi-Matte Finish: Etude Sunprise Milk Airy Finish Sun Milk SPF 50+
Why it’s worth it: Many Korean sunscreens leave dewy or radiant finishes, but if you have oily or combination skin, mineral formulas might be more comfortable to wear. True to its name, Etude Sunprise Milk Airy Finish Sun Milk SPF 50+ is a lightweight, milky, and fluid-like formula that doesn’t leave a chalky finish or cause your makeup to pill—like other mineral sunscreens often do. It does take a few beats longer to fully absorb, so as long as you don’t mind that aspect, this subtly floral formula is a goodie. Don’t forget to shake well before application!
Tester feedback: “As someone who mainly wears chemical sunscreens, it’s not hard to deduce that I’m very picky about mineral sunscreens,” says Han. “Despite the initial jumpscare-white formula, Etude’s Sunprise doesn’t leave a ghastly cast on me, though I definitely need to be patient blending two fingers’ worth of product—I take about 30 seconds altogether, and as you can see in my after photo, my skin returns to its natural state—just a smidge brighter and more evened out. You can see a subtle glow in my after photo, but if I were to skip my moisturizer (which I totally could, since I applied a hydrating essence and antioxidant serum prior), I think I’d achieve a truer matte finish.”