11 Best Korean Sunscreens, According to Dermatologists & Estheticians

If you tend to experience irritation and flare-ups from sunscreen (or just in general), try this best-selling formula designed to protect your skin from heat and irritants. Dr. Chang recommends this sunscreen for sensitive skin and highlights the inclusion of soothing plant extracts like “centella asiatica and houttuynia cordata (also known as chameleon plant) to calm skin.” One caveat: “It leaves a temporary mild white cast upon application,” she says. Amazon reviewers aagree, noting that it does mostly fade away as you work it in, but isn’t suitable for darker skin tones.

• SPF rating: 50+ PA++++
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (zinc oxide)
• Key ingredients: Centella asiatica, houttuynia cordata
• Highlights: Calming plant extracts, gentle formula, recommended for sensitive skin

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Beauty of Joseon’s viral Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics sunscreen easily wins the title for TikTok’s favorite Korean sunscreen. If you’ve even dipped a toe into #KBeautyTok before, you can’t miss the hundreds of thousands of videos raving about its moisturizing, glow-boosting formula. (Currently, “Beauty of Joseon” has racked up 85.2 million mentions on the app.) For many, it seems to be the getaway SPF into the category of K-beauty sunscreens—and K-beauty skin care products in general. Fans of the moisturizer-like formula rave about its lightweight, non-sticky hydration and extremely dewy finish. Its hero ingredients include rice extract, probiotics, and niacinamide, all of which Dr. Chang says are “rich in vitamins.”

• SPF rating: 50+ PA++++
• FDA-approved filters: No (diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, ethylhexyl triazone, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, diethylhexyl butamido triazone)
• Key ingredients: Niacinamide, rice extract, grain-derived probiotics
• Highlights: Lightweight, very moisturizing, leaves a glass skin finish, the one you’ve seen on TikTok

^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Charlotte Cho}

Sun sticks pack your favorite sunscreen formulas into portable, swipe-on SPF sticks you can easily toss in your bag for touch ups. “Not all sunsticks are created equal, and this one is so thoughtfully created,” says Cho, who loves Abib’s thoughtfully designed details. “The ‘c’ shape of the bar makes reapplication easy,” she says of the curved, contoured surface that effortlessly navigates around hard-to-reach spots like the areas around your nose. It’s also formulated to be water-resistant and contains ectoine, which studies have shown to have a quick soothing effect. Charlotte also loves how the bar layers over makeup without disturbing it. “The formula glides on effortlessly,” she says.

• SPF rating: 50+
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (homosalate, octocrylene, avobenzone, octisalate)
• Key ingredients: Ectoine, allantoin, sunflower seed oil unsaponifiables
• Highlights: Easy-to-use sun stick, travel-friendly, glides on smooth

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As anyone with oily skin knows, heavy sunscreens are no friend to a greasy T-zone. If you’re looking for a formula so lightweight, it stands out even among famously light Korean sunscreen formulas, you need this tube from IOPE. Cho says the original version already started out with a fast-absorbing, non-greasy formula but is now even better. “IOPE reformulated it to be even more lightweight and it truly feels feather-light,” she says. According to the brand, the oily skin-friendly sunscreen contains “microfilters” that help prevent your skin from environmental damage like dust and pollution. Cho also loves the non-sticky finish and “beautifully light floral scent” it leaves behind.

• SPF rating: 45
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (avobenzone, homosalate, octocrylene, octisalate)
• Key ingredients: Ferulic acid
• Highlights: Extremely lightweight formula, fast-absorbing

Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Dr. Chang

This primer-like sunscreen gets a triple nomination: one from Dr. Chang, one from Choi, and one from me. (I assume that Cho, who’s behind the launch, is also a big fan.) Choi gives major points for the “glowy, luminous finish” and lightweight feel, as well as the ingredients list of “fermented sake extract to moisturize and protect your skin from environmental stressors and a blend of ceramides, hyaluronic acid, and panthenol for additional benefits.” Dr. Chang echoes her review. “It’s a great multifunctional chemical sunscreen that provides broad-spectrum sun protection along with a blend of ingredients to boost skin hydration,” she says, adding that it “blends easily.” Both Cho and Chang also love how this sunscreen layers under makeup; Cho says it “works great as a base,” while Dr. Chang says it layers under any base product “without causing pilling.” I’d have to agree: the ultra-smooth, fast-absorbing lotion always seems to make foundation, skin tint, and concealer glide on more smoothly, while boosting my makeup with a touch of lit-from-within luminosity.

• SPF rating: 50
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene)
• Key ingredients: Galactomyces ferment filtrate, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, provitamin B5
• Highlights: Lightweight, layers well under makeup, beautiful glowy finish, hydrating skin care ingredients

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^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Erica Choi}

This House of Dohwa sunscreen is unique to my collection because of its smart, tear-off paper packaging, which lets me use up every last bit of SPF without wasting a single drop. (I’ve run through multiple packs since I discovered it.) Choi also lists it among her favorites. “I love it because it’s lightweight yet moisturizing,” she says, also shouting out the way the formula “melts into my skin seamlessly, leaving absolutely no white cast.” Like the rest of the brand’s products, it features rice extract, an ingredient that’s been used in Korean skin care for centuries and has proven anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, and brightening properties.

• SPF rating: 50+ PA++++
• FDA-approved filters: Octocrylene, homosalate, avobenzone
• Key ingredients: Rice extract, rice bran extract, daisy flower extract
• Highlights: Waste-free packaging, lightweight texture, brightening benefits, dewy finish

^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Sarah Y. Wu}

Ever since I first tried Skin1004’s serum-like sun cream two years ago, I always keep a tube in my bag, no matter where I am. Another TikTok favorite that’s also gaining popularity among my friends in Korea, this hydrating formula is one of the best I’ve found for my combination skin. Infused with soothing centella asiatica and hyaluronic acid, it feels like a refreshing drink for the dry patches that crop up around my nose and rosacea-prone midface. Because it’s so lightweight and fast-absorbing, it doesn’t grease up my T-zone, even when I reapply multiple times a day. I also love the smooth, dewy finish that works beautifully as a primer under my makeup, or just on its own for a dose of glow.

• SPF rating: 50+ PA++++
• FDA-approved filters: No (diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, ethylhexyl triazone, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol, diethylhexyl butamido triazone)
• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, centella asiatica, arugula leaf, green tea, and broccoli extracts
• Highlights: Lightweight hydration, non-greasy, glowy finish, layers well with makeup

^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Sarah Y. Wu}

This fast-absorbing sunscreen is a recent addition to my routine, but I’ve been obsessed with the way it instantly brightens my skin. Formulated with hydrating hyaluronic acid and a blend of 10 vitamins (including vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid and vitamin B3, A.K.A., niacinamide), it has a lightweight cream texture that feels just like my favorite face moisturizers. The finish this sunscreen leaves is truly so glowy, I’d describe it as an illuminator-like gleam. It never crosses over into greasy territory, but it has prompted several friends to ask what highlighter I’m wearing. I especially love the inclusion of brightening vitamin C in my sunscreen because of its proven antioxidant properties, which help fight free radical damage from UV rays.

• SPF rating: 50
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (homosalate, octocrylene, octisalate, avobenzone)
• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid and 10 vitamins (including vitamin C and vitamin B3)
• Highlights: Leaves a very glowy (but not greasy) finish, lightweight, hydrating, brightening ingredients

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^{Original photo courtesy of Glamour contributor Jenifer Calle}

Here’s a tinted sunscreen in a shade you might not expect: green. Innisfree’s color-correcting formula uses a super sheer green base to help immediately neutralize any visible redness. “I have combination skin and sometimes get red around my cheeks. The green (though it’s more like jade color) diminishes any redness. But, you do have to rub it in pretty well to avoid any white cast since it’s a thick consistency,” says Jenifer Calle, Glamour’s senior commerce editor. Calle ranks this among her favorite sunscreens because of its “glowy finish.”

• SPF rating: 45
• FDA-approved filters: Yes (zinc oxide)
• Key ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, squalane, cica
• Highlights: Soothing and hydrating ingredients, tinted to instantly neutralize redness

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