Korean Sunscreen Guide (2026): Labels, Filters & What to Buy

Last checked: November 1, 2026

The same sunscreen brand can sell a different formula in Korea and in the US, so if you want the Korean version, buy it in Korea. I compared the brands’ own pages with Korea’s and the FDA’s rules. One difference you can check on the label is the UV filters: SKIN1004, for example, sells a US edition of its sun serum with different ones.

Why do tourists buy sunscreen in Korea?

The filters are one reason. The US regulates sunscreen as a drug, and one sold under the FDA’s sunscreen monograph can only use the active ingredients listed there. In June 2026 the FDA added bemotrizinol, calling it the first new sunscreen ingredient in about 20 years.

Some Korean sunscreens use filters that are not on that list. Take Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun: its own page names four filters: ethylhexyl triazone, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, diethylhexyl butamido triazone, and methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol. None of the four is on the US list.

SKIN1004’s US shop sells a “UV” edition of its sun serum that uses avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, and octocrylene, all on the FDA’s list. If you liked the Korean one, I’d read the filter list on the box before you pay.

Olive Young said that in 2024, five of the ten best-selling items among its US shoppers were sun care products.

How do you read a Korean sunscreen label?

I look for two ratings and one Korean word. SPF is about UVB, and both sunscreens in this guide are rated SPF50+. PA is Korea’s UVA grade, from PA+ to PA++++, set by a measured UVA protection factor, and PA++++ is the top grade.

The word is 기능성화장품 (functional cosmetic), which can also appear as a ministry symbol. In Korea a sunscreen is a functional cosmetic. Before sale it goes through the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety as a full review or, when the law allows, a simpler report. The SPF and PA on the box are backed by the test results submitted in that process.

In August 2026 the ministry also proposed allowing lab tests to measure SPF and PA, alongside the current tests on people.

Cream, serum, or stick: which texture should you pick?

I’d choose by texture first, because you have to like it enough to put it on every morning. If the store has testers, I’d try a little on the back of your hand before buying a full tube.

Cream is the classic texture. Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun is a 50 ml cream rated SPF50+ PA++++, made with 30% rice extract. One thing to know before you search the shelf: the brand renamed it from “Rice + Probiotics” to “Rice + Niacinamide” and says the formula and size didn’t change.

If you’d rather not wear a cream, try a sun serum. SKIN1004’s Madagascar Centella Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum is rated SPF50+ PA++++, and the brand describes it as a lightweight sunscreen with a dewy finish. It comes in 50 ml and in a two-bottle pack.

A stick is solid, so it’s easy to keep in a bag. The American Academy of Dermatology says to make four passes back and forth over each area, then rub it in for an even layer. I’d still use a cream or serum in the morning and keep the stick for later.

How much do you need, and how often?

More than most people use. The American Academy of Dermatology says most adults need about one ounce, roughly a shot glass, to cover the skin clothing doesn’t. It says to put it on about 15 minutes before you go out and reapply about every two hours, or after swimming or sweating. On a beach day, that means carrying the tube with you.

A 50 ml tube does not go far at that rate. If you’re out all day and reapplying on your face, neck, and arms, I’d pack more than one tube for a week. I’d also skip the tiny trial sizes unless you’re only testing a texture.

Getting sunscreen home in your luggage

At Incheon, each liquid in your carry-on has to be in a container of 100 ml or less, and they all go in one clear 1-litre bag per person. The airport goes by the size printed on the container, not by how much is left, so a half-empty 150 ml tube still won’t pass.

Both tubes in this guide are 50 ml, so they fit the carry-on rule. Cream or liquid sunscreen in a container over 100 ml goes in your checked suitcase. Incheon’s page sets a separate checked-bag limit for sprays: 500 ml per container and 2 L in total.

If you buy sunscreen at a duty-free shop after security, it goes into a sealed duty-free bag that has to stay closed until your last flight.

Flying on within the US, or connecting there? The TSA allows sunscreen in carry-ons up to 3.4 ounces (100 ml), the same size as Incheon’s limit. I didn’t find a TSA rule that mentions sticks, so I’d put the stick in your clear bag too and let the officer decide.

FAQ

Is SPF50+ much stronger than SPF 30?

Less than the numbers suggest. The American Academy of Dermatology says SPF 30 already blocks 97% of UVB rays. I’d worry more about using enough than about the jump from 30 to 50.

Will the new US filter show up in American sunscreens soon?

Not right away. The FDA’s order took effect on August 9, 2026, and it gives the company behind bemotrizinol 18 months of exclusivity, which limits who can use it at first.

Do I need a mineral sunscreen?

Only if you prefer one. Mineral sunscreens use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide, and both are on the FDA’s list too, so the filters don’t force a separate US version.

Pick a texture you like and look for 기능성화장품 on the back. If a label or rule has changed, tell me on the Contact page and I’ll check it.

Hwaiting!

Yuna

Sources and last check

How I put this guide together: from the FDA’s sunscreen monograph and consumer guidance, Korea’s Cosmetics Act, Korea’s consumer agency findings as reported by Korean news, the American Academy of Dermatology, Incheon Airport, the TSA, and the brands’ own pages. I checked all of them on November 1, 2026. The recommendations are my own. No brand paid to be included, and none reviewed this guide. More on how I research every guide is on the About page.

Last checked: November 1, 2026. Formulas, names, and rules change, so please check the label before you buy. This is an independent guide, not affiliated with any brand or store.

Sources:

• FDA: Sunscreen options expanded for the first time in 20 years (June 2026)
• FDA: OTC Monograph M020, sunscreen active ingredients (effective August 9, 2026, checked November 1, 2026)
• FDA: Sunscreen, how to help protect your skin from the sun (checked November 1, 2026)
• Venable: Bemotrizinol order and exclusivity (June 2026)
• ChemLinked: Korea’s functional cosmetics and PA grades
• Korea Law Information Center: Cosmetics Act, Article 4 (review or report) (in Korean, checked November 1, 2026)
• Korea Law Information Center: Enforcement Rule of the Cosmetics Act, Article 10 (when a report is enough) (in Korean, checked November 1, 2026)
• Korea Law Information Center: Cosmetics Act, Article 10 (labeling) (in Korean, checked November 1, 2026)
• ChemRadar: MFDS draft on in vitro sunscreen tests (August 2026)
• Asia Economy: Consumer agency warning on sunscreen claims (June 2025)
• Asia Economy: Check for “functional cosmetic” (June 2023)
• Asia Economy: Olive Young’s US sun care best sellers (February 2025)
• Beauty of Joseon: Relief Sun
• SKIN1004: Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum
• SKIN1004: Water-Fit Sun Serum UV (US filters)
• American Academy of Dermatology: How to apply sunscreen
• American Academy of Dermatology: Sunscreen FAQs
• American Academy of Dermatology: How to use stick and spray sunscreens (checked November 1, 2026)
• Incheon Airport: Restricted items (checked November 1, 2026)
• Incheon Airport: Restricted items FAQ (checked November 1, 2026)
• TSA: Sunscreen (checked November 1, 2026)

Cover image: Two sunscreen tubes.