Same brand, different SPF: Why Korean sunscreens outperform US versions
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US study attributes differences in UV protection in part to regulatory systems for sunscreen ingredients
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Even when sold under the same K-beauty brand name, sunscreens marketed in Korea and those sold in the United States may offer different levels of ultraviolet light protection. A comparison test by U.S. nonprofit consumer organization Consumer Reports found that, among three leading K-beauty brands, the Korean versions provided stronger protection against UVB rays, which cause sunburn.
The results were released by Trisha Calvo, deputy editor overseeing health and food coverage at Consumer Reports, and published in the U.S. consumer magazine Consumer Reports.
The testing team selected three K-beauty brands popular on social media — Beauty of Joseon, Innisfree and Round Lab. Because the brands use different formulations in Korea and the U.S., the team directly compared three Korean-market products with their U.S. counterparts.
The tests measured each product’s protection against UVA and UVB rays. To measure UVB protection, researchers applied a set amount of sunscreen to participants’ backs, exposed the skin to artificial UV radiation at varying intensities, and assessed the degree of redness the following day to calculate the SPF. UVA protection was measured by exposing sunscreen-coated plastic plates to UV radiation and determining how much radiation the product absorbed. A professional panel also blind evaluated the products’ scent and how they felt on the skin.
All three Korean-market products received the highest possible score of 5 for both UVA and UVB protection. Their measured SPF values were 36 for Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics, 48 for Innisfree’s Intensive Long-Lasting Sunscreen EX, and 46 for Round Lab’s Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen.
By comparison, all three U.S.-market products received a score of 2 for UVB protection. Their measured SPF values were 19 for Beauty of Joseon’s Day Dew Sunscreen SPF 50, 16 for Innisfree’s Daily UV Defense SPF 36, and 16 for Round Lab’s Birch Mild-Up Sunscreen UVLock SPF 50+. All three measured below the SPF levels stated on their labels.
The biggest differences appeared in UVB protection. For UVA protection, the Korean and U.S. versions of Beauty of Joseon and Innisfree both received scores of 5. Round Lab’s Korean product scored 5, compared with 3 for its U.S. version.
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The results for texture and application were less dramatic than expected. K-beauty sunscreens are often praised for being lightweight and quickly absorbed, but the professional panel found no major differences between the Korean and U.S. versions. All six products required thorough rubbing to absorb and initially felt oily and appeared white on the skin. Most were largely absorbed after about 10 minutes, although some oiliness remained. The panel found that all of the products left the skin looking moisturized.
Consumer Reports attributed the differences in UV protection in part to the two countries’ regulatory systems for sunscreen ingredients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates sunscreens as over-the-counter drugs. Introducing a new sunscreen active ingredient in the U.S. has traditionally required considerable time and expense. In Korea, sunscreens are regulated as cosmetics, allowing manufacturers to use a wider range of UV-filtering ingredients.
The U.S. regulatory system has recently begun to change. In June 2026, the FDA approved bemotrizinol for use in sunscreens, marking the first new active ingredient for sunscreen in the U.S. since the late 1990s. Bemotrizinol provides protection against both UVA and UVB rays and is also used in Innisfree’s Korean-market sunscreen.
However, the test results should not be interpreted to mean that all Korean sunscreens outperform their U.S. counterparts. The comparison covered only six products from three brands and was not a peer-reviewed academic study. Consumer Reports also emphasized that the findings do not provide a definitive assessment of K-beauty sunscreens as a whole.
Among sunscreens sold in the U.S., Consumer Reports ranked Coppertone WaterBabies Lotion SPF 50 as best overall. Eucerin Advanced Hydration Spray SPF 50 received the highest rating among spray sunscreens.
Regardless of brand or country of origin, consumers should choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Sunscreen should be reapplied every two hours and immediately after swimming or heavy sweating.
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This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.