Korean vs US version: Beauty of Joseon and Round Lab sunscreen

The viral tube is Relief Sun, SPF50+ PA++++, sold on the brand’s global store. Its published ingredient list names four UV filters: diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, ethylhexyl triazone, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol and diethylhexyl butamido triazone. None of the four appears among the sunscreen active ingredients FDA lists for US over-the-counter sunscreens (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, bemotrizinol, which FDA added on June 10, 2026, and the twelve ingredients still under review, such as avobenzone and homosalate).

That is why Beauty of Joseon’s US sunscreen is a different product. Day Dew SPF 50 lists avobenzone 3%, homosalate 7%, octisalate 5% and octocrylene 5% in a Drug Facts panel. It is not a US-labeled Relief Sun, and reviews of one don’t tell you how the other wears.

If a listing says “Korean version,” it should match Relief Sun’s full name, SPF50+ PA++++ and the ingredient list above. Beauty of Joseon renamed Relief Sun from Rice + Probiotics to Rice + Niacinamide and says the formula and 50 mL size did not change, so either name can be the same product.

Round Lab’s US store sells Birch Moisturizing Sunscreen UVLock SPF 45+ Broad Spectrum, 50 mL, with avobenzone, homosalate and octisalate as its sunscreen actives. In Korea the brand’s own store sells a differently named product, Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream 50ml, marked as available for overseas shipping.

Treat them as two products. A US tube says UVLock and SPF 45+ Broad Spectrum and carries a Drug Facts panel. If your tube has a PA rating and no Drug Facts panel, it is a Korean or global version, and reviews of UVLock don’t describe it. Other Birch products, such as the sun serum or tone-up sun cream, are separate again.

Use these official records as identity references, not a universal rule for all packaging. The current source pages were reviewed on 7 September 2026; a source may redirect or change with store region.

Write down the exact candidate you chose. Then compare the merchant listing against its source record. If the title, images and ingredient panel disagree, the listing is not verified just because one part looks right.

A new name can be legitimate; an old photograph can also be stale. Neither is enough to identify the item in a seller’s warehouse. Conversely, a convincing photo cannot establish authenticity, storage history or the contents of a shipped bottle.

When details conflict, save the listing and ask the seller or brand to identify the exact item. Do not use a photo-only ‘real vs fake’ checklist as a safety clearance. Brand-controlled authorization evidence is more useful than a seller describing itself as official.

Before using a review to predict texture or makeup behavior, look for the full product name and a visible label, plus the post date. If the version cannot be identified, the review may help you ask a question, but it does not answer how your chosen formula wears.

Keep official facts, creator claims and your own trial separate. A creator’s successful makeup combination is useful context—not evidence that a different market formula will feel the same.

Use the linked official formula sources above for that candidate. Do not follow a Relief Sun buying link simply because it is the next product record shown here. Until a merchant comparison has the exact candidate and market, the safe buying decision is to leave the order unfinished.