When I found the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics, I finally felt that I had found a sunscreen that would not be a bother for me to apply. I honestly felt like I hit the jackpot because I usually don’t really enjoy wearing sunscreen. Shortly afterwards I began to notice that it was becoming more and more popular with the online beauty community and honestly it’s easy to see why. Like many Korean beauty products, this one also manages to mix business with pleasure, being effective, cute and cosmetically elegant, all that under an affordable price.
Table of Contents
What I enjoyed about it
- Perfect everyday sunscreen
- Does not sting eyes
- Very well rated for protection against both UVA and UVB
- Feels like nothing on the skin – very comfortable sunscreen to wear
- Works well under makeup
What I disliked about it
- If applied in larger quantities can leave a subtle white cast
- Is not as water/sweat resistant as other highly protective sunscreens
Beauty of Joseon – the beauty of Korean tradition
Beauty of Joseon – an interesting name for those of us who are enchanted by history. Joseon was the name of the Korean state for a long time, a period marked by the rule of Korea´s most long-lived royal dynasty (which reigned for more than 500 years and carried the same name). This signals the intentions of the brand – that of mixing innovation and new developments with traditional ingredients that can be traced all the way back to the people in historical Joseon. This inspiration from traditional Korean herbal medicine has been a staple of many Korean products and now, because of its popularity with users, has also been adopted by Western skincare brands.
To that effect, some Korean brands like Beauty of Joseon often incorporate different herbal remedies into their formulations, while taking into account and including aspects of modern skincare science (they are all about the herbal ingredients that actually work!). This type of approach is called Hanbang skincare.
Product claims – as per the Beauty of Joseon website
Lightweight and creamy, this organic (chemical) sunscreen does it all: it gives you amazing protection, while feeling comfortable on the face. It is not sticky and should feel just like a moisturizing cream. According to the BOJ website, this effect should last even after applying large amounts of it. After absorption, it should leave you with a natural glow and no detectable white cast. Makeup pairs well with it, without clumping or giving a cakey look.
This beautiful sunscreen also has ingredients which can improve the health and look of skin, such as being made of 30% rice water and also containing fermented grain extracts, rich in nutrients, leading to more moisturized and nourished skin.
What about sun protection?
Well, I admit that, like many others, I had at one point some doubts when it came to Korean sunscreens, doubts which can be traced back to the infamous results of that Purito sunscreen survey, where the product had been independently tested and found lacking, not being in accordance with the level of sun protection printed on the label. This however has been shown to happen sometimes to many brands from all over the world (including Western brands like Bioderma) and can be many times attributed to batch variation or difference in testing methods. I would not nowadays let myself be discouraged from trying Korean sunscreens just because of that incident, especially because ever since then these brands have been certainly very careful when it comes to their formulations. To this effect, Beauty of Joseon has contracted two different laboratories, one from Korea and one from Spain, in order to test their product and their findings were the following:
[SPF]
Korean Lab : 52.5±5.8
Spanish Lab : 63.1±0.6
[PA]
Korean Lab : UVA PF 16.1±2.4 P++++
Spanish Lab : UVA PF 19 P++++
Product ingredients
- The Beauty of Joseon Relief Sunscreen is perfume and essential oil free and does not contain alcohol (specifically, ethanol).
- Sunscreen filters: this formulation benefits from using 4 different organic (chemical) sunscreen filters, all of which are newer generation and are very photostable (they keep their sun absorbing capacities for a long time, giving a more prolonged time of activity).
- These new generation filters, especially one called Tinosorb M, have a better safety profile than many other chemical filters by not easily getting absorbed through the skin. Together the filters provide broad spectrum protection, both in UVA and UVB ranges.
- 30% Rice extract – A staple not only in their diets, rice has for a long time been an addition to the beauty routines of Korean women when it comes to both skin and hair care. It was the original toner, because, being rich in vitamins and minerals, it moisturized and calmed skin.
- Fermented grain extracts: the natural process of fermentation helps not only our intestinal functions, but also breaks skincare ingredients down, making them more readily absorbed. And that is not all, because fermented products, as we know from many studies nowadays, are amazing at supporting our biomes, whether gut or skin, supplying prebiotics which support the skin barrier.
- Other beneficial ingredients are:
- Antioxidants: vitamin E, green tea and ginseng root extracts
- Niacinamide and adenosine – multifunctional ingredients with anti-aging, barrier protective and antiinflammatory effects. Niacinamide is also very good at combatting hyperpigmentation and acne
- Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract (or Pumpkin Enzyme) – gentle exfoliating ingredient which is derived by fermenting pumpkin using Lactobacillus lactis (one of the bacteria whose work has allowed us to have many foods derived by fermentation and which is commonly found in probiotic supplements).
About my skin type
- Acne prone
- Combination skin type – oily around nose and normal to dry everywhere else
- Sensitive
- First signs of aging starting to appear
My experience with the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sunscreen
As you have probably already noticed, I love this product. I am now on my third tube and I feel I’m getting into a long term relationship. It is the perfect everyday sunscreen – it protects, it looks good and feels like nothing on the skin. Really, even if I apply the actual proper amount of it I cannot feel it on the skin which is amazing because I´m getting to a point where I cannot stand that sunscreen stickiness anymore. Keep in mind though that my skin has been really quite dry though lately so I cannot pronounce myself when it comes to oilier types. On my oily nose and under eye pore area however it is not greasy even after hours and even after reapplying. It is pretty moisturizing and feels nice and calming on the skin, though if you are skin is super dry you might want to put an additional moisturizer underneath). Plus it leaves my skin looking nice, kind of softly blurred and with a slight glow, whereas many other sunscreens make me look like a disco ball.
Another thing I really like is that it does not sting my eyes (and as someone with eye wrinkles I take application around the eyes very seriously). I cannot actually think of any moment when it has ever stung my eyes which is amazing. Also because it is not greasy it does not make my mascara melt around, giving me panda eyes. In fact, I would say it works just as well under makeup as any other light moisturizer does. This product is, in fact, almost non-distinguishable from a light moisturizer. If you presented me with it and asked me what it was, I would almost not know the difference, except for one thing, which is actually the only real downside for me with this product.
That con would be the slight white cast, although Beauty of Joseon assures us that it could not be possible. I guess that on light skin tones (like the ones common in Korea for example) it would not be visible, but my skin is a bit olive-toned and sometimes, when I apply a lot, I can see a bit of a white cast. This however is nothing compared to my previous ghostly apparitions when I used to wear older sunscreens and is, in fact, mostly noticeable if I specifically try to look for it. On another note, now that we are talking about cons, we should be aware that this is not meant to be a super-resistant SPF product, such as LaRoche-Posay Uvmune Oil Control Fluid, but rather a comfortable, moisturizing, everyday sunscreen. I personally would not wear it during a long day at the beach or prolonged, sweaty outdoor activities in the sun, unless reapplying really frequently.
Conclusion
I honestly love this sunscreen and, after experiencing life with it, would never go back to those greasy, shiny, sticky messes I used to use. It just feels like nothing on the skin, looks like a treat and makes me happy to look at its cute tube. I will continue purchasing this for a long time.
