Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Review: Ingredients, US Status and What to Buy Instead

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun SPF 50+ is a light, creamy chemical sunscreen with a dewy finish that suits normal to dry skin and leaves no white cast. The catch for US buyers is legal: its four UV filters aren't approved for US sunscreens, the brand pulled it from the US market in 2025, and its official Amazon US store doesn't sell it, so any US listing comes from third-party sellers. If you want the brand with an FDA Drug Facts label, buy its US formulas instead.

If you want to check a bottle against your skin type, you can scan its barcode or label with the ingredient scanner in Pori.

Below we cover the product's new name, the full ingredient list and filters, its exact US status, who it suits, the price, how to apply it and the US-labeled alternatives. We compared published ingredient lists, brand claims and listed prices; we did not test these products on skin.

What is Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun, and why did its name change?

Relief Sun is the Korean brand's best-known sunscreen, an SPF 50+ PA++++ cream in a 50 ml (1.69 fl oz) tube that Beauty of Joseon calls creamy-yet-lightweight, with rice extract for hydration and a dewy finish. You may now see it as Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide. The brand says it renamed Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics to Relief Sun: Rice + Niacinamide as part of a global labeling refresh, and that the formula, ingredients and size are unchanged. Both packagings may be on shelves for a while.

What's in Relief Sun? The full ingredient list explained

The brand's global product page lists: aqua, dibutyl adipate, propanediol, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate, polymethylsilsesquioxane, ethylhexyl triazone, methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (nano), niacinamide, coco-caprylate/caprate, caprylyl methicone, diethylhexyl butamido triazone, glycerin, 1,2-hexanediol, butylene glycol, pentylene glycol, behenyl alcohol, poly C10-30 alkyl acrylate, polyglyceryl-3 methylglucose distearate, decyl glucoside, oryza sativa (rice) extract, tromethamine, carbomer, acrylates/C10-30 alkyl acrylate crosspolymer, sodium stearoyl glutamate, polyacrylate crosspolymer-6, ethylhexylglycerin, adenosine, xanthan gum, t-butyl alcohol, tocopherol, oryza sativa (rice) germ extract, camellia sinensis leaf extract, saccharum officinarum (sugarcane) extract, macrocystis pyrifera (kelp) extract, lactobacillus/pumpkin ferment extract, bacillus/soybean ferment extract, aspergillus ferment, cocos nucifera (coconut) fruit extract, panax ginseng root extract, monascus/rice ferment, lactobacillus/rice ferment, saccharomyces/rice ferment filtrate.

• UV filters: diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (Uvinul A Plus, a UVA filter), ethylhexyl triazone (Uvinul T 150, a UVB filter), diethylhexyl butamido triazone (iscotrizinol, a UVB filter) and methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (Tinosorb M, a broad-spectrum filter supplied as nano particles). Our chemical sunscreen filters guide explains how they compare with US filters.
• Emollients and texture: dibutyl adipate and coco-caprylate/caprate (light esters that dissolve the filters), polymethylsilsesquioxane and caprylyl methicone (silicones that soften the feel), behenyl alcohol and several polymers.
• Skin-care extras: niacinamide (eighth on the list, the new name's headline), glycerin, rice extract, adenosine, tocopherol and green tea extract.
• Ferments and botanicals: the rice, soybean and pumpkin ferments, ginseng, kelp, sugarcane and coconut extracts sit at the end of the list, in small amounts.

There's no fragrance or essential oil in the list. One flag: t-butyl alcohol appears mid-list, likely as a solvent or denaturant in a small amount. Rice extract, the ingredient in the name, sits about 20th on this current list.

Is Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun FDA approved, and can you buy it in the US?

No. In the US, sunscreens are regulated as over-the-counter drugs, and a sunscreen must use active ingredients from the FDA's sunscreen monograph or get its own approval. None of Relief Sun's four filters is on that list. The FDA's most recent addition was bemotrizinol, finalized on June 10, 2026 at up to 6%, and Relief Sun doesn't contain it. The FDA's own page confirms that order added bemotrizinol as an active ingredient to OTC Monograph M020.

That's a regulatory status, not a safety verdict. The same filters are sold in sunscreens in Korea and many other markets, and the FDA notes that ingredients still under review haven't been found unsafe.

Here's what happened to US availability:

• February 2025: Korea JoongAng Daily reported that Beauty of Joseon pulled four sunscreens from the US market, including Relief Sun, and released two US-only versions. The same report notes that the 2022 cosmetics law many people blamed doesn't cover sunscreens, which were already regulated as drugs.
• Amazon: the brand's FAQ says that apart from the Daily Relief Sunscreen: Broad Spectrum SPF 40, other sunscreen products are not available on its official Amazon US store. So a Relief Sun SPF 50+ listing on Amazon US isn't sold through the brand's official storefront.
• The brand's site: when we checked from the US in November 2026, the Relief Sun page on beautyofjoseon.com returned a not-found page, while the US-labeled Day Dew and Dayscreen pages loaded normally.

If you buy an imported tube from a third-party seller, you get no US Drug Facts label, no SPF testing done to US rules and no guarantee the tube is authentic or was stored well. Our best Korean sunscreen roundup separates US-labeled and imported picks.

Which Beauty of Joseon sunscreens are made for the US?

The US formulas use FDA-listed chemical filters and carry Drug Facts labels. None is the same formula as Relief Sun.

Day Dew is the closest in spirit: its list includes rice extract, niacinamide, panthenol and sodium hyaluronate, with no fragrance listed. Like Relief Sun, it doesn't claim water resistance. All three US formulas contain octocrylene, which a small number of people are allergic to, so patch test if you react easily.

Who is Relief Sun for, and who should skip it?

It suits you if you:

• Live outside the US and can buy it from the brand or an authorized retailer.
• Have normal to dry skin and like a moisturizing, dewy sunscreen. The brand suggests dry skin can layer it over moisturizer. See our best sunscreen for dry skin.
• Dislike the white cast of mineral sunscreens; with no zinc or titanium, it doesn't leave one.

Skip it or choose another formula if you:

• Live in the US and want an FDA-labeled product: buy Day Dew, Dayscreen or Daily Relief instead.
• Have oily skin: the brand itself steers oily and combination skin to Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh. Our best sunscreen for oily skin has more options.
• Swim or sweat: it isn't water resistant.
• Need a sunscreen for a baby: the brand says sunscreen isn't recommended under 6 months and suggests mineral sunscreens for ages 6 months to 6 years.

How much does Relief Sun cost?

The brand's global store lists the 50 ml tube at $18 as of November 2026, about $10.65 per fluid ounce, though the product page didn't load for us from the US. Prices from US marketplace sellers vary by seller and change often, and you can't tell from the listing which batch or packaging you'll get.

How do you apply it?

1. Use it as the last step of your morning routine, after moisturizer.
2. Apply generously. Most people use too little; our guide to how much sunscreen to use shows how much the face and neck need.
3. Reapply at least every 2 hours outdoors, and switch to a water-resistant sunscreen for swimming or sweating.
4. Add shade, a hat and sunglasses at midday, as the brand's own sun-protection measures advise.

Brand claims are modest and small-scale: the page cites a 24-hour study of 22 people for moisture and a 48-hour study of 32 people for being non-sensitizing. Neither tests how it holds up on your face through a day outdoors.

What are the best alternatives sold in the US?

• Beauty of Joseon Day Dew Sunscreen SPF 50: the brand's US-labeled dewy option with rice extract and niacinamide.
• Bioré UV Aqua Rich SPF 50 (US version): a watery gel with FDA-listed filters; it contains alcohol and fragrance, as our Bioré Aqua Rich review explains.
• Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen SPF 40: a clear gel that doubles as a primer; see our Unseen review.
• La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair UV SPF 30: a fragrance-free moisturizer-sunscreen with niacinamide for normal to dry skin; see our Toleriane Double Repair UV review.

For more choices, browse our sunscreens for dry skin or read our guide to Korean skincare brands.

Is Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun worth it?

Outside the US, it's an easy, affordable daily sunscreen for normal to dry skin, with modern filters, no fragrance and no white cast. In the US, the honest answer is to buy the brand's US-labeled formulas or another FDA-labeled sunscreen you'll wear every day. Relief Sun's filters aren't the problem; the lack of a US label, US-method SPF testing and an official US seller is.