Korean sunscreen: what is actually different
If you have read anything about Korean SPF in the last few years, you will have met the claim that it is years ahead and that you cannot get the good stuff. Most of that writing is American, and the problem it describes is an American one. In the United States, sunscreen is regulated as […]
If you have read anything about Korean SPF in the last few years, you will have met the claim that it is years ahead and that you cannot get the good stuff. Most of that writing is American, and the problem it describes is an American one.
- In the United States, sunscreen is regulated as an over-the-counter drug rather than a cosmetic. It is a slow, expensive route, and no new chemical UV filter has been approved there since 1999.
- In South Korea, sunscreen is a “functional cosmetic” — its own category, with approval taking roughly four to six months once the clinical data is in. That is a large part of why Korean formulators iterate so quickly on texture and finish.
- In the UK, UV filters are cosmetic ingredients, permitted from a list that has kept moving — Annex VI of the Cosmetics Regulation — rather than a drug monograph that has not.
So the American complaint does not transfer. What makes a good Korean sunscreen pleasant to wear — how it sits on the skin, whether it leaves a cast, whether you will actually put it on every morning — is formulation, and the filters behind it are not forbidden here. The honest reason to buy one is that you will wear it. A high factor you leave in a drawer protects nobody.
US and Korean regulation: Blocking Sunblock: Regulatory Barriers to Korean Sunscreens in the United States, Miami International & Comparative Law Review. UK and EU position: Annex VI of the Cosmetics Regulation. We have linked our sources rather than asking you to take our word for it, and we will correct this page if it goes out of date.
We are a shop, not a clinic. Nothing here is medical advice — if your skin needs looking at, please see a GP, pharmacist or dermatologist.