In today’s article, I’m sharing the best K beauty sunscreens of 2023 made with cleaner formulas, so you can decide which Korean sunscreen might be the best fit for you! Korean sunscreens are known to be the best because of the country’s advanced technology and dedication to producing the highest quality skincare. K beauty sunscreens all boast being sheer, lightweight, non-greasy, non-sticky and zero white cast.

To be fully transparent, most Korean sunscreens are not mineral sunscreens nor are they fully or truly clean. Instead, they K beauty sunscreens utilize newer chemical UV filters that have been approved in Europe & Asia but not yet in the US simply due to the fact the US is much slower at approval processes. There are, however, a small number of Korean skincare companies that opt for mineral UV filters like zinc oxide. This post includes both, but each sunscreen will clearly state what kind of UV filters are used for you to make the best choice that fits YOUR standards.

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Pestlo SafeRecipe SPF 50

• 100% mineral based sunscreen
• Contains all EWG Green-grade ingredients
• Key Ingredients: Panthenol + Ceramide + Propolis & Centella asiatica Extract
• $27

My top pick for those looking for a clean K beauty sunscreen is Pestlo SafeRecipe. Pestlo seems to be the most ingredient-conscious and eco-conscious brand, while also delivering a product that can compete with the most popular K beauty sunscreens. Pestlo is silky and light, blends in effortlessly and has a barely visible white cast.

IUNIK Centella Calming Daily Sunscreen SPF 50

My second favorite clean-ish K beauty sunscreen of 2023 is IUNIK’s Centella Calming Daily Sunscreen. I just had a random thought of how the name IUNIK would be a pretty iconic name for a Kpop group. This sunscreen is lightweight yet still moisturizing (which my dry skin loves) and the reason I love this one is vain. It gives my skin the most amazing lit from within glow. Not the dewy kind of glow but like my skin is innately glowy. I really appreciate the formula has 49% base Centella Asiatica Extract so it’s more skincare focused than majority of K beauty sunscreens and also has Beta-glucan and Niacinamide.

Huxley Sun Cream Stay Sun Safe SPF 50

• Mineral and Chemical Filters: Titanium Dioxide (UVB and also UVA2), Uvinul A Plus (320-400 nm), Polysilicone (290-320 nm), Uvinal T 150 (280-320 nm)
• Key Ingredients: Houttuynia Cordata Extract, Centella Asiatica Extract, Camellia Japonica Flower Extract
• $12

Huxley Sun Cream is a creamy yet light sunscreen that combines both mineral and chemical UV filters for complete protection. It comes in just one small size!

Neogen Day Light Airy Protection Sunscreen SPF 50

• Great for oily skin
• Chemical Filters: Octocrylene, Homosalate & Avobenzone
• Key Ingredients: Damask Rose, Aloe Vera, Raspberry, Avocado Fruit, Baobab, Purslane, Yarrow, Arnica Montana, Mud Mushroom, Coptis Chinensis Root Extract
• $32

For a more luxurious sunscreen that is just as much skincare as it is sunscreen, Neogen Day Light Airy Protection Sunscreen is also thin and watery in consistency. It contains 20 botanical extracts that improve skin over time. If you don’t mind the use of chemical UV filters, Neogen offers one of the more cleaner formulas in this list.

Beauty of Joseon Sunscreen SPF 50

• Chemical Filters: Uvinul A Plus, Uvinul T 150, Tinosorb M, Iscotrizinol
• Key Ingredients: 30% rice extract, Niacinamide, pumpkin ferment, soybean ferment, ginseng root, kelp, rice ferment, coconut fruit
• $15

Serum-like in consistency, Beauty of Joseon sunscreen needs no introduction. It’s so lightweight yet watery that it feels like you’re simply applying moisture to the skin and nothing else.

Round Lab Sunscreen SPF 50

• Chemical Filters: Uvinul A Plus, Uvinul T 150, Tinosorb M, Iscotrizinol
• Key Ingredients: 74 natural derived minerals from the deep sea waters of Ulleungdo Island, Niacinamide, Adenosine, sap from silver birth trees and sodium hyaluronate
• $17

Just a teeny bit more emollient than Beauty of Joseon, Korea’s bestselling sunscreen Round Lab is also very lightweight and weightless.

Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel SPF 50

• Great for oily skin
• Chemical Filters: Octisalate (UVB) Homosalate (UVB) Tinosorb S (UVA & UVB) Tinosorb M (UVA & UVB) Parsol SLX (UVB), Uvinul A Plus (UVA)
• Key Ingredients: Centella Asiatica, Ceramides and 8 types of Hyaluronic Acid
• $15

We are moving into watery consistencies and the Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel is a K beauty sunscreen great for oily skin. True to its name, Isntree sunscreen is very watery and thin, and of course, zero white cast.

 

Thank You Farmer Sun Essence SPF 50

• Chemical Filters: Homosalate, Octinoxate
• Key Ingredients: Nelumbo Nucifera Flower Water, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Althaea Rosea Flower Extract
• $16.20 at Soko Glam (code ORGANICBEAUTYLOVER saves 10%)

Thank You Farmer Sun Essence is formulated to mimic the consistency of an essence. It’s light but it’s also kind of creamy! They use only chemical UV filters, so there’s no white cast. The Shimmer version has a soft pink tint and mica for an added glow.

Make P:rem UV Defense Me. Blue Ray Sun Fluid

• Mineral and Chemical Filters: Titanium Dioxide + chemical filters
• Key Ingredients: bambusa vulgaris water, nymphaea alba flower extract, moringa seed extracts, b-clover
• Oversized 150ml bottle
• $29.99

Make P:rem offers of the most economically-friendly sunscreens in a large 150ml bottle that lasts, so you’re not buying bottle after bottle and causing packaging waste. The UV Defense Me sunscreen uses both mineral and chemical filters and feels like a light fluid.

Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen

• Chemical Filters: Avobenzone 2.5%, Homosalate 7.0%, Octisalate 4.3%
• Key Ingredients: Green Tea, Cica
• $15

One of the least cleanest formulas in this K beauty sunscreen list, Innisfree may be a more natural-focused brand but they are not definitely not true clean beauty, if you’re wondering. Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen offers an SPF of around 35 and has a more emollient, thicker consistency.

Check out: Best Natural K-Beauty Skincare Brands