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Beauty of Joseon

Relief Sun: Aqua Fresh SPF 50.

Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Aqua Fresh SPF 50
Sunscreen

About this product

A lightweight chemical sunscreen from Beauty of Joseon at SPF 50+, formulated with a watery texture for broad-spectrum protection that wears well under makeup.

Sunscreen

The Guru Index verdict

85%

Approved

Approved · 85%
Guru Certified
Broad expert consensus
7Reviewers
7Approved
0Mixed
0Skip

What the gurus are saying

Gurus unanimously praise this as a standout sunscreen, especially for oily and acne-prone skin. The consistent wins are its lightweight, non-sticky texture, lack of white cast, and superior chemical UV filters unavailable in the US. Many note it soaks in cleanly and works well under makeup. Minor splits emerge on finish (some find it slightly tacky or shiny, others love the radiant look) and occasional pilling on foreheads, but these rarely dampen enthusiasm. The price point and hydrating ingredients like rice water and panthenol earn broad approval.
Synthesized from 7 expert reviews

Key actives & flags

Vitamin EFragrance-freeAlcohol-free

Full ingredients

Water, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Seed Water, Dibutyl Adipate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Drometrizole Trisiloxane, Polyglyceryl-3 Distearate, Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Tromethamine, 1,2-Hexanediol, Panthenol, Pentylene Glycol, Glyceryl Stearate, Silica, Caprylyl Methicone, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Propanediol, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Poly C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate, Methylpropanediol, Carbomer, Acrylates/​C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer, Ethylhexylglycerin, Xanthan Gum, Glycerin, Polyether-1, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Cynara Scolymus (Artichoke) Leaf Extract, Polyquaternium-51, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Water, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Beta-Glucan, Biosaccharide Gum-1, Inositol, Tocopherol, Ferulic Acid

Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved only Skip only Mixed only Hide sponsored
Approved
"I have a few sunscreens I'm kind of gravitating towards. One is the Trader Joe's Daily Sunscreen, another one is Round Lab Birch Juice, and then also the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh. I'll pick my SPF based on how I feel that day, what I did last night, do I think my skin needs a little extra hydration."
Approved
"The Aqua Fresh version is optimal for oily skin, for acne-prone girls, for people who have hormonal acne. If you have any of these acne issues, I am telling you the Aqua Fresh version is absolute legend and you should give it a try."
Top Pick: sunscreen for oily skin
Approved
"Everyone on TikTok was talking about their new sunscreen, the Relief Sun Aqua Fresh SPF 50. Of course it's going to have chemical UV filters in it, but it's so lightweight, great for those with oilier skin types. It goes onto the skin so nicely and just in a few swipes disappears, so no white cast. It's a much thinner lightweight texture than its predecessor, and I've been really enjoying it. It also has panthenol and colloidal oatmeal in this product, so it's really hydrating and also soothing for those with irritated skin in the wintertime when your skin feels quite impaired. This is a nice soothing sunscreen. Panthenol is a very special ingredient in products where it's hydrating and moisturizing at the same time. I've been really impressed by Beauty of Joseon."
Approved
"This sunscreen is really nice, it's just a chemical sunscreen with no scent to it and a really nice texture. I'm really loving it because it just sinks right into your skin. In addition to those filters, it's got some good ingredients: rice, oat, artichoke, green tea. And it's only six bucks. Hands down, I will repurchase this, no doubt. I really am happy with it. I love it."
All 8 takes from No BS Beauty
Beauty of Joseon New! Relief Sun Aqua-fresh First Impressions & Comparison to Original SPF Sunscreen
"I haven't had any issue with sensitivity in terms of my eye area in terms of redness or watering. Yesterday I didn't have any eye issues in terms of sensitivity and towards the end of the day it didn't end up looking shiny or anything so it was actually pretty nice. It's got two L'Oreal filters in there and in terms of UV filter I'm pretty confident in these ingredients. In terms of feel, it felt really nice the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. It is more hydrating and throughout the day it ends up looking a little bit more shiny but using it all day was fun, it was nice, felt good, it worked well under makeup and worked well over my serums that I applied it over. It's 18 bucks so it's pretty friendly for most skin types. The filters in here look good. I have a feeling this has pretty good UVA protection, probably better than almost any American sunscreen. These filters are going to be much better. I'm impressed with it, I'm happy with it, it feels nice on my skin."
Beauty of Joseon New! Relief Sun Aqua-fresh First Impressions & Comparison to Original SPF Sunscreen
"It's 18 bucks so it's pretty friendly I think it's going to be pretty friendly for most skin types. The filters in here look good. I have a feeling this has pretty good UVA protection, probably better than almost any American sunscreen no matter what they put in. These filters are going to be much better. I'm impressed with it. I'm happy with it. It feels nice on my skin. The original version uses two filters in common: the Uvinul A+ and the Uvinul T-150. The newest version uses Tinosorb S, which tends to have a little bit of a white cast which is in the original version, but doesn't, you don't see any white cast or anything. They both feel very nice, no issues."
Beauty of Joseon New! Relief Sun Aqua-fresh First Impressions & Comparison to Original SPF Sunscreen
"Both of them are fragrance free, there's no scent to it at all. The new version soaks in really nicely. If you have oily skin and the original version didn't work, it might be worth checking out the new version if it's in your price range. The original version is definitely thicker and takes a little bit more finesse to apply, a little bit more effort. But once they both soak in, they seem pretty similar in terms of their appearance on skin."
Prequel Skincare Multi Quench Plumping Hydration Face Serum Review, How to Use, and Dupes
"A little bit goes a long way. It's got a really nice serum gel texture though which I really like so it's not too watery and it's not too thick but it's got a nice texture where just a little bit goes a super long way. I will say if you use a lot of thicker sunscreens, I did notice that the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Aqua Fresh SPF 50 pilled a little bit, not a ton but a few days I used it it did peel, actually mostly around my forehead. Once it soaks in it sets to a radiant finish that is just slightly tacky but it definitely has a radiant finish to it. For beneficial ingredients, it's got a pretty short ingredient list so we've got polyglutamic acid which is a great humectant ingredient and it's also film forming so it forms a little bit of a film which seals in moisture so prevents transepidermal water loss. We've got eosine which is a pollution and light protection ingredient, also soothing, and baicalin, a great repairing ingredient showing up in all these products as the star ingredient. We've got hibiscus extract which is a plant with hydration and antioxidant benefits, erythritol which is a sugar derived humectant, and then vitamin E which is an antioxidant."
My K-Beauty Skincare Favorites 🙌🏆💖 Best Korean Beauty Products Currently in My Routine
"This sunscreen is really nice, it's just a chemical sunscreen with no scent to it and a really nice texture. I'm really loving it because it just sinks right into your skin. In addition to those filters, it's got some good ingredients: rice, oat, artichoke, green tea. And it's only six bucks. Hands down, I will repurchase this, no doubt. I really am happy with it. I love it."
Beauty of Joseon 🆕🌞 New! Daily Relief Sunscreen SPF 40 First Impressions Review & Demo
"I just love this one, it's just really nice and I've been using it a lot lately. It's very friendly, it literally has no scent at all, and probably much better UVA protection. The Aquafresh version is much more natural looking and it literally has no smell, whereas the US version is very tacky. This version is not quite as tacky, still a little tacky and sticky. Typically you want to give it 15 minutes to soak in so that shouldn't be as big of an issue. By the time I'm done with my hair, my sunscreen is soaked in and it's easier to apply foundation over."
Beauty of Joseon 🆕🌞 New! Daily Relief Sunscreen SPF 40 First Impressions Review & Demo
"It has no smell, it's not as sticky, and it's got some better ingredients and better filters in it than we have in the US. This one's already soaking in, it feels not as tacky. It's fragrance free, but vitamin E being the last ingredient is the most exciting thing you have going on in a sunscreen, which is kind of a bummer. Definitely a very shiny finish."
Get Ready With Me - My Current Winter Morning Skincare & Makeup Routine - Dry Sensitive Skin
"I'm going to use the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Aqua Fresh, it's currently my favorite. It feels good."
Approved
"Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua Fresh sunscreen is their lighter aqua fresh version, their answer to their original relief rice plus probiotic sunscreen. They've created a version that feels lighter, a version that is less shiny in the finish, less dewy, and a version that doesn't use the sunscreen filters that were causing that ashy kind of blue purple cast. This is going to start to become bigger in K Beauty sunscreens as we go along, more matte or semi-matte or semi-satin types of finishes."
Approved
"I love the original Relief Sun but some people find that to be a little bit glowier, it's very moisturizing, it is still lightweight but very moisturizing, and it has a Tinosorb M in there, which is the insoluble chemical filter, so it's not going to dissolve, so therefore it can leave a white cast on deeper skin tones. This is stunning, objectively, the finish and texture of this are really really nice. This basically gives that glow that you get from being in the sun in a more oily skin-friendly way. It really is aqua fresh. I've seen a lot of deep skin creators try this and it just looks stunning on them. The minute that this was launched, it kind of reminded me of those Japanese sunscreens. It does give that vibe. It's alcohol free, I believe it's also niacinamide free, so if you have sensitivity to alcohol or niacinamide, gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous option."
Approved
"This has a thinner and more watery application that just feels so hydrating. It also sinks in and dries down super fast, it's almost like you're getting a splash of water that just gets sucked into your skin. It's really refreshing and soothing as you apply it and I feel like it leaves a very smooth skin finish. While the relief sun is creamy and moisturizing, this just feels really hydrating and then disappears. This has 30% rice water in it, it's also got panthenol or vitamin B5 which is super hydrating. This is great for anyone with an oilier skin type or who felt that the original was just too creamy or heavy for them, but this definitely doesn't alienate dry skin people either because I love it."
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