Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun vs Round Lab Birch Sunscreen: Which Daily SPF Is Which?

 30-SECOND VERDICT

- Why these two: Same daily job: last-step Korean chemical / hybrid-filter facial SPF, labeled SPF50+ PA++++, typical 50 ml, moisturizer- or essence-like, sold as makeup-friendly. They are established incumbents that split by market, not 2026 launches. On YesStyle’s H1 2026 sunscreen list (16 December 2025–15 June 2026, published 30 June 2026), Relief Sun is #1 and Birch Juice is #4. Do not collapse those ranks. In Korea, Birch Juice is Olive Young Awards BEST sun care 1st in 2024 and 2025 (The Monodist). Glowpick’s live 마일드선크림 chart on 16 August 2026 has Birch #3 (4.48 / 3,056 reviews) and Relief Sun #5 (4.54 / 286 reviews).
- Pick a lane: Want the export-sales rice cream → Relief Sun (YesStyle #1; IndyBest). Want the Korea purchase-data name, or more Korean review volume → Birch Juice (Olive Young Awards 2024–25; Glowpick #3 / 3,056). Fragrance-avoidant → Relief Sun has the cleaner opened INCI; Birch carries pine and chamomile oils on Jolse. This is a market split, not a winner.
- Think twice if: You need US OTC-legal filters. Neither KR tube uses FDA-approved filters (Incidecoder). Birch can sting around the eyes (Simply Saima, 21 April 2023, affiliate). Relief Sun may feel oily on oily skin (Glowpick Q&A; IndyBest excludes very oily and acne-prone). The US ROUND LAB listing is a different formula: UVLOCK SPF 45.
- Named sources mention: + both described as moisturizer- or essence-like, low or no white cast, usable under makeup. − eye sting (IndyBest if swimming too soon on Relief Sun; Simply Saima on Birch); Relief Sun hard to apply a full teaspoon because it spreads (IndyBest). ± Glowpick scores are close; review volume is not.
- KCI evidence: Medium. High on identity and the YesStyle / Olive Young / Glowpick split. Wear notes are thin: Glowpick Q&A, one IndyBest editorial, one purchased blog, one 2023 affiliate Birch review. Not “users repeatedly.”


WHAT THEY ARE


Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun : Rice + Probiotics (SPF50+ PA++++), typical 50 ml. Glowpick Korean listing: 맑은 쌀 선크림, 18,000원 / 50 ml. Hero extras on Incidecoder (user-uploaded 1 November 2021) and StyleKorean: 30% rice extract plus grain ferments and niacinamide. Incidecoder tags it fragrance- and essential-oil-free, and alcohol-free.

ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream (SPF50+ PA++++), typical 50 ml. Glowpick list price 25,000원 / 50 ml. Jolse: “2021 Renewal.” Hero extras: Inje birch sap 1,425 ppm plus hyaluronic acids and niacinamide. Jolse INCI also lists pine leaf oil and chamomile flower oil. Not fragrance-free.

Opened INCIs use the same four UV filters: Uvinul A Plus, Uvinul T 150, Tinosorb M, Uvasorb HEB. The difference is the skincare payload and Birch’s oils, not chemical versus mineral.

Official Beauty of Joseon product-page body was not used. Identity comes from beautyofjoseonus.com, StyleKorean, Incidecoder, and Glowpick.

They are not these other SKUs:

| Do not swap in | Why |
| --- | --- |
| Tinted Mineral Dayscreen SPF 30 | Separate 2026 US tint |
| Relief Sun Aqua-fresh | Separate YesStyle H1 2026 sunscreen (#3) |
| ROUND LAB UVLOCK SPF 45 | Official US cream; avobenzone / homosalate / octisalate |

Glowpick’s 2026 mid-year awards (reviews 1 November 2025–30 April 2026, announced 21 May 2026) gave neither product hydrating-sunscreen or essence-sunscreen. Do not write them as current Glowpick cream winners.

| Signal | Relief Sun | Birch Juice |
| --- | --- | --- |
| YesStyle H1 2026 sunscreen | #1 | #4 |
| Olive Young BEST sun care 2024 / 2025 | Not named | 1st both years (The Monodist) |
| Glowpick live 마일드선크림, 16 Aug 2026 | #5, 4.54, 286 reviews | #3, 4.48, 3,056 reviews |
| Glowpick 2026 mid-year | Not a winner | Not a winner |
| Olive Young Pasadena (UPI / Asia Today, 16 Aug 2026) | Not named | Named store #1 that week; KR SPF50+ vs US UVLOCK unconfirmed |

Olive Young BEST sun care is a purchase-record award, not a lab win. The Monodist (affiliate; source line “CJ Olive Young”) names Birch Juice for 2024 (150 million+ records, July 2023–June 2024) and 2025. Official CJ Olive Young 2025 press confirms the window and 180 million purchases. It does not name the sun-care SKU.


STRENGTHS (ATTRIBUTED)


Relief Sun. beautyofjoseonus.com: lightweight moisturizing sunscreen; layers well under makeup; daily use. IndyBest’s Lucy Smith (commercial editorial; nine months from September 2024): yoghurt-like loose cream, no white cast, dewy / primer-like, foundation held. Glowpick Q&A on the 마일드선크림 page: lotion-like spread, no white cast; combination/dehydrated skin “나름 잘 맞았고.”

Birch Juice. Jolse: smooth, fresh essence texture; skin-irritation test completed. Naya Tilly (purchased; dry/sensitive): watery-gel, no white cast, serum-like, soft glow; works under makeup without peeling; no sting or redness over retinol or AHA/BHA for this writer. Simply Saima (21 April 2023, affiliate; combination, light-medium): lightweight moisturising cream, no white cast, dewy plump; her husband also used it; no burns and no clogged pores in that household.

None of that is a panel.


DRAWBACKS (ATTRIBUTED)


Both tubes use filters that are not FDA-approved for US OTC sunscreens (Incidecoder). Relevant if you need a US-legal daily SPF.

Relief Sun. Glowpick Q&A: oily skin “조금 유분기 있다고 느끼실 수도.” Another Q&A (~12 days): “약간 건조한 느낌있어요.” IndyBest: hard to use a full teaspoon because it stretches; stings eyes if you swim within 15 minutes; box excludes acne-prone and very oily skin.

Birch Juice. Simply Saima: chemical-filter eye sting and watering, so she uses a different SPF around the eyes; she noticed a fresh natural scent (chamomile / pine / artemisia per brand). Naya Tilly smelled none. Pine and chamomile oils are on the opened Jolse INCI. The US ROUND LAB page is UVLOCK SPF 45, not this tube.


MIXED OPINIONS


Fame is a channel split. Relief Sun leads YesStyle H1 2026 sunscreen volume. Birch Juice leads Olive Young BEST sun care purchase data in 2024 and 2025, and has far more Glowpick reviews. Scores on that live chart are close. Neither won Glowpick mid-year 2026.

UPI / Asia Today (16 August 2026) reported Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen as the top-selling item at Olive Young Pasadena. That is one store, one week. The article does not prove the tube is the KR SPF50+ formula.

Scent: Incidecoder tags Relief Sun fragrance- and EO-free. Birch is not. One Birch tester smelled a natural scent; one smelled none.


ALTERNATIVES


This comparison does not add a third daily SPF. Tinted Mineral Dayscreen, Aqua-fresh, and UVLOCK SPF 45 are other products, not runners-up here.

If you need US OTC-legal filters, neither of these KR tubes is that story.


SOURCES & METHODOLOGY


Official brand
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun UK URL — https://beautyofjoseon.com/products/relief-sun-rice-probiotics-spf50-pa-uk (product-page body was not used)
- beautyofjoseonus.com (opened for brand claims)
- ROUND LAB US UVLOCK listing — https://roundlab.com/products/round-lab-birch-moisturizing-sunscreen-spf-50-pa (SKU fence only — not the compared tube)
- CJ Olive Young 2025 Awards press — https://corp.oliveyoung.com/ko/news/104 (methodology; does not name the sun-care SKU)
- ROUND LAB press reprint of the launch / award story (opened)

Retailer data
- YesStyle H1 2026 sunscreen list (published 30 June 2026): Relief Sun #1, Birch Juice #4
- Jolse Birch Juice listing (“2021 Renewal”; INCI)
- StyleKorean PDPs (some blocks labeled AI-generated)
- Glowpick live 마일드선크림, updated 16 August 2026, plus list prices

Independent editorial
- The Monodist, Olive Young Awards 2024 and 2025 (affiliate; source line “CJ Olive Young”)
- The Monodist, Glowpick mid-year 2026 (affiliate)
- IndyBest / The Independent, Lucy Smith (commercial editorial)
- UPI / Asia Today, 16 August 2026 (Olive Young Pasadena)
- Simply Saima on Birch Juice, 21 April 2023 (affiliate)
- Naya Tilly personal blog (purchased product)

Review platform
- Incidecoder, Relief Sun (user-uploaded 1 November 2021)
- Glowpick Q&A on the 마일드선크림 ranking page

Trend source
- YesStyle H1 2026 first-party sales ranks, and Olive Young Awards purchase-data lists via The Monodist. Unverified TikTok counts were not used.

KCI used only the opened sources. Named blogs and one affiliate Birch review were not rewritten as user consensus. No winner.

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