I Just Tried This Viral K-Beauty Sunscreen For The First Time—Here’s What You Need To Know Before Buying It

If your TikTok and Instagram algorithms feature a heavy dose of skincare content, then chances are you’ve seen the Beauty of Joseon Tinted Sunscreen pop up. (In fact, you've probably seen all of this brand's sunscreens doing the rounds. The people love them.)

Truthfully, the best facial sunscreen is whichever one you're going to apply daily, so it needs to be one that you and your skin get on with. A key aspect that people love about Korean sunscreens is that the textures and user experiences tend to be great. Think non-greasy, easy-to-blend textures that feel comfortable on the skin and sit well underneath make-up.

Having tried—and, to be honest, fallen in love with—both Sun Relief sunscreens from Beauty of Joseon, I had a feeling the tinted version would be pretty good, too, and now I've tested, there are a few need-to-knows. Get the lowdown ahead.

Beauty of Joseon’s Daily Tinted Fluid comes in a mostly white cuboid squeezy bottle with a shade-corresponding lid. While I can only speak to the paler end of its spectrum, at a glance, the 12-shade strong range does look as though it spans a broad range of light to deep skin tones.

The level of protection differs depending on whether you buy directly from Beauty of Joseon or the UK’s stockist Boots, which are SPF 40 & Broad Spectrum and SPF 30 PA+++ respectively. I tested the former. Personally, I like to wear SPF 50 year-round, but 30 or above is the expert recommendation.

I found that LP110 is my ideal summer shade when my skin tone is slightly warmer and/or I have the smallest bit of facial fake tan on, so I’d probably go lighter for winter. Obviously, I have no firsthand experience of the shades darker than mine, but I’ve seen mixed commentary about them on social media. As mineral filters are naturally white and chalky, white casts are a known issue with mineral sunscreens on darker skin tones, so this isn't totally surprising. While the tint goes some way to counter this, some content creators have reported that the deepest shades skew a little grey.

Immediately when squeezing it out of the tube, I found it's very fluid, but thanks to this runny consistency, it’s easy to rub in. I found it blends easily on my skin, even when layered up. There's the slightest oiliness when you apply the required generous dose (I have quite oily skin naturally), but this settles to virtually nothing within 20–30 minutes.

As for my experience of the wear, the tint lasts fairly well and didn’t oxidise; I was happy wearing it as a lightweight base with a little bit of the best concealer on some redness around my nose. It also lasted in place well with virtually no migration—another plus.

The sticking point I have with tinted sunscreens is that the pigment invariably means a lot of us will subconsciously see, and therefore apply, them as a skin tint or foundation rather than slathering on the required, generous amount of sunscreen. From a coverage point of view, if the pigment level is high, a teaspoon’s worth over every visible inch of skin on our face and neck isn’t how much we’ll want to wear. Therein lies the issue with getting the level of protection specified on the packaging: a light wash of a tint might be what looks best, but if the SPF is 30, you may only be getting 10–15 by applying a smaller, make-up-sized dose.

The good news is that the pigment level is fairly light in the Beauty of Joseon Daily Tinted Fluid. It’s pretty sheer and layers well, so I found applying a generous amount doesn’t feel too heavy or look cakey on the skin. I personally would be inclined to apply a separate sunscreen first, then layer some of this tinted version over the top as “bonus” protection on a minimal make-up day.