The Round Lab Sunscreen on Amazon Isn’t the Same as in Korea

I buy most products myself. This post contains affiliate links. Full disclosure

Bought a Korean sunscreen on Amazon, and it felt nothing like the reviews?

You might have the U.S. version. Same name, same packaging, but a different formula.

This post is for you if:

Your Round Lab (or another Korean sunscreen) from Amazon feels oilier than you expected
Your makeup looks too shiny over your sunscreen
You want to know how to tell the Korean and U.S. versions apart

I have a lot to say about sunscreen.

Because of work, I couldn’t go back to Korea for 8 years. That meant I couldn’t buy any of the products that were only sold in Korea.

I kept hearing that the Round Lab sunscreen was famous, so I asked a friend who was visiting Korea to bring one back for me.

The first time I used it, it honestly felt like a whole new world. No white cast. No stinging eyes. Lightweight, moisturizing. It was just the best.

Later, once I ran out of the sunscreen my friend got me from Korea, I found the same sunscreen on Amazon. Same name. Same packaging, at least to my eyes. I was so relieved, so I bought it.

I am going to be honest here—it was not the same.

My Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream, Korean version — My Round Lab, the Korean version

The Short Answer

Same name, same look, but a different formula.

In the U.S., sunscreen is regulated as an over-the-counter drug, not a cosmetic. So many Korean brands make a separate U.S. version with different sunscreen ingredients. Round Lab is one of them.

My Experience: Korean Version vs. U.S. Version

The U.S. version (from Amazon)

The one I bought on U.S. Amazon was noticeably shinier and oilier.

It wasn’t bad, though. I used it for about a year.

The problem started when I switched to a more hydrating foundation. With this sunscreen underneath, my makeup looked way too shiny and greasy.

There is one more thing. My husband has oily skin. When he wore it, the oil from his face and the oil from the sunscreen seemed to get heavier as the day went on and slowly slide down. After a while, he would tell me his eyes were stinging.

So if you have oily skin, I wouldn’t really recommend the U.S. version.

The Korean version

A few weeks ago, I finally visited Korea, and I tested the Round Lab sunscreen there again.

It was definitely the one I first fell in love with. Just the right balance of moisture and oil. No white cast. Lightweight and moisturizing. No stinging eyes.

My husband tried the Korean version too, and he said the same thing. It’s different.

And both versions are fragrance-free, which I love. Fragrance on my skin is just another unnecessary chemical in the product.

	Korean version	U.S. version
Where I got it	Korea	Amazon
Label	SPF 50+ PA++++	Broad Spectrum SPF 45
Feel on my skin	Just the right moisture and oil	Shinier and oilier
With dewy foundation	—	Way too shiny
Fragrance	None	None
Best for	Dry skin	Dry skin (not oily skin)

Why Are They Different?

I got curious, so I looked into it.

In the U.S., brands can only use UV filters that the FDA has approved, and Korea allows a lot more of them. So the two Round Labs use different sunscreen ingredients:

U.S. version: avobenzone, homosalate and octisalate
Korean version: filters like Uvinul A Plus and Tinosorb M, which aren’t approved for sunscreen in the U.S.

I can’t say for sure that this is why the Amazon one felt oilier on my skin. But it would explain a lot.

(Little side note—this summer the FDA approved bemotrizinol, the first new sunscreen filter in the U.S. in over 20 years. It took effect on August 9, 2026. But there is an 18-month exclusivity period, and many Korean filters are still not approved, so I don’t think we will see Korean-version sunscreens on U.S. shelves anytime soon.)

How to Tell Which Version You Have

Flip the tube over.

U.S. version: the back lists “Active ingredients” with percentages and says “Broad Spectrum SPF.”
Korean version: it usually says SPF 50+ PA++++, and the label is mostly in Korean.

Here are two sunscreens from my own bathroom as an example:

U.S. label example: SKIN1004 sun serum with Active ingredients and Broad Spectrum SPF 50 — U.S. label (my SKIN1004)

Korean label example: Goodal sun cream with SPF 50+ PA++++ and Korean text — U.S. label (my SKIN1004)

So, Should You Buy the U.S. Version?

If you have dry skin, yes. Out of all the U.S. sunscreens I’ve tried, Round Lab is still the one I like the most.

Just know that it’s on the oily side. If you have oily skin or wear a dewy foundation, it might not be for you.

👉 Check price on Amazon (U.S. version)

(When my makeup started looking too shiny, I switched to the SKIN1004 sun serum, which is also a U.S. version but much lighter on me. So “U.S. version” doesn’t automatically mean heavy. It really depends on the product.)

And if you ever visit Korea, or someone can bring one back for you, try the Korean version. You will feel the difference.

If you want to see how I layer sunscreen with my moisturizer in the morning, check out the post below:

👉 Best Moisturizers for Dry Skin: My Morning and Night Picks
👉 VT Reedle Shot 100 vs 300: My Honest Review After a Year

Have you noticed a difference between the Korean and U.S. versions of your favorite sunscreen? Feel free to share with me! ✨

Thank you for reading my post today! Hope you found something helpful 🙂

Sincerely,

Hazel 🙂

Disclosure: I buy most products myself. Some were gifts from friends or family, and I’ll always tell you when. No brand has ever paid me or sent me anything to review. Some links in this post are affiliate links, so if you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes what I recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.