Korean Beauty: SPF

Texture, mostly. Korean sunscreens have spent years being formulated to feel like skincare rather than sunscreen, so they sink in fast, sit well under makeup and leave little or no cast.

That matters more than it sounds. The best sunscreen is the one you will put on every morning without resenting it, and most people give up on a high factor because of how it feels rather than how well it works.

Pick on finish, since almost everything here is high protection anyway.

• Normal to dry skin: Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics SPF50 or Anua Zero-Cast Moisturising Finish Sunscreen SPF50
• Oily or warmer days: Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 SPF 50+ PA++++, the lighter of the two Relief Suns
• Reactive skin: Anua Mineral Weightless Finish Sunscreen SPF50
• Dull skin: Medicube Collagen Glow Sunscreen or Dr. Althea Aqua Glowing Sunscreen
• Topping up over makeup: Anua Invisible Glow Finish Sunscreen Stick or COSRX Airy light Invisible Sun Stick SPF50+

The two Beauty of Joseon Relief Suns are the ones most people arrive looking for, and they differ by finish rather than protection.

It is the UVA rating, and it sits alongside the SPF number rather than replacing it.

SPF only tells you about UVB, the burning rays. PA tells you about UVA, which is the ageing and pigmentation side and the one that matters most in Ireland because it is around all year and comes through cloud and glass.

More plus signs means more UVA protection, up to four. PA++++ is the highest, as on Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 SPF 50+ PA++++. If a label gives you an SPF but no PA rating, it is not telling you how well it handles UVA.

Far less than they used to, and that is much of why they get recommended.

The ones formulated specifically to avoid it say so in the name. Anua Zero-Cast Moisturising Finish Sunscreen SPF50 and Anua Invisible Glow Finish Sunscreen Stick are both built around that.

Mineral filters are the ones most likely to leave a cast, since they sit on the surface rather than sinking in. If you have deeper skin and want mineral, patch a small amount along your jaw in daylight before committing to a full face.

For the face alone, roughly two finger lengths, or a generous half teaspoon. Most people use about a third of that, which quietly drops the protection well below the number on the tube.

Reapply every two hours outdoors and after swimming or sweating. Indoors at a desk, your morning application is doing its job.

A stick is the easiest way to top up over makeup, but it is hard to get a full layer from one, so use a cream for the first application of the day.

Yes. Anua Mineral Weightless Finish Sunscreen SPF50 is the one that states mineral filters in its name.

Mineral sits on the surface and starts working immediately, so there is no waiting period after applying. It tends to suit reactive skin and skin that is recovering from a treatment.

Most of the rest of this range uses the lighter filters that Korean formulas are known for. Both types protect, so choose on how it feels rather than on which is supposedly better.