Korean Sunscreen Without Niacinamide: Five Tubes, Checked on Two Ingredient Lists
Finding a Korean sunscreen without niacinamide is harder than it sounds, because the same brands sell tubes with it and tubes without it. Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun, Round Lab’s Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream and Torriden’s Dive-In Moisture all list niacinamide in the top ten of their Korean ingredient lists. Their sister tubes, the Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh, the Birch Juice Mild-Up and the Dive-In Mild, don’t list it at all. On 29 September 2026 we read the ingredient list Olive Young Korea publishes for each tube it sells now, then checked a second copy of the list on INCIDecoder.
The short version: Five Korean sunscreens print no niacinamide on either list we read: Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh (Rice + B5), Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-Up, Torriden Dive-In Mild, Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun+ and Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch.[1-5][11-15] Five well-known tubes from Beauty of Joseon, Round Lab, Torriden, Anua and Tocobo do list it, seventh to ninth on Olive Young Korea’s current lists.[6-10] Leaving it out is a personal choice, not a safety upgrade: the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel’s 2005 report says clinical testing confirms that niacinamide and niacin are not significant skin irritants.[31]
How we checked the labels
Olive Young, the Korean beauty store chain, prints each product’s full ingredient list on its product page, under a heading that translates as “all ingredients that must be listed under the Cosmetics Act.” It’s the store’s own record of the version it sells now, so it’s where we started.
- Korean store list. We read that panel for our five picks and for the five well-known tubes in the table below, on 29 September 2026. Several pages sell the tube in a set with a free mini tube or cleanser, and where a panel prints more than one list, we read only the one for the main tube.
- Second copy. We opened each product on INCIDecoder, the ingredient database (it now serves from inkeedecoder.com), where users upload lists in English. Every pick below has no niacinamide on both.
- What a position means. “Seventh” means seventh in the printed order. None of these labels prints how much niacinamide is in the tube, so a position tells you where the name is printed, not a percentage.
So “without niacinamide” here means one thing: the word isn’t on the list. It isn’t a promise about how a tube will feel on your skin.
Five well-known sunscreens that do list niacinamide
Each place below is from Olive Young Korea’s current list, and the last column is the tube from the same brand to look at instead.
| Sunscreen that lists niacinamide | Where it’s printed | Same brand, no niacinamide |
|---|---|---|
| Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics[6] | 7th of 43 | Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh (Rice + B5) |
| Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream[7] | 7th of 40 | Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-Up |
| Torriden Dive-In Moisture Sun Cream[8] | 9th of 55 | Dive-In Mild |
| Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun Cream[9] | 7th of 41 | None we could check on two sources |
| Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Cream[10] | 7th of 39 | Cotton Soft Sun Stick (one source, see below) |
Other copies of these lists don’t always agree on the exact spot. The 2025 INCIDecoder listing for the Relief Sun, the one our centella sunscreen comparison used, prints niacinamide eighth.[16] Round Lab has sold more than one formula under the Birch Juice name, and a separate Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen listing prints it eighth as well.[17] The Torriden that Olive Young sells now is marked as new and uses a different filter set from the Dive-in Watery Moisture on older listings, which prints niacinamide tenth.[18] Whichever copy you read, all five have it.
Our picks for a Korean sunscreen without niacinamide
Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh (Rice + B5)
If you like the Relief Sun but want the niacinamide gone, this is the swap. The Korean list has 45 ingredients, and its five UV filters are ethylhexyl triazone (5th), Mexoryl XL (6th), Mexoryl SX (8th), Uvinul A Plus (9th) and Tinosorb S (18th).[1] Panthenol, the B5 in the name, is 13th. The Korean list prints an amount for rice water, second at 30.07 percent, but not for panthenol or any of the filters. The 2024 INCIDecoder listing also has 45 ingredients and puts the five filters and panthenol in the same places.[11]
The two Mexoryl filters get their own page, Korean sunscreen with Mexoryl, and our Relief Sun vs Aqua-Fresh comparison covers how the two feel different. One Korean reviewer who calls their skin very sensitive wrote this after more than six months with the Aqua-Fresh:
Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-Up
This is Round Lab’s mineral tube, sold in Korea under a name that translates as birch mineral sunscreen. Zinc oxide is second on a 35-ingredient list and it’s the only UV filter.[2] There’s no ingredient called fragrance, but the Korean list does include chamomile flower oil at 23 and Scots pine leaf oil at 24,[2] and INCIDecoder’s 2023 listing has both oils too.[12] If oils like these have bothered your skin before, weigh that before you buy. Our Korean mineral sunscreen roundup compares it with other zinc tubes.
A Korean reviewer with dry skin and atopic dermatitis found it gentle but hard to wear under foundation:
Torriden Dive-In Mild
Torriden’s mild cream uses zinc oxide alone, second on a 51-ingredient list.[3] Positions 11 to 20 are ten forms of hyaluronic acid, and panthenol follows at 21. INCIDecoder’s 2022 listing also has 51 ingredients, with zinc oxide second and panthenol 21st.[13] The Dive-In name covers several different formulas, and our Dive-In review sorts out which is which.
One Korean reviewer bought it at an Olive Young store in Seoul and compared it with the Moisture tube from the same line:
Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun+
Check for the plus sign. The Sun+ is a zinc oxide cream, zinc second of 36 ingredients, with no niacinamide and no fragrance on either list.[4][14] A tube labeled only Green Mild Up Sun, no plus, is an older formula with a different list, as our centella comparison found. The line’s Green Mild Up Sun Essence is a different product again: its 2021 INCIDecoder listing prints alcohol fourth and niacinamide eighth. We found that essence only on INCIDecoder, so treat it as a single source.[19] Our Dr.G Green Mild Up review compares the cream with the stick.
Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch
The second chemical option here, next to the Aqua-Fresh. Its 35-ingredient list has four filters: Uvinul A Plus at 5, ethylhexyl triazone at 6, Tinosorb S at 7 and Tinosorb M at 10.[5] Panthenol is 21st, centella is 23rd, and five ceramides turn up between positions 25 and 35. Behenyl alcohol, at 12, is a fatty alcohol rather than ethanol, and ethanol isn’t on the list. The 2026 INCIDecoder listing puts all four filters in the same places.[15] Our Purito Soft Touch review covers the brand’s SPF history. When we searched Korean blogs for reviews of this tube, most of the posts we found were marked as sponsored or gifted, so we’re not quoting one.
Five more, from one source
These five come from INCIDecoder only. We didn’t check a current Korean store page for them, so read the box before you buy. On every listing we opened for each product, niacinamide was missing.
| Sunscreen | Listings we opened | Mineral filter | Fragrance listed |
|---|---|---|---|
| AESTURA Derma UV365 Barrier Hydro Mineral[20] | 2 (2023), 26 ingredients each | Zinc oxide, 2nd | No |
| LANEIGE Water Bank UV Barrier Sunscreen[21] | 1 (2025), 32 ingredients | None | Yes, 21st |
| Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick: Mugwort + Camelia[22] | 3 (2023), 46 to 48 ingredients | None | No |
| Tocobo Cotton Soft Sun Stick[23] | 2 (2022), 48 ingredients each | Titanium dioxide, 39th | Yes, last |
| Abib Heartleaf Mild Sunscreen Relief[24] | 1 (2025), 53 ingredients | Zinc oxide, 2nd | No |
Three of these brands also make a sunscreen that does list it: Beauty of Joseon and Tocobo, whose Relief Sun and Bio Watery are in the table further up, and Abib, whose Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop prints alcohol fourth and niacinamide 14th on its 2021 listing.[25] That makes the Cotton Soft stick a Tocobo option without niacinamide, as long as you’re fine with the fragrance.
Mineral doesn’t settle it
A zinc oxide sunscreen isn’t automatically free of niacinamide. Benton’s Skin Fit Mineral Sun Cream prints it 11th on both listings we opened, from 2021 and 2022, and the Klairs All-day Airy Mineral Sunscreen prints it 9th on its 2024 listing. Both put zinc oxide second.[26][27] Three of our five picks are zinc oxide tubes, but that’s not why they’re on the list. The ingredient list is.
Three listings that swap in US filters
INCIDecoder also carries three listings under names close to the tubes above: Beauty of Joseon Daily Relief Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40, Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Mild Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 50+ and Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Screen SPF 50. All three use the same four filters permitted in US sunscreens, avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate and octocrylene. Two of them print avobenzone and octisalate under their ingredient names, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane and ethylhexyl salicylate.[28][29][30]
None of those three listings prints niacinamide, and the Tocobo one lists fragrance 22nd. That’s a finding about those three listings, not a rule for every US version. If you shop in the US, our explainer on why US versions of Korean sunscreens change covers where those filters come from.
Is there a reason to avoid niacinamide at all?
Not a general one. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel assessed niacinamide together with niacin in 2005 and summed up the clinical testing this way: “Clinical testing of Niacinamide produced no stinging sensation at concentrations up to 10%, use tests produced no irritation at concentrations up to 5%, and a 21-day cumulative irritation test at concentrations up to 5% resulted in no irritancy.” Its conclusion covered both ingredients: “Clinical testing confirms that these ingredients are not significant skin irritants, sensitizers or photosensitizers.”[31] A 2014 review in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology was shorter: “Niacinamide is a well-tolerated and safe substance often used in cosmetics.”[32]
Findings like these are about people in general. They can’t tell you how your own skin will react, and neither can a label. If a sunscreen with niacinamide gave you trouble, the cause could be niacinamide or any of the dozens of other ingredients in that tube. A tube without it is an easy way to test the difference, and our guide to sunscreen irritation and allergy covers what else to check. If you’d rather keep niacinamide, our piece on sunscreen with niacinamide looks at what it can and can’t do inside a sunscreen.
What else is on these five labels
- Panthenol: on three of the five, the Aqua-Fresh at 13, the Dive-In Mild at 21 and the Soft Touch at 21.
- Fragrance: none of the five lists an ingredient called fragrance. The Mild-Up is the one that lists flower and leaf oils (chamomile and Scots pine), and our fragrance-free sunscreen guide explains what that label does and doesn’t promise.
- Alcohol: none of the five lists ethanol or denatured alcohol. The Soft Touch’s behenyl alcohol is the fatty kind our alcohol-free sunscreen guide separates from ethanol.
- List length: the Mild-Up and the Soft Touch are the shortest here at 35 ingredients each. The Soft Touch also made our shortest-list ranking.
FAQ
Does Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun have niacinamide?
The original Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics does. Olive Young Korea’s current list prints it seventh of 43 ingredients, and the 2025 INCIDecoder listing prints it eighth. The Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh (Rice + B5) doesn’t list niacinamide on either source we read.
Is Round Lab’s birch sunscreen niacinamide-free?
It depends on the tube. The Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream lists niacinamide seventh on Olive Young Korea’s current list. The Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-Up, the zinc oxide version, doesn’t list it, but it does list chamomile flower oil and Scots pine leaf oil.
Are mineral Korean sunscreens always niacinamide-free?
No. On INCIDecoder, Benton Skin Fit Mineral Sun Cream lists niacinamide 11th and Klairs All-day Airy Mineral Sunscreen lists it 9th, with zinc oxide second on both. Round Lab’s Mild-Up, Torriden’s Dive-In Mild and Dr.G’s Green Mild Up Sun+ are zinc oxide sunscreens that leave it off.
Is niacinamide in sunscreen bad for sensitive skin?
Not as a rule. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel’s 2005 report says clinical testing confirms that niacinamide and niacin are not significant skin irritants, sensitizers or photosensitizers. If a sunscreen with niacinamide has bothered you, a tube without it is an easy way to test the difference.
Sources
Korean store lists (Olive Young Korea product pages, panel “all ingredients that must be listed under the Cosmetics Act”, read on 2026-09-29):
[1] Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh (Rice + B5), goodsNo A000000224658, 45 ingredients: link
[2] ROUND LAB Birch Mineral Sunscreen (Mild-Up), goodsNo A000000163503, sold in a set with a cleanser; main tube list, 35 ingredients, chamomile flower oil 23 and Scots pine leaf oil 24: link
[3] Torriden Dive-In Mineral Mild Sun Cream, goodsNo A000000173774, 51 ingredients: link
[4] Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun Plus, goodsNo A000000180162, sold as a 50 ml + 20 ml set; main tube list, 36 ingredients: link
[5] Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen SPF50+ PA++++, goodsNo A000000246585, 35 ingredients: link
[6] Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics, goodsNo A000000224657, 43 ingredients, niacinamide 7th: link
[7] ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream, goodsNo A000000255124, 40 ingredients, niacinamide 7th: link
[8] Torriden Dive-In Moisture Sun Cream (marked new), goodsNo A000000219905, 55 ingredients, niacinamide 9th: link
[9] Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Sun Cream (renewed), goodsNo A000000179351, 41 ingredients, niacinamide 7th: link
[10] Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Cream SPF50+ PA++++, goodsNo A000000179126, 39 ingredients, niacinamide 7th, fragrance 39th: link
INCIDecoder listings (inkeedecoder.com, read on 2026-09-29; upload date and ingredient count as shown on each page):
[11] Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-fresh: Rice + B5 (SPF50+ PA++++), uploaded 2024-08-19, 45 ingredients: link; second listing, Relief Sun Aqua Fresh Sunscreen, uploaded 2025-07-05, 44 ingredients: link
[12] ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing Mild-up Sunscreen, uploaded 2023-09-17, 35 ingredients, Anthemis Nobilis Flower Oil 25 and Pinus Sylvestris Oil 27: link; Mild-up Sun Cream, uploaded 2022-03-30, 35 ingredients: link
[13] Torriden Dive In Mild Sun Cream, uploaded 2022-08-09, 51 ingredients: link
[14] Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun+ SPF50+ PA++++, uploaded 2023-04-27, 36 ingredients: link
[15] Purito SEOUL Daily Soft Touch Sunscreen, uploaded 2026-05-14, 35 ingredients: link; earlier listing, uploaded 2024-10-06, 35 ingredients: link
[16] Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice Probiotics SPF50+/PA++++, uploaded 2025-11-30, 42 ingredients, niacinamide 8th: link
[17] ROUND LAB Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Cream, uploaded 2021-04-24, 40 ingredients, niacinamide 7th: link; Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen, uploaded 2022-07-06, 35 ingredients, niacinamide 8th: link
[18] Torriden Dive-in Watery Moisture Sun Cream, uploaded 2023-06-08, 55 ingredients, niacinamide 10th: link
[19] Dr.G Green Mild Up Sun Essence SPF50+/PA++++, uploaded 2021-04-23, 54 ingredients, alcohol 4th, niacinamide 8th: link
[20] AESTURA Derma UV365 Barrier Hydro Mineral Sunscreen, uploaded 2023-03-04, 26 ingredients: link; second listing, uploaded 2023-04-29, 26 ingredients: link
[21] LANEIGE Water Bank UV Barrier Sunscreen SPF 50+, uploaded 2025-07-29, 32 ingredients: link
[22] Beauty of Joseon Matte Sun Stick: Mugwort + Camelia, listings uploaded 2023-01-06 (46 ingredients), 2023-02-18 (47) and 2023-01-16 (48): link, link, link
[23] Tocobo Cotton Soft Sun Stick SPF50+ PA++++, uploaded 2022-05-03, and Cotton Soft Airy Sun Stick, uploaded 2022-05-28, 48 ingredients each, titanium dioxide 39th and fragrance 48th on both: link, link
[24] Abib Heartleaf Mild Sunscreen Relief, uploaded 2025-03-27, 53 ingredients: link
[25] Abib Heartleaf Sun Essence Calming Drop, uploaded 2021-04-15, 38 ingredients, alcohol 4th, niacinamide 14th: link
[26] Benton Skin Fit Mineral Sun Cream, listing uploaded 2021-08-11 (titled Mineral Sun Cream SPF 50+ PA++++) and listing uploaded 2022-05-28, 35 ingredients each, zinc oxide 2nd and niacinamide 11th on both: link, link
[27] Klairs All-day Airy Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++, uploaded 2024-04-09, 33 ingredients, zinc oxide 2nd, niacinamide 9th: link
[28] Beauty of Joseon Daily Relief Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 40, uploaded 2024-11-25, 30 ingredients (homosalate 9.00%, octocrylene 5.00%, ethylhexyl salicylate 4.50%, butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane 2.70%): link
[29] Anua Heartleaf Silky Moisture Mild Sunscreen, Broad Spectrum SPF 50+, uploaded 2025-06-18, 47 ingredients (avobenzone 3.0%, homosalate 7.3%, octisalate 5.0%, octocrylene 9.0%): link
[30] Tocobo Bio Watery Sun Screen SPF 50, uploaded 2025-11-07, 25 ingredients (homosalate, octocrylene, ethylhexyl salicylate and butyl methoxydibenzoylmethane; fragrance 22nd): link
Research (abstracts read on PubMed, 2026-09-29):
[31] Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. Final report of the safety assessment of niacinamide and niacin. International Journal of Toxicology. 2005;24 Suppl 5:1-31. PMID 16596767. doi:10.1080/10915810500434183. link
[32] Wohlrab J, Kreft D. Niacinamide – mechanisms of action and its topical use in dermatology. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology. 2014;27(6):311-5. PMID 24993939. doi:10.1159/000359974. link
