Beauty of Joseon vs. House of Hur: The Ultimate Sunscreen Showdown!

I applied a generous dollop of the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen to the back of my hand. The texture was creamy and smooth, spreading easily across the skin. Initially, it left a slightly dewy finish. After allowing it to dry completely, I noticed a subtle, almost imperceptible tackiness.

Next, I applied the House of Hur sunscreen adjacent to the Beauty of Joseon. True to its name, the texture was incredibly lightweight and fluid, almost like a serum. It blended seamlessly into the skin, leaving a slightly shinier finish compared to the Beauty of Joseon. After drying down, the shine diminished, but a slight tackiness remained, similar to the Beauty of Joseon.

Here's where things took an unexpected turn. Upon closer inspection, I noticed some slight peeling with the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen. It wasn't excessive, but enough to raise a red flag. To my surprise, the House of Hur sunscreen also exhibited peeling, even more so than the Beauty of Joseon! Suspecting that a previously applied body lotion (Paula's Choice) might be the culprit, I thoroughly washed my hands to ensure a clean slate for the face application test.

I began with the Beauty of Joseon sunscreen, taking my time to blend it thoroughly into my skin. The creamy texture spread easily, and I focused on avoiding any potential pilling. It absorbed relatively quickly, leaving a subtle dewy finish.

Next, I applied the House of Hur sunscreen to the other half of my face. My tube was almost empty, requiring a bit of extra effort to dispense the remaining product. The lightweight, fluid texture glided effortlessly onto my skin, absorbing quickly and leaving a slightly more matte finish compared to the Beauty of Joseon.

After application, I allowed both sunscreens to dry down completely before proceeding with the rest of my routine (including a minor eye makeup touch-up!). This process took approximately 19 minutes.

Both sunscreens claim to be fragrance-free, alcohol-free, and essential oil-free. However, I detected a faint, almost plastic-like, plant-like scent from both, with the Beauty of Joseon being slightly more noticeable. While subtle, my sensitive nose picked up on this nuance.

Both are chemical sunscreens. The House of Hur contains Uvinul T150, Megasol SX, Uvinul A Plus, Parsol SLX, and Tinosorb S. The Beauty of Joseon contains Uvinul T150, Megasol XL, Megasol SX, Uvinul A Plus, and Tinosorb S. While they share some common filters, the overall formulations differ due to other ingredients.

Neither sunscreen caused significant eye stinging, although I accidentally got some House of Hur in my eye during application, which definitely stung! (A reminder to always be cautious when applying products near the eye area.) Thankfully, the stinging subsided quickly. As for peeling, I didn't experience any on my face, which was a relief after the hand swatch test. This confirmed my suspicion that the body lotion was the likely culprit in that scenario.

The Beauty of Joseon side exhibited noticeably more shine compared to the House of Hur side, which felt slightly powdery in certain areas. Surprisingly, the Beauty of Joseon started peeling again, even without the presence of body lotion. This was a new and puzzling development. Reapplication with the Beauty of Joseon would likely be challenging, requiring blotting and potentially even dusting off the peeling bits.

Despite the peeling, both sunscreens remained incredibly lightweight and comfortable on my skin. My face felt breathable, and neither sunscreen caused any dryness. Even with the peeling, the Beauty of Joseon still felt relatively comfortable, which was unexpected.