Last Updated on December 29, 2025 by Giorgia Guazzarotti
Korean sunscreens have a reputation for being better than American ones: lighter texture, no white cast, actually pleasant to wear. Innisfree’s sunscreens are some of the most popular at Sephora, and they’re affordable enough that you can actually reapply without feeling like you’re burning through your paycheck. But here’s the thing: Innisfree makes two different Daily UV Defense sunscreens and they perform completely differently.
One is a chemical formula that most people love. The other is a mineral version that sounds great on paper but has real problems. If you grab the wrong one, you’re stuck with a product that either dries out your skin or irritates your eyes. So which innisfree sunscreen should you actually buy? Let’s break down both key ingredients, performance, and everything about these two formulas so you know what you’re getting and what to add to your skin care routine before you spend money on it.
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF 30 (£17.00)
This chemical sunscreen feels like moisturizer, which is the whole reason it works. It’s water-based so it melts into your skin and you get a subtle dewy glow that just looks like you have hydrated skin, not like you’re wearing SPF. There’s hyaluronic acid and cica (centella asiatica) in here that keep your face comfortable. These aren’t just random ingredients thrown in to make the label look good. Hyaluronic acid deeply hydrates and plumps up skin, so fine lines and wrinkles look smaller. skin and cica soothes irritations. The sunscreen hydrates without making you greasy – although the finish is dewy, so not the best for oily skin. It skips oxybenzone and octinoxate so you’re not killing coral reefs, which is important if you care about keeping your skin barrier healthy and the ocean alive.
Even better, this Korean sunscreen layers under makeup without turning into little pills all over your face, which is harder to find than you’d think. Doesn’t sting your eyes either. The lightweight formula absorbs fast and feels like you have nothing on. If you have oily skin, it won’t turn you into a grease slick by lunchtime. If you have dry skin, it won’t leave you feeling tight and uncomfortable. It just works for most people without being annoying about it. This is great for your regular life where you’re mostly indoors but stepping outside here and there.
But honestly? This is the sunscreen you’ll actually want to reapply because it doesn’t feel like punishment to wear it. It’s affordable, you can grab it at Sephora, and it does what it’s supposed to do without making your life harder.
Available at: Asos, Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic, Sephora, and SpaceNK
Active Ingredients: Avobenzone 2.5%, Homosalate 7%, Octisalate 4.3%
Benefits: Lightweight and hydrating water0based sunscreen, no white cast, protects you from harmful UV rays, doesn’t pill under makeup, comfortable to wear all day, reef-safe, won’t break the bank
Cons: the dewy finish is too much for very oily skin, has fragrance
Skin types: Works for most skin types, especially good for normal to dry
Fragrance-free: No
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 (£20.50)
This mineral sunscreen has a green tint to cancel out redness while zinc oxide handles sun protection. It’s loaded with 8 types of hyaluronic acid, cica, and squalane. On paper it sounds perfect for dry, sensitive skin: mineral filters are supposed to be gentler, all that hyaluronic acid should hydrate like crazy, the green tint should even out your skin tone. Except it’s drying. Really drying.
Your skin will feel tight and uncomfortable within a few hours of putting this on. The eye area is especially bad: it stings and burns. This keeps happening with this sunscreen. Despite all that hyaluronic acid, despite all the soothing cica, it just dries you out. I don’t know what’s going on with the creamy formula but whatever moisture it’s supposed to give you, it’s not delivering. Here’s where it gets confusing though. If you have oily to combination skin, you might actually love this. It’s lightweight, absorbs quickly, doesn’t make you greasy. The green tint blends away and evens out your skin tone without leaving a white cast. It gives you more of a matte-ish finish which is what you want from mineral sunscreen if you’re oily. Works fine under makeup.
But that drying effect ruins it for everyone else. Even if you wanted to use this because you prefer mineral filters or you like the higher SPF or you’re trying to avoid chemical sunscreens, you can’t get past how uncomfortable your skin feels after wearing it. The texture is also thicker than you’d expect, especially compared to the chemical version. And some very pale skin tones see a white cast, which shouldn’t happen with modern mineral sunscreens but here we are. So who should buy this? If you have oily skin that tolerates mineral sunscreens well and you’re not prone to dryness, maybe try it. But if you have dry skin, sensitive skin, or any history of eye irritation from sunscreens, don’t bother.
Available at: Asos, Beauty Bay, Boots, Cult Beauty, Look Fantastic, Sephora and SpaceNK
Active Ingredients: Zinc Oxide 17% (with butyloctyl salicylate)
Benefits: Water-based sunscreen with a higher SPF, green tint color-corrects redness, reef-safe, non-comedogenic, lightweight for oily skin, protects you from both UVA and UVB rays that cause sun damage and early signs of aging
Cons: Drying despite all the hyaluronic acid, stings and burns around eyes, thicker texture than expected, can leave white cast on very pale skin, not actually good for dry or sensitive skin no matter what the marketing says
Skin types: Combination and oily skin types only. Do not buy this if you have dry or sensitive skin.
Fragrance-free: Yes
The Bottom Line
Look, sunscreen is one of those things you need to wear every single day, so you better pick one that doesn’t make you miserable. The chemical version does that. It feels good, works well, doesn’t cost a fortune. The mineral version has too many problems to recommend unless you have very specific skin that can handle it. If you’re standing in Sephora trying to decide, go with the SPF 30 chemical formula. Skip the mineral version unless you have oily skin and a history of doing well with zinc oxide. Everyone else will just end up with tight, uncomfortable skin and stinging eyes. Save yourself the trouble and the return trip to Sephora.
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Sunscreen SPF30 Full Ingredient List
Water/Aqua /Eau, Homosalate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Ethylhexyl Salicylate, Butylene Glycol, Ethylhexyl Methoxycrylene, Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, 1,2-hexanediol, Cetyl Alcohol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Phenoxyethanol, Propanediol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Octyldodecanol, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Fragrance / Parfum, Xanthan Gum, Limonene, Centella Asiatica Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Echium Plantagineum Seed Oil, T-butyl Alcohol, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Linalool, Ethylhexylglycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil Unsaponifiables, Cardiospermum Halicacabum Flower/Leaf/Vine Extract, Tocopherol, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Glycerin, Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) Leaf Extract, Citrus Unshiu Peel Extract, Opuntia Coccinellifera Fruit Extract, Orchid Extract, Camellia Japonica Leaf Extract, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate.
Innisfree Daily UV Defense Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Full Ingredient List
Water/Aqua/Eau, Zinc Oxide (Nano), Propylheptyl Caprylate, Butyloctyl Salicylate, Propanediol, Caprylyl Methicone, Disiloxane, Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Polyglyceryl-2 Dipolyhydroxystearate, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Magnesium Sulfate, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, 1,2-hexanediol, Silica, Lauryl Polyglyceryl-3 Polydimethylsiloxyethyl Dimethicone, Synthetic Fluorphlogopite, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Caprylyl Glycol, Glyceryl Caprylate, Chromium Oxide Greens (Ci 77288), Mica, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Tocopherol, Squalane, Ceramide Np, Niacinamide, Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate, Panthenol, Butylene Glycol, Centella Asiatica Extract, Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract, Saccharomyces Ferment, Centella Asiatica Root Extract, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Asiaticoside, Madecassoside, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hyaluronic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Asiatic Acid, Madecassic Acid.
