Two white tubes, two Beauty of Joseon, two SPF 50+ PA++++. This raises the question of why both exist. You’ll notice the answer especially when you apply it: Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics is creamier, Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 should feel even lighter and fresher.

A small observation from your morning routine helps when making your selection: Do you still want a little suppleness after care, or does every additional layer feel like too much? This is exactly where the two differ.

Relief Sun: if you like a creamy skin feel

The Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Rice + Probiotics has a light cream texture with a more radiant finish. Beauty of Joseon assigns it to normal to dry skin. This can be a helpful starting point if very thin suntan lotions often don’t feel like enough care for you.

Our list of ingredients includes rice extract, various fermented extracts and niacinamide. But that doesn’t make sunscreen an additional task for your routine: you don’t automatically need a rice product or a niacinamide serum. First, see whether the skincare product you are already using is comfortable to wear together with the cream.

If you are now reading Relief Sun Rice + Niacinamide from the manufacturer: Beauty of Joseon explains that the name has been changed and the formula has remained the same. You can currently find the cream under Rice + Probiotics. The package and its list of ingredients remain relevant to your specific product.

Aqua-Fresh: if you want to feel less cream

The Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 was developed expressly for people for whom the original Relief Sun is too creamy. The manufacturer describes it as a particularly light fluid with a fresher finish and names combination to oily skin as a focus. Even dry skin may like a thinner texture. The categories are an orientation, not a fixed place on the tube.

Rice water and panthenol are part of the formula. Niacinamide is not listed in the currently tested ingredient lists for this variant. If you specifically want to leave out this ingredient, you will find a concrete difference to the original Relief Sun. However, it cannot be concluded from this that Aqua-Fresh would be better tolerated overall.

The lighter impression also comes from the entire formulation. Rice water, panthenol or the number of ingredients alone do not explain how the skin feels or the quality of the sun protection.

What suits your usual routine?

If you already use a rich serum and cream in the morning, Aqua-Fresh is the more obvious of the two textures to try. If you like a creamy final layer and a visibly radiant finish, the original Relief Sun is more in favor. You don’t have to be able to pinpoint your skin type to do this.

The best way to evaluate a new sunscreen is to compare it with the products that are otherwise on your skin. If the feeling on your skin only changes as a result of the combination, a comparison on your bare hand will be of little use to you. You can find more information about this in our sunscreen selection guide.

Application remains just as important

Both products belong in the morning skin routine as a generous, even final layer. You should reapply at least every two hours outside, and sooner after swimming or sweating heavily. For such activities you need specifically waterproof sun protection. This cannot be deduced from the name Aqua-Fresh.

A thinner skin feel is no reason to apply less. We explain the basics of SPF, UVA and the application in more detail in the relevant article. By the way, if your current sunscreen fits well in the morning, you can keep it. A second variant first has to earn its place in the bathroom.

Lee’s fact note

• The relief sun variants offered by Shine & Bloom are compared with SPF 50+ PA++++. The same protection information does not mean an identical formula.
• According to the tested ingredient list, Rice + Probiotics contains niacinamide. Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 contains panthenol and does not contain niacinamide.
• Texture descriptions and renaming come from the manufacturer. This does not guarantee individual skin or eye compatibility.

Sources checked on September 9, 2026: Beauty of Joseon: original Relief Sun and name change , Beauty of Joseon: Aqua-Fresh and American Academy of Dermatology: applying and renewing sunscreen .