EltaMD UV Clear is zinc plus octinoxate. The Korean sunscreen people mean is a different filter list.
UV Clear is a US dermatology hybrid: 9% zinc oxide, 7.5% octinoxate, and 5% niacinamide. English threads that answer “what’s the Korean version?” usually point at Beauty of Joseon. That is a daily-face-SPF job match. It is not this formula — and the BOJ tube on YesStyle is not the BOJ tube at Sephora.
What UV Clear actually is
| Product | EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 |
|---|---|
| UV filters on the US label | Zinc oxide 9.0% + octinoxate 7.5% |
| Also claimed | 5% niacinamide; fragrance-free, oil-free, non-comedogenic |
| Size and US price | 1.7 oz / 48 g, $45 on EltaMD’s site |
| Job in a routine | Daily face sunscreen, often for acne-prone or rosacea-prone skin |
The brand page and the DailyMed drug label agree on the two actives. Niacinamide is listed with the inactives; the 5% figure is the brand’s own claim, not a DailyMed percentage. Octinoxate at 7.5% is the top of the current US OTC sunscreen monograph for that filter. Zinc oxide is allowed up to 25%, so this is a hybrid, not a high-zinc mineral cream.
There is no Korean formula match
A formula match would need zinc oxide and octinoxate as the UV actives, in the same class of hybrid lotion. The Korean daily SPFs that rank on YesStyle do not use that pair. English “EltaMD dupe” lists that stay inside the US market (other zinc + octinoxate lotions) are a different conversation. They are not K-beauty.
Job match: the YesStyle BOJ, not the Sephora BOJ
Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics
This is the tube the “korean sunscreen” searches still mean. Beauty of Joseon’s own FAQ names four filters: ethylhexyl triazone, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl hexyl benzoate (Uvinul A Plus), diethylhexyl butamido triazone (iscotrizinol), and methylene bis-benzotriazolyl tetramethylbutylphenol (Tinosorb M / bisoctrizole). YesStyle’s ingredient accordion lists the same four, plus niacinamide, and no zinc oxide or octinoxate. YesStyle also says that list can mix variants, so treat it as a check that those filters are present — not as a concentration table.
Niacinamide is the shared cosmetic extra, not the UV system. Rice extract is a later INCI name, not a 9% mineral filter. SPF 50+ PA++++ is a Korean/EU-style label, not SPF 46 on a US Drug Facts box.
The US brand site does not sell this SKU. YesStyle’s US-storefront snippet listed 50 ml at US$14.40 (US$18 before a 20% discount) in late August 2026, shipping to the United States, and ranked it #1 in Beauty, Sun Care, and Sunscreens. Those numbers move with country and promotions.
Same brand, three other formulas
If you search Beauty of Joseon on a US site you will not get Relief Sun. You will get FDA-monograph products that still are not UV Clear.
Day Dew Sunscreen
Official US page: avobenzone 3%, homosalate 7%, octisalate 5%, octocrylene 5%. Niacinamide is in the inactives. 50 ml listed at $18 ($16.20 on the sale we saw). The brand FAQ says this is made for the US market and is not Relief Sun. US-only (Sephora and the brand site).
Daily Relief Sunscreen SPF 40
The name rhymes with Relief Sun. The actives do not. Official list: avobenzone 2.7%, homosalate 9%, octisalate 4.5%, octocrylene 5%, plus rice extract. No zinc, no octinoxate. 50 ml listed at $18 ($14.40 on the sale we saw).
The Daily Relief Sunscreen SPF 40 page was no longer served at its former official URL when rechecked on 26 August 2026; the current US sunscreen collection lists other US SKUs. Treat the price and formula notes above as the 25 August snapshot, not a current stock claim.
Tinted Mineral Dayscreen SPF 30
This one is actually a zinc sunscreen. The official INCI starts with zinc oxide. It still has no octinoxate, it is tinted, and it is SPF 30. Job overlap with UV Clear is “daily face SPF.” Formula overlap is “contains zinc,” which is not enough.
Side by side
| EltaMD UV Clear 48 g | BOJ Relief Sun 50 ml | BOJ Day Dew 50 ml | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UV filters | Zinc oxide 9% + octinoxate 7.5% | Uvinul A Plus, Uvinul T 150, Tinosorb M, iscotrizinol | Avobenzone, homosalate, octisalate, octocrylene |
| Niacinamide | Brand claim 5% | On the YesStyle list | On the official inactive list |
| Where we checked | EltaMD US, $45 | YesStyle, ~$14–18 | BOJ US, $16–18 |
| On this site | Original | Job match | Different US SKU, still not a match |
Related morning-routine comparisons
Sunscreen is its own step; compare another daily SPF here, then see adjacent antioxidant and brightening choices:
- Supergoop Unseen SPF 50 vs Round Lab Sun Serum — invisible gel-primer and hydrating-serum jobs, with different filter lists.
- SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic vs Korean vitamin C options — a morning antioxidant comparison, not SPF.
- Caudalie Vinoperfect vs AXIS-Y — a dark-spot serum comparison, not sunscreen.
What this page is not saying
We are not ranking which sunscreen is “better,” and we are not giving medical or import advice. We are saying the Korean product people click toward is not a zinc/octinoxate copy of UV Clear, and that buying “Beauty of Joseon sunscreen” in the US is usually a third formula again. Filter names on the box beat the word “dupe.”
Sources
- EltaMD UV Clear Broad Spectrum SPF 46 product page: octinoxate 7.5%, zinc oxide 9.0%, 5% niacinamide, $45 / 1.7 oz, August 2026.
- DailyMed label for EltaMD UV Clear SPF46 (setid 60438ec5-0b1f-45fd-8ce4-debfdbdc6721): zinc oxide 9.0%, octinoxate 7.5%.
- US OTC sunscreen actives, including octinoxate up to 7.5% and zinc oxide up to 25%: 21 CFR 352.10.
- Beauty of Joseon FAQ for Relief Sun names the four organic filters above. YesStyle listing pid.1137908658, late August 2026: same four names, niacinamide present, zinc and octinoxate absent; US-storefront snippet US$14.40 / US$18; #1 in Beauty, Sun Care, Sunscreens.
- Beauty of Joseon US pages for Day Dew and the current sunscreen collection, August 2026. The former Daily Relief SPF 40 URL was no longer served on 26 August 2026; its formula and price above are a 25 August snapshot.