Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++ Versus ma:nyo Galactomy Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++

Beauty of Joseon Ginseng Moist Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++ Versus ma:nyo Galactomy Sun Serum SPF 50+ PA++++

This chemical sunscreen covers the full UV range and blocks ~98% of UVB at SPF 50.

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Butylene Glycol

Dibutyl Adipate

Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate

Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine

Alcohol

Acrylates Copolymer

Butyloctyl Salicylate

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Ethylhexyl Triazone

Phenethyl Benzoate

Arbutin

1,2-Hexanediol

Silica

Methylpropanediol

Isoamyl P-Methoxycinnamate

Polysilicone-15

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

Pentylene Glycol

Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide

Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide

C30-45 Alkyldimethylsilyl Polypropylsilsesquioxane

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer

Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2

Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate

Ethyl Hexanediol

Hydroxyacetophenone

Panax Ginseng Berry Extract

Panax Ginseng Extract

Panax Ginseng Leaf/Stem Extract

Adenosine

Xanthan Gum

Disodium EDTA

Ethylhexylglycerin

Glycerin

Tocopherol

Water, Butylene Glycol, Dibutyl Adipate, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Alcohol, Acrylates Copolymer, Butyloctyl Salicylate, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Ethylhexyl Triazone, Phenethyl Benzoate, Arbutin, 1,2-Hexanediol, Silica, Methylpropanediol, Isoamyl P-Methoxycinnamate, Polysilicone-15, Polymethylsilsesquioxane, Panax Ginseng Root Extract, Pentylene Glycol, Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl Glutamide, Dibutyl Lauroyl Glutamide, C30-45 Alkyldimethylsilyl Polypropylsilsesquioxane, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Vp Copolymer, Sodium Acrylates Crosspolymer-2, Sodium Polyacryloyldimethyl Taurate, Ethyl Hexanediol, Hydroxyacetophenone, Panax Ginseng Berry Extract, Panax Ginseng Extract, Panax Ginseng Leaf/Stem Extract, Adenosine, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Glycerin, Tocopherol

Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate 10%

Niacinamide

Polymethyl Methacrylate

Behenyl Alcohol

Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice

Glucose

Sodium Hyaluronate

Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic Acid

Hydrolyzed Collagen

Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer

Potassium Hyaluronate

Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate

Xylitol

Xylitylglucoside

Ceramide NP

Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer

Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

Polyisobutene

Potassium Cetyl Phosphate

Fructan

Anhydroxylitol

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate

Hydrogenated Lecithin

Water, Galactomyces Ferment Filtrate 10%, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, 1,2-Hexanediol, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate, Niacinamide, Polymethyl Methacrylate, Behenyl Alcohol, Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine, Betula Platyphylla Japonica Juice, Glucose, Sodium Hyaluronate, Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid, Hydrolyzed Collagen, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Potassium Hyaluronate, Sodium Acetylated Hyaluronate, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hyaluronate, Xylitol, Xylitylglucoside, Ceramide NP, Ammonium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/Beheneth-25 Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Sodium Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Polyisobutene, Potassium Cetyl Phosphate, Fructan, Anhydroxylitol, Pentylene Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate, Hydrogenated Lecithin

Reviews

Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

1,2-Hexanediol is a synthetic liquid and another multi-functional powerhouse.

It is a:

Humectant, drawing moisture into the skin

Emollient, helping to soften skin

Solvent, dispersing and stabilizing formulas

Preservative booster, enhancing the antimicrobial activity of other preservatives

This ingredient is better known as bemotrizinol or Tinosorb S and is one of the best broad-spectrum UV filters in modern sunscreen.

It works by absorbing UV light across a whole range (280-400 nm) with peaks around 310 nm (UVB) and 340-345 nm (UVA). This means it covers UVB plus the deeper UVA wavelengths that drive photoaging and pigmentation.

Another pro?

It's exceptionally photostable, barely degrades in sunlight, and acts as a "bodyguard" for less stable filters.

That's why you'll see it paired with avobenzone or octinoxate; this team up ensures they keep working through sun exposure.

Safety reviews have been reassuring across the board. This ingredient shows low absorption through the skin, rarely irritates, and lab studies found it doesn't act like a hormone in the body (a concern that's been raised about some older sunscreen filters).

On maximum concentrations:

In 2026, the US F.D.A finally added it as an OTC sunscreen ingredient at concentrations up to 6% for adults / children 6 months and older

Butylene Glycol (or BG) is used within cosmetic products for a few different reasons:

Overall, Butylene Glycol is a safe and well-rounded ingredient that works well with other ingredients.

Though this ingredient works well with most skin types, some people with sensitive skin may experience a reaction such as allergic rashes, closed comedones, or itchiness.

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight emollient made by combinig benzoic acid with fatty alcohols that are 12-15 carbons long.

In cosmetics, it plays several roles:

The Cosmetic Review Expert Panel has concluded the alkyl benzoate group to be safe as used in cosmetics; it wasn't found to be a skin irritant and unlikely to be absorbed due to its low water solubility.

This report recorded almost 1000 reported uses with concentrations up to 59% in leave-on products but your cosmetics will typically use 0.5-15% depending on the product.

It's often called a "SPF booster": this is because it keeps UV filters properly dissolved and evenly distributed to support a sunscreen's performance. It doesn't actually raise SPF on its own.

Overall, this ingredient is well tolerated.

This ingredient is fungal acne safe because it is an ester of benzoic acid.

Think of this ingredient as two parts stuck together: an oily part and an acid part. Malassezia only gets a meal when it can snip off a fatty acid to eat. With C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, the acid part is benzoic acid, which isn't a fatty acid and which the yeast can't use as food.

Benzoic acid is actually used as a preservative to stop yeast from growing.

The oily part is a blend of C12-15 fatty alcohols but fatty alcohols in this size range can support only a little Malassezia growth (mostly for one species of Malassezia as well).

In the ingredient, those alcohols stay locked inside the molecule. The yeast can only reach them by snipping the benzoate bond, and that type of bond is harder for it to cut than a normal fatty bond.

So not much gets released. And whatever does get snipped comes packaged with benzoic acid, which discourages yeast growth.

Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (DHHB) is a chemical UV-A absorber. It is formulated for high UVA protection (320-400 nm).

DHHB is well-liked for:

DHHB has been approved by the EU, Japan, Taiwan, and South America for use up to 10%. Unfortunately, it has not been approved for use in the US or Canada due to slow regulatory processes.

This ingredient is soluble in oils, fats, and lipids.

Ethylhexylglycerin is created from glycerin. It is a multitasker ingredient that:

The CIR Expert Panel found minimal skin absorption or sensitization of any kind in a safety assessment. Though this ingredient is considered well-tolerated, a small number of cases of allergic dermatitis have been published since 2002. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure.

Industry-reported use ranges from 8% in rinse-off products and 2% in leave-on formulations.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Pentylene Glycol (1,2-pentanediol) is a multitasking little diol with three main roles in a formula:

Research on alkanediols (the family pentylene glycol belongs to) show they work by disrupting microbial cell membranes. This disruption helps the primary preservative system in a product work more effectively at lower doses.

On the safety side, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has concluded this ingredient to be safe as used in current cosmetic practices + concentrations.

Typical use levels in a formula run about 1-5%.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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