Guide · Pillar
Is Korean sunscreen legal in Canada? What the databases show
Korean and Japanese sunscreens have a following for textures that sit lighter than most Canadian ones. Whether you can buy one here legally comes down to a number on the box. Rather than repeat what sellers say, we searched Health Canada’s own databases for popular brands.
Everything below was checked on 8 October 2026. We haven’t tested any sunscreen, we don’t sell or link to buy any, and this isn’t legal or medical advice.
The rule
Health Canada’s sunscreen page, last modified 11 June 2026, says: “In Canada, sunscreens are classified as non-prescription drugs or natural health products, depending on their active ingredients.” It adds that “All sunscreens approved for sale in Canada must have a Drug Identification Number (DIN) or Natural Product Number (NPN).”
So two databases matter. The Drug Product Database lists drugs with a DIN. The Licensed Natural Health Products Database lists natural health products, including sunscreens that rely on mineral filters. A product that appears in neither under any name has nothing to check.
What the databases show
We searched both by brand name. The drug database search returned each DIN, status and listed active ingredients. For the natural-product database we downloaded the full licence table and filtered it ourselves, because its search filter didn’t work, and counted licences whose product names include a sun or SPF word.
| Brand | Drug database (DIN) | Natural-product database |
|---|---|---|
| Round Lab | Birch Moisturizing Sunscreen, DIN 02562960, Marketed | 7 licences, 4 holders |
| Anua | Zero-Cast Moisturizing Finish Sunscreen, DIN 02567326, Approved | 4 licences, 4 holders |
| Numbuzin | 9 NAD Peptides Glow Sunscreen, DIN 02565048, Marketed | 2 licences, 2 holders |
| SKIN1004 | None found | 14 licences, 8 holders |
| Torriden | None found | 9 licences, 6 holders |
| mixsoon | None found | 4 licences, 4 holders |
| Isntree | None found | 5 licences, 3 holders |
| Bioré | UV Aqua Rich moisturizers (Kao Canada), such as DIN 02538547, Marketed | None with a sun or UV name |
| COSRX | Two DINs held by COSRX Inc., both Approved | None found |
| Beauty of Joseon | None found | None found |
COSRX’s two DINs don’t carry the brand in their product names, so our first brand-name search missed them. A wider search on the same day, by holder, found them; our list of Korean and Japanese sunscreens with a DIN has every one we found.
The Round Lab, Anua and Numbuzin DIN products list chemical filters as their active ingredients. Round Lab’s lists homosalate 13.5%, octisalate 4.5% and avobenzone 2.7%. Numbuzin’s and Anua’s list homosalate 7%, octocrylene 5%, octisalate 5% and avobenzone 3%. The Bioré UV Aqua Rich moisturizers list the same four filters at similar strengths.
Counting across seven brands, we found 45 sunscreen-named licences in the natural-product database held by 11 licence holders. These are the ones that match a brand-name search. A product listed under another name wouldn’t show up, so a gap in the table is not proof that a product is unlicensed.
How to read a licence
Each natural-product record names a company and a product, and Health Canada describes the licence number as an eight-digit code assigned to each natural health product approved to be marketed. The companies on these records are mostly Canadian importers and distributors, such as KORSMET Inc., Nakama Trading Ltd. and 7754353 Canada Inc., not the brands themselves.
As we read the database, that means a licence belongs to a named company’s version of a product. The same brand can appear under several licence holders, as SKIN1004 does under eight. If you want to know whether the box you hold is a licensed one, the number printed on it is what to look up, and the company named in the record should match the importer on the label.
The three sunscreens we track
We track three sunscreens. None of them gets a buy link on this site, and their price pages don’t exist.
- Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: we found no listing under the Beauty of Joseon name in either database.
- Isntree Hyaluronic Acid Watery Sun Gel: we found no listing with that name. Isntree’s licences in the natural-product database are for its Natural Sun Cream, a different product.
- Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence: we found no listing under that name. Kao Canada’s UV Aqua Rich DINs are for moisturizers, a different formula from the Japanese watery essence.
None of that says these products are unsafe, and it doesn’t say they’re licensed under another name. It says we couldn’t find a match, so we don’t link to buy them.
How to check a product yourself
- Find the DIN or NPN on the box. If there’s no number, stop there.
- If it’s a DIN, search it in Health Canada’s Drug Product Database.
- If it’s an NPN, search it in the Licensed Natural Health Products Database.
- Match the product name and the company to your box.
- For a drug, check the status. Marketed means it is on sale in Canada. Approved means it was authorised and we found no market date.
In the records we read, DINs start with 02 and natural health product licence numbers start with 80.
What we couldn’t verify
- Which licence, if any, applies to a unit from a given store. We looked up brand names, not boxes.
- What the status flag values mean in the natural-product database. Health Canada’s documentation calls the field “Product active/non-active” without spelling out the values. Every record we counted had the same value, 1, which we read as active.
- The active ingredients of the natural-product licences. We counted licences and didn’t read their ingredient lists.
- The dates and contents of Health Canada’s sunscreen monographs. We found no Health Canada page for them in time for this guide, so we’ve left them out rather than quote secondary summaries.
We don’t give advice on importing sunscreen. For questions about a particular product, contact Health Canada.
Sources
Checked on 8 October 2026:
- Health Canada’s page on sunscreens, for the DIN and NPN rule.
- Health Canada’s Drug Product Database, searched by brand name through its public API.
- Health Canada’s Licensed Natural Health Products Database, filtered locally from its public licence table.
- Health Canada’s LNHPD API documentation, for the field definitions.
Keep going
- Start at our sunscreen hub for the other pages on this topic.
- Learn what an ingredient list can and can’t tell you in how to read an ingredient list.
- Read how we make money, including why sunscreens never get a buy button.
Questions people ask
Is Korean sunscreen legal in Canada?
It can be. Health Canada says all sunscreens approved for sale in Canada must have a Drug Identification Number (DIN) or Natural Product Number (NPN). Several Korean brands have licensed sunscreens in Health Canada's databases. A product without a number isn't covered, whatever its brand.
Does Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun have a DIN or NPN?
We found no listing under the Beauty of Joseon name in either database on 8 October 2026. A name search can miss a product listed under another name, so check the box for a number. We don't link to buy the product.
How do I check a DIN or NPN?
Find the number on the label. Search a DIN in the Drug Product Database and an NPN in the Licensed Natural Health Products Database. Match the product name and the company, and for drugs check that the status is Marketed. In the records we read, DINs start with 02 and natural product licence numbers start with 80.
Why does one brand have several licences?
Each licence names a company, and the companies are usually importers or distributors. Round Lab's sunscreens appear under four companies in the natural-product database and SKIN1004's under eight. Those are the sunscreen-named licences we found, so the number printed on your box is the one to check.
What does Approved mean in the drug database?
Approved and Marketed are different statuses. Anua's Zero-Cast sunscreen was Approved on 2 April 2026 and showed no market date when we looked. Round Lab's and Numbuzin's showed Marketed, with market dates of 11 May 2026 and 14 August 2026.
Filed under sunscreen