Round Lab is a Korean brand that shoppers in Serbia search for mainly because of its sunscreens: four products in the Birch Juice line, all SPF 50+ PA++++, meaning protection from both UVB and UVA. The brand names its lines after the main ingredient and the place it comes from: 1025 Dokdo — deep-sea water off the islands of Ulleungdo and Dokdo; Birch Juice — birch sap from Inje County; Pine Calming Cica — pine needles from Yangyang; and one stand-alone product, the Mugwort Calming Cleanser. Most of the face products in these lines are fragrance-free. The most versatile, in the brand's words, are the 1025 Dokdo Cleanser and the Birch Juice Cream; the cream is where it suggests beginners start.
Round Lab SPF: cream, tone-up, stick or cushion?
The Sun Cream is for all skin types: a light, untinted essence with chemical filters. The Tone-Up Sunscreen gives a light ivory tint; it uses hybrid filters — titanium dioxide plus chemical ones — and the brand positions it as a sunscreen-primer for under makeup. For topping up protection during the day, including over makeup, there are the Sun Stick and the Sun Cushion; the cushion is the only fully mineral sunscreen of the four, with zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Mineral filters, the brand says, suit sensitive skin and children; chemical ones suit oily skin and are what it recommends under makeup. Whichever you choose goes on in the morning as the last skincare step, before makeup, and is reapplied during the day — straight after sweating or swimming.
Cleansing: 1025 Dokdo, Birch Juice or Mugwort
The 1025 Dokdo and Birch Juice foam cleansers are mildly acidic, pH 5–6, close to the pH of healthy skin. The 1025 Dokdo Cleanser is a creamy foam for all skin types and the one the brand calls its most versatile. The Birch Juice Cleanser is a water-gel foam for dry and sensitive skin. The Mugwort Calming Cleanser, with mugwort from Geomundo Island, is a dense, creamy foam for skin prone to redness and breakouts; unlike the other two, it is scented with mugwort, black tea and sage. In the evening, if you have worn sunscreen or makeup, the brand recommends a double cleanse: first the 1025 Dokdo Cleansing Oil (massaged over a dry face with dry hands; it turns milky once you add water, then rinses away), then a foam cleanser. In the morning, the foam alone is enough.
Toner and cream: 1025 Dokdo or Birch Juice
The 1025 Dokdo line takes its number from Dokdo Day, 25 October. The 1025 Dokdo Toner is a water-light toner that, in the brand's words, gently lifts dead skin cells and hydrates; it goes on with a cotton pad. The Birch Juice Toner is an "ampoule-like" toner rich in birch sap, patted in with the palms; in Korea the brand aims it at dehydrated oily skin. Of the two creams, the 1025 Dokdo Cream — a rich, balm-like cream with five ceramides and hyaluronic acid — is the one the brand recommends for dry and sensitive skin; the Birch Juice Cream is a light cream for all skin types and the all-rounder to start with. The simplest pairing the brand suggests is the 1025 Dokdo Toner with the Birch Juice Cream; the bare minimum, in its view, is a cleanser, a moisturiser and, in the morning, sunscreen.
Pine Calming Cica — when skin needs a rest
The Pine Calming Cica line is built around fallen pine needles gathered in Yangyang: at its core is the brand's own Pine Cica Activer complex of pine-needle extract, plant protein and centella-derived ingredients. The line is aimed at sensitive and breakout-prone skin. The Pine Calming Cica Ampoule is a water-light, soothing ampoule: after toner, pat in one or two drops. The Pine Calming Cica Pad is a toner pad soaked in LHA, a mild acid that lifts dead skin cells and evens out texture: wipe it over your face, avoiding the eye area, and leave a pad for three to five minutes on any area that needs calming. Use it daily as a rule, or every other day if your skin is sensitive. The Pine Calming Cica Cream is a light gel-cream, and there is also a body wash with AHA, BHA and PHA, designed for the back, chest and shoulders.
