The Cult K-Beauty SPF That Disappeared
A beloved watery gel sunscreen that's nearly impossible to find — and depending on your skin type, you might either mourn it or wonder what the fuss was about.
What real owners actually say
First things first — the internet is in mourning. Multiple users are genuinely heartbroken that this appears to be discontinued or vanishing from shelves. 'RIP to the best sunscreen I've ever used,' one person wrote, and honestly? The grief is real. This was clearly a holy grail for a lot of people. But here's where it gets complicated: the experiences are wildly split depending on skin type. Several oily and combination-skinned folks said it made them look 'so greasy and oily' — one person called it 'superrrrrr shiny' and noted a whitecast. Others with the exact same skin type call it their holy grail and say it's better than Beauty of Joseon. Acne-prone users are similarly divided: some say it works beautifully, others broke out. People who loved it are now scrambling for alternatives, with Skin1004 Madagascar Centella and Round Lab Birch Juice coming up as the top replacements — though even those don't work universally. One person switched to Skin1004 and loved it; another stocked up on it and broke out across their cheeks and forehead. The throughline from user comments is that this was a phenomenal sunscreen for the RIGHT skin type, but finding your match is pure trial and error. Also worth noting: several commenters pointed out that non-US sunscreens are both cheaper and better-formulated than American options, which is why this one had such a devoted following.
What Glow loved
- Lightweight, watery gel texture that feels like skincare, not sunscreen
- Beautiful glass-skin finish that plays well under makeup
- Hydrating enough to skip moisturizer for some users
- Well-loved by derms including Dr. Dray and Cassandra Bankson
What Glow didn't
- Appears to be discontinued or extremely hard to find
- Dewy finish can read as greasy on oily skin types
- Leaves a visible tint/whitecast on medium-to-dark skin tones
- Eye stinging reported by multiple users — potential dealbreaker
- Acne-prone skin results are unpredictable — works for some, breaks out others
The YouTube reviewers who actually tried it
The YouTube derm community is largely smitten. Dr. Dray gave it glowing coverage across two separate videos, with viewers noting her skin looked beautiful after application — though she and her commenters acknowledge the dewy finish can be a lot. One helpful tip from the comments: if the glow is too much, skip your moisturizer underneath and you'll get a sheen rather than a full glazed-donut situation. Cassandra Bankson (2.45M subs) called it potentially her favorite sunscreen, praising it for oily-combination skin — it doesn't get greasy by end of day and even blurs blackheads. The Bammbie review for oily skin echoed this, though one commenter flatly disagreed: 'It's not matte at all. Looks & feels very oily but overall not bad.' The most critical data point comes from Tamuno Abbey's review on dark skin: this sunscreen leaves a visible tint that becomes very obvious on reapplication, and it can cause severe eye stinging. Multiple commenters flagged the eye sting as a genuine dealbreaker. The Doctorly comparison video (Dr. Shah and Dr. Maxfield) positioned Isntree as a summer pick vs. Beauty of Joseon for winter — suggesting it's lighter but less hydrating. One Tea with MD viewer was disappointed in the smell, saying the watery gel didn't seem any better than regular American sunscreens. Across videos, the consensus is: beautiful glass-skin finish under makeup, hydrating without heaviness, but the dewy finish isn't for everyone and darker skin tones need to proceed with caution.
The caveats nobody puts on the bottle
When user voice and video reviewers contradict each other, that's usually where the truth lives. Here's the disagreement.
- USER comments call this a 'holy grail' sunscreen while also reporting it's being discontinued — multiple people are actively mourning and stockpiling.
- USER and VIDEO layers both show oily/combo skin types are deeply split: some say it controls shine beautifully (Cassandra Bankson's audience), others say it's 'superrrrrr shiny' and oily — same skin type, opposite verdicts.
- VIDEO (Tamuno Abbey) reveals a whitecast/tint issue on darker skin that USER comments only hint at with one mention of whitecast — this is an underreported problem.
- VIDEO reviewers highlight severe eye stinging as a dealbreaker, which USER comments don't mention at all — suggesting this issue catches people by surprise.
- USER and VIDEO both confirm the dewy/glowy finish is the defining characteristic — it's either the reason you love it or the reason you hate it.
- USER and VIDEO consistently rank this against Beauty of Joseon and Skin1004, with no clear winner — it's entirely dependent on individual skin chemistry.
The 10 videos that informed this verdict
Top YouTube reviews ranked by views. Tap a card to watch on YouTube — no autoplay, no creep tracking, no “you might also like.”