Table of Contents
Round Lab is a Korean skincare brand built on the 1025 Dokdo Toner, launched in 2017 and named for Dokdo Day, October 25. Its lines are sorted by ingredient: 1025 Dokdo (deep-sea water, mild daily exfoliation), Birch Juice (hydration and sunscreen), Pine Calming Cica (soothing), Soybean Panthenol (barrier) and Baby Mild (mineral sun care). Start with the Dokdo Toner or the Birch Juice sunscreen.
Most people meet Round Lab through one of two products: a clear, unscented toner in a plain bottle, or a birch-sap sunscreen that went viral on TikTok. The brand is larger than that, with roughly eight lines and close to 80 products in our shop, so this guide lays the range out, says which line fits which skin, and names the product to start with. For how Korean toners differ from Western ones, read Korean Toner Types: How to Choose first.
At Daebak, a Seoul-based Korean culture and product company, product descriptions come from Round Lab's product pages, and the company facts from the sources listed at the end. We describe what products are marketed for, not what they will do for you. Round Lab products in our shop are shipped by the brand.
The brand in brief
CJ Group's newsroom, in an April 2024 feature on the brand, reports that Round Lab started in 2017 with the 1025 Dokdo Toner, that "1025" stands for October 25, Korea's Dokdo Day, and that the colorless, unscented formula in a transparent bottle went against the industry convention of the time. The same piece says the brand entered CJ Olive Young in 2019, grew its sales there 1,000 percent by 2023 compared with its first year, became one of the small and mid-sized brands to pass 100 billion won in annual Olive Young sales in 2023, and exports to 80 countries; it also notes that a TikTok clip demonstrating the birch sunscreen's UV blocking passed four million views.
The sunscreen is the second pillar. The Korea Herald reported in October 2026 that Round Lab's Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen was developed with Kolmar Korea, the manufacturer behind many Korean sunscreens, and was named one of the best sunscreens in the US in 2025 by NBC. The Asia Business Daily reported in October 2026 that Round Lab had joined Goodai Global's portfolio alongside Beauty of Joseon, SKIN1004 and TIRTIR. One honest note: in June 2025 the Korea JoongAng Daily reported that Korea's consumer watchdog, reviewing 38 sunscreens, flagged ingredient descriptions on Round Lab's birch moisturizing sunscreen (a plant extract described as hydrating, another as soothing) as potentially misleading about the finished product, and recommended revising them. The SPF 50+ and PA++++ ratings were not in question; read ingredient stories as marketing and the ratings as the tested part.
Round Lab 1025 Dokdo Toner, the product the brand was built on. See details.
The lines, by ingredient
Which product first
- 1025 Dokdo Toner. A watery, unscented toner with deep-sea water, panthenol, betaine, allantoin and protease, an enzyme the brand includes for gentle removal of dead skin cells. It is the product the brand is known for, and it also comes in a 500ml size. If you prefer pads, the Dokdo Pad is the same idea pre-soaked, with a textured side for light exfoliation; how pads work is in Korean Toner Pads.
- A sunscreen. The Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen (SPF 50+ PA++++) is the sunscreen the brand is known for, described as applying without a noticeable white cast. For skin that prefers mineral filters, the Mild-Up Sunscreen is a mineral sunscreen in the same birch line. The Sun Stick and Sun Cushion are for reapplying over makeup. What PA++++ means and why Korean textures feel lighter is in Korean Sunscreen: Why It Feels Different.
- A moisturizer for your skin. Dry: Dokdo Cream 80ml, a balm-type cream with five ceramides. Normal or combination: Dokdo Moisture Cream, a gel-cream. Sensitive or blemish-prone: Pine Calming Cica Cream.
- One targeted step, if you want it. Barrier: Soybean Panthenol Ampoule. Uneven tone: Vita Niacin Blemish Cream (niacinamide and tranexamic acid; see Niacinamide in Korean Skincare).
Round Lab Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen, the brand's second pillar. See details.
A routine by skin type
| Skin | Morning | Evening |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | Birch Moisturizing Toner, Birch Juice Ampoule, Birch Juice Moisturizing Cream, Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen | Dokdo Cleansing Oil, Soybean Panthenol Cleanser, Dokdo Toner, Soybean Panthenol Ampoule, Dokdo Cream 80ml |
| Oily or combination | Dokdo Toner, Dokdo Moisture Cream, Dokdo Sunscreen or Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen | Dokdo Cleanser, Dokdo Pad, Dokdo Ampoule, Dokdo Sleeping Pack a few nights a week |
| Sensitive or blemish-prone | Pine Calming Cica Toner, Cica Lotion, Mild-Up Sunscreen | Pine Calming Cica Cleanser, Cica Pad, Cica Ampoule, Cica Cream |
| Children and family | Baby Mild Cream, Baby Mild Sun Cream or Sun Stick | Baby Mild Soothing Gel after sun |
Round Lab's product pages describe most of the range as unscented or fragrance-free and built around one or two ingredients each; our sensitive-skin routine explains how to add new products one at a time. Cica, the ingredient behind the Pine line, is explained in What Is Cica.
Round Lab Pine Calming Cica Toner, the soothing line's first step. See details.
How Round Lab compares
Round Lab sits in the same gentle, ingredient-led tier as Anua and Beauty of Joseon; the difference is the hero. Anua is built on heartleaf, Beauty of Joseon on rice and ginseng, Round Lab on deep-sea water and birch sap, with sunscreen as its strongest category. If you already use the Anua Heartleaf 77 toner, the Dokdo Toner is the closest Round Lab equivalent; if you use Beauty of Joseon's Relief Sun, the Birch Juice sunscreen is the obvious comparison, and both are in our Beauty of Joseon guide. The wider brand map is in Best K-Beauty Brands.
Brand products in our shop are shipped by the brands. If you would rather try a set of Korean skincare chosen for you each season, the Daebak K-Beauty Box is a separate, curated option.
FAQ
What is Round Lab known for?
The 1025 Dokdo Toner, a clear, unscented hydrating toner with deep-sea water, and the Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen. CJ's newsroom reports the brand started with the toner in 2017 and passed 100 billion won in annual Olive Young sales in 2023.
What does 1025 mean?
October 25, Dokdo Day in Korea. CJ's newsroom reports the founders named the line after the island, and several Dokdo product pages describe the line's deep-sea water as Ulleungdo deep-sea water, from the island nearest Dokdo.
Is the Dokdo Toner exfoliating?
Mildly. The brand lists protease, an enzyme, and markets the toner for removing remaining impurities and dead skin cells while hydrating. It is not an acid toner; if you want AHA or BHA, see AHA, BHA and PHA Toners Explained.
Which Round Lab sunscreen should I choose?
Birch Juice Moisturizing Sunscreen for most skin; Mild-Up for sensitive skin that prefers mineral filters; Tone Up if you want a light tint; the Sun Stick or Sun Cushion for reapplying over makeup; Baby Mild Sun Cream or Sun Stick for children.
Is Round Lab a Korean brand?
Yes. CJ's newsroom places its headquarters in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and reports exports to 80 countries. The Asia Business Daily reported in October 2026 that the brand is now part of Goodai Global's portfolio.
Sources
- Round Lab, which passed 100 billion won in annual sales at CJ Olive Young, sees the possibility of growing together (CJ Group Newsroom, April 2024, Korean)
- Korean sunscreens go global as Kolmar-Goodai sales hit 100m (The Korea Herald, October 2026)
- Round Lab, other sunscreen brands could mislead over functional benefits, Korea's consumer watchdog warns (Korea JoongAng Daily, June 2025)
- [Exclusive] Goodai Global, M&A heavyweight behind Beauty of Joseon and others, bets on its own brand "Depthi" (The Asia Business Daily, October 2026)
