Beauty of Joseon Dynasty Cream vs Round Lab Birch Juice Cream

How they differ

A moisturizer goes on last. Its job is to slow the water leaving your skin, so the toner and serum under it have time to work. Both of these creams do that job. The difference between them is how rich they are.

Beauty of Joseon’s Dynasty Cream is the heavier of the two. Glycerin is high on its ingredient list. Glycerin is a humectant: it draws water up into the surface of the skin and keeps it there. The richness comes from the emollients, the oils that soften skin. One is hydrogenated polydecene, a light synthetic oil. Another is squalane, which is close to an oil the skin makes itself. Lower down there is a small amount of ceramide NP, one of the fats that make up the skin’s barrier, the layer that holds water in and keeps irritants out. The cream also contains niacinamide, a vitamin B3 ingredient that supports that barrier. The brand does not say how much. The name points to hanbang, Korea’s herbal tradition, and the brand lists rice bran water and ginseng root water as its heritage ingredients. There is no added fragrance and no silicone.

Niacinamide has some evidence behind it for dry skin. In a small 2005 study, 28 people with eczema (atopic dermatitis) used a 2% niacinamide cream on one forearm and plain petroleum jelly on the other, for four to eight weeks. The niacinamide side lost less water through the skin. The study used its own niacinamide cream. It did not test the Dynasty Cream. Beauty of Joseon has not said how much niacinamide the Dynasty Cream contains.

The Birch Juice Cream from Round Lab is the light one. It is a gel-cream: water and humectants carry it, and the emollients in it are light synthetic ones rather than plant oils or butters. Glycerin comes right after water on the list. Hyaluronic acid, a second humectant, comes in further down. Birch sap, the ingredient in the name, is eighth on the list, so it is a small part of the formula. There is no added fragrance here either, and no silicone.

So both are built on water, glycerin and light emollients. The Dynasty Cream adds squalane and a little ceramide, and it is made as a cream. The Birch Juice Cream is made as a gel-cream, a lighter texture from the same kind of ingredients.

Who each one suits

Pick the Dynasty Cream if a gel-cream wears off and your skin is tight again within an hour, if you see flaking around your nose or mouth by the afternoon, or if your skin is mature and a gel is not enough for it. It makes the most sense from late fall through winter, when indoor heating dries the air. Skip it when your skin is oily or breaks out, and set it aside in humid summer weather. It will not do more than moisturize: there is no exfoliant, no retinoid and no vitamin C in it.

Pick Round Lab’s Birch Juice Cream if your skin is oily, combination or normal and a full cream feels too heavy. The glycerin and hyaluronic acid do the hydrating, and the gel texture means there is no heavy layer left on the skin. In the morning, it is the lighter base to put sunscreen over. Because it is light, it is not enough for very dry skin or for skin that turns dry in winter.

Can you use both?

Not at the same time. One moisturizer is enough, and a second on top only makes the layer heavier. You can own both and switch between them. The easiest way to decide is by season. Use the Birch Juice Cream from spring through the humid months, and move to the Dynasty Cream once the heating comes on and the air dries out. You can also use them on different areas of your face: the gel-cream on an oily forehead and nose, and the rich cream on dry cheeks.

Whichever you use, apply it while your skin is still a little damp. The American Academy of Dermatology’s tips for relieving dry skin say to put moisturizer on damp skin to hold in the water that is already there, and to choose fragrance-free products if your skin is easily irritated. Both of these are fragrance-free.

The answer

The Dynasty Cream is for skin that is dry or mature, or that feels tight after a gel, and for the cold months. The Birch Juice Cream is for oily or combination skin that wants light hydration, and for the warm months. If you also want an option for sensitive skin, our Korean moisturizers roundup compares both of these with a ceramide gel.