Round Lab's own explanation is the reason we would pass on it for a cruelty-free routine. The brand says its skincare products are not tested on animals, then discusses selling into China and regulatory testing without explaining how it prevents those tests. A shopper should be able to get a straight answer to that question.
Our recommendation is to choose a brand with a clear commitment covering its ingredients, suppliers and sales markets. Round Lab's plant-themed ranges and vegan PDRN claim do not fix the gap in its animal-testing policy.
The answer that leaves shoppers doing the work
Round Lab's cruelty-free FAQ says it ships to China and is working with regulators and organizations to promote alternative testing methods. It also says its products are cruelty-free.
What it doesn't say is how those statements fit together in practice. Does the brand use a route that avoids animal testing? Would it withdraw a product if an authority requested a test? What rules apply to its suppliers?
Supporting alternatives is welcome. For a buying recommendation, we'd want to know what happens to the products being sold now. The FAQ gives us an aspiration without the operational answer. That is why Round Lab doesn't make our cruelty-free shortlist.
We are not claiming to have identified an animal test on a specific Round Lab product. We are declining to recommend a policy that leaves this decision unanswered. You do not need to settle every detail of a company's operations before deciding its explanation is inadequate.
Selling in China is not an automatic guilty verdict
A blanket rule that every brand sold in China tests on animals would be wrong. Leaping Bunny explains that qualifying beauty brands can sell there while meeting its standard. Its China program includes checks before and after products enter the market, plus a commitment to recall products rather than allow requested animal tests.
That is an example of the kind of concrete safeguard missing from Round Lab's answer. The objection is not to Chinese customers or to the country name on a shipping list. It is to an unexplained testing exception.
This also helps when two guides give opposite verdicts. One may accept the brand's short cruelty-free statement. Another may treat any China sales as disqualifying. We would ask the more useful question: what does this company do to keep its products out of animal tests?
A clear answer to that question could change our recommendation. Another paragraph about supporting cruelty-free beauty would not.
Is Round Lab vegan?
Do not treat the whole range as vegan. Round Lab makes a vegan claim about the PDRN in its Birch Juice Sun Serum, while its Camellia Gua Sha Cream lists collagen ingredients without explaining their origin on the page reviewed. Those are different formulas with different information.
That matters because the ranges are built around appealing plant ingredients: birch, mugwort, soybean and camellia. A plant on the front of a bottle can tell you something about the product, but it cannot describe everything inside it.
For a vegan purchase, we'd choose an explicit assurance for the complete formula. A statement about one ingredient is too narrow. Here is what that means for three products a shopper is likely to compare.
1025 Dokdo Toner: start with the size and format
1025 Dokdo Toner is a watery, unscented leave-on toner. Round Lab highlights sea water, betaine, panthenol and allantoin. It comes in several sizes, so a low search-result price may be for a smaller bottle than the one you had in mind.
The official page selected 100 ml at $8, reduced from $10, when checked on October 29, 2026. That is $8 per 100 ml at the sale price. Compare the selected size before deciding another toner is more expensive.
If this is the product you want to replace, look for a liquid step after cleansing. We'd start with Klairs' unscented toner. A thick cream or an oil cleanser would change the job as well as the brand.
Birch Juice Sun Serum: read the sunscreen directions
The US Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Serum has a broad-spectrum SPF 50 label and names vegan PDRN in its formula. It was listed at $24.99 for 50 ml at our October 29 check.
Its directions tell users to choose a water-resistant sunscreen for swimming or sweating. That is useful purchasing information: this is not the product we'd select from that label for a swim. The serum name and dewy-finish claims should not distract from the sun-protection instructions.
The vegan PDRN claim is meaningful for that ingredient. It does not resolve Round Lab's testing policy, which remains our reason to choose another brand. If you are replacing this product, keep sunscreen in the routine and compare the protection label of the replacement.
Camellia Gua Sha Cream: a flower name and collagen
The Camellia Deep Collagen Lifting Gua Sha Cream has a built-in curved applicator. Its ingredient list includes hydrolyzed collagen, collagen extract and fragrance, alongside camellia flower extract.
The page does not establish where those collagen ingredients come from. For a vegan shopper, we'd skip this cream unless Round Lab supplies a complete vegan assurance. The camellia name is not enough to make that purchase confidently.
It was listed at $23 for 60 ml on October 29. Before paying for the format, decide whether you want the attached applicator or simply a moisturizer. A different cream can meet the second need without copying the packaging or the lifting claims.
What we'd choose instead
There is no need to replace every product at once or buy a matching set. Choose the step you use most, and buy the replacement that does that job.
| Round Lab product or step | Where we'd start | Why it belongs in the comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Dokdo Toner or another light liquid step | Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner | A fragrance-free toner from a cruelty-free, vegan brand |
| A daily moisturizer | PURITO Oat In Calming Gel Cream | A vegan gel cream; the brand's testing policy expressly covers suppliers |
| Sunscreen for daily use | The options in our sunscreen comparison | Compare SPF, water resistance and ingredients before choosing |
Klairs' toner comes in a 180 ml bottle and contains panthenol, beta-glucan and sodium hyaluronate. Choose it if you want an unscented liquid after cleansing. Its cruelty-free approval gives us a stronger testing basis for that purchase than Round Lab's FAQ.
PURITO Oat In Calming Gel Cream is a 100 ml moisturizer with oat seed water, squalane and panthenol. The brand's FAQ says its products are vegan and cruelty-free and includes ingredient suppliers in that commitment. We'd consider it for someone who wants a gel cream rather than another toner.
Our Korean skincare guide compares these options in more detail. They are alternatives for a routine, not promises to reproduce a Round Lab formula exactly. Their purpose is to let you make a practical change without buying a whole shelf of replacements.
For sunscreen, choose around how you'll use it
Our cruelty-free sunscreen guide includes Supergoop Every. Single. Face. SPF 50, which combines a vegan claim with 40-minute water resistance. Badger Sport SPF 40 has an 80-minute water-resistance label but contains beeswax. Naturium Dew-Glow SPF 50 is vegan, but its drug label directs swimmers and anyone sweating to choose a water-resistant sunscreen.
Those differences matter more than whether another tube looks like Round Lab's. Someone shopping for swimming has a different requirement from someone choosing a daily face product. Someone avoiding animal ingredients will rule out the beeswax formula even though the brand meets the testing check.
Follow the chosen sunscreen's application and reapplication directions. A vegan face cream without an SPF label is not a replacement for sun protection.
What the toner switch costs
The Klairs Supple Preparation Unscented Toner was $18.99 for 180 ml when checked on October 29, against a $30 regular price. That works out to about $10.55 per 100 ml on sale, or $16.67 at regular price. Dokdo's selected 100 ml sale bottle was $8.
So this particular switch costs more. We recommend Klairs for its clearer testing record and its unscented toner format, not because it undercuts Round Lab. The bottles also differ in size: comparing $18.99 with $8 alone overstates the gap per milliliter.
The price can help you decide whether to keep the step. If toner is something you enjoy, compare the actual bottle and delivered total. If you were buying it mainly to complete a matching routine, there is no buying obligation created by that routine. Spending nothing on an unwanted extra is cheaper than finding the best discount on it.
For the cream step, PURITO Oat In Calming Gel Cream was listed at $21 for 100 ml. It gives you a larger volume than the $23, 60 ml Camellia cream, but it drops the attached applicator and uses a different formula. Those differences are why we'd compare it as a daily moisturizer, not call it a Camellia dupe.
Choose the purchase you actually need to change. A toner, cream and sunscreen all serve different purposes. Replacing one Round Lab product need not turn into buying all three from another brand, and the best price for one step says little about the rest of that brand's range.
Who is behind Round Lab?
Gangwon State's export directory identifies SEORIN COMPANY as the business behind the brand. That is the company to look for when checking an official response, rather than relying on a retailer's description of the range.
For our next purchase, we'd choose the clearer policy. Round Lab has enough detail on its product pages to explain ingredients and directions; it should bring the same clarity to its animal-testing answer.
Sources
Round Lab. Is Round Lab cruelty free?. https://roundlab.gorgias.help/en-US/is-round-lab-cruelty-free-261508. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
Leaping Bunny. Frequently asked questions. https://www.leapingbunny.org/Web/content/faq.aspx?hkey=03da4c1e-eb16-412a-a308-223519502ea0. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
Gangwon State. SEORIN COMPANY Co., Ltd.. https://tradesupport.gwd.go.kr/portal/cpn/roundlab?siteLang=en. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
Round Lab. 1025 Dokdo Toner. https://roundlab.com/products/1025-dokdo-toner. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
Round Lab. Birch Juice Moisturizing Sun Serum SPF 50. https://roundlab.com/products/birch-juice-moisturizing-sun-serum-spf50. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
Round Lab. Camellia Deep Collagen Lifting Gua Sha Cream. https://roundlab.com/products/camellia-deep-collagen-lifting-gua-sha-cream. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
DailyMed. Naturium Dew-Glow Moisturizer SPF 50 drug label. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=00c93b11-754e-701c-e063-6294a90a3b1d. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
Dear, Klairs. Supple Preparation Unscented Toner. https://www.klairs.com/products/supple-preparation-unscented-toner. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
PURITO. Oat In Calming Gel Cream. https://purito.com/product/oat-in-calming-gel-cream/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
