I forgot to report back in...
Long story short, I RMA'd the first Keylab 88 I bought and got a different Keylab 88 in return...
There is definitely a significant difference between how some keylab 88s are painted.
The first Keylab 88 I had that smudged, the paint felt kind of rough. But the second keylab 88, that hasn't had any smudging issues, definitely seems to have a clear coat on it akin to what car manufacturers use. Feels kind of like glass.