Korea's pharmacies emerge as K-beauty destinations for tourists

On the afternoon of July 31, a sign at the entrance of Ready Young Pharmacy in Seoul's Donggyo-dong neighborhood welcomed visitors in Chinese, Japanese and English.

Inside, a group of foreign tourists browsed a well-stocked section labeled “basic skincare and derma cosmetics” stretched across five display cases.

Behind the counter, pharmacists offered guidance in English on products like Rejuvenex, a cream packed with polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN), a regenerative ingredient often found in post-procedure skincare.

Inside the drugstore, Kevin, a Korean-American from the US on a business trip, said that he was picking up Rejuvenex, a PDRN-based cream widely promoted on social media, for his wife.

Pharmacies across Seoul are seeing an unexpected boom as Korean creams and ointments are gaining a reputation for being effective against pigmentation and acne at reasonable prices.

Tourists, particularly from Asia and the US, are increasingly stopping into Korean pharmacies as an extension of their beauty-shopping itinerary -- often after visiting Olive Young, the country’s ubiquitous health and beauty chain.

“Compared to last year, we’ve seen more than double the number of foreign customers stopping by after shopping at the nearby Olive Young flagship,” said Byun Soo-hyun, 62, who runs Union Pharmacy right next to the retail giant’s Myeongdong flagship.

"Eighty percent of them are looking for treatment creams for pigmentation or acne," she added.

The rising demande for Korean functional skincare lines have led Korean pharmaceutical companies to expand into the cosmetics market.

Sales of Dong-A Pharmaceutical Co.'s three skin treatments -- Noscana, Acnon and Melatoning -- reached 35.5 billion won ($25 million) in the first half of this year, up 35 percent from the same period last year.

Hanmi Science Co.’s EGF Active Vital Cream has sold more than 270,000 units across over 11,000 pharmacies since its launch in November last year.

Other brands, including NeoSimplex’s Dr. Rejuol and PharmaResearch’s Rejuvenex, have surged in popularity through word-of-mouth and social media, often selling out in key tourist areas. 

Dongkook Pharmaceutical Co. also entered the market with the launch of Madeca Pharmacia, a pharmacy-exclusive brand, early this year.

Ilyang Pharmaceutical Co. debuted three new products under its pharmacy-only skincare brand Dr. Freematic. in July.

MEDICAL TOURISM

The rise in medical tourism has also played a key role in turning pharmacies into unexpected hotspots for beauty shoppers.

According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab, foreign spending on medical services in South Korea has nearly quadrupled to 889.6 billion won this year from 223.3 billion won in 2023.

As of June this year, the number of medical purchases made by foreign visitors reached a record-high 381,047 cases. Pharmacies accounted for the largest share, at around 60%, followed by dermatology clinics at 21%.

“It’s the bandwagon effect,” said Lee Young-ae, a professor of consumer studies at Incheon National University. “Foreign consumers trust Korean skincare and now want products with more function, more results and they’re finding them at pharmacies.”

"Just as Koreans once flocked to Pharmacie Monge in Paris, foreign tourists are now visiting Korean pharmacies in search of K-beauty products,” Lee said.

Paris’ Pharmacie Monge was long a mecca for Asian tourists seeking cult French skincare products.

Write to Solee Lee at claire@hankyung.com
 

Yeonhee Kim edited this article.