On the morning of the 7th at a pharmacy near Hongdae Station in Seoul. Foreign tourists were checking product information on their smartphones in front of the 'Skincare' display. Some tourists wearing masks appeared to have visited right after a hospital procedure, showing stored photos to the staff while looking for regeneration creams or ointments.
Japanese tourist Marie Fukui, 25, said, "I came to buy regeneration cream after undergoing dermatological treatment." Amanda Min, 32, from Singapore, also said, "I am trying to purchase the 'recommended items from Korean pharmacies' that I saw on TikTok."
According to related industries on the 8th, pharmacies are gaining attention as a new K-beauty shopping channel among foreign tourists. The demand to purchase so-called 'medicated cosmetics' has increased, extending beyond simple medical product purchases to include acne treatments, regeneration creams, and whitening functional products. Customers looking to buy aftercare products immediately after plastic surgery or dermatological procedures are flocking to pharmacies in areas densely populated with hospitals.
Pharmacies in major shopping districts like Gangnam, Myeongdong, and Hongdae are enhancing their services in response to foreign demand, implementing multilingual labels, installing unmanned currency exchangers, and introducing tax refund guidance. Pharmacist In-young Kim, 38, noted, "It has become a usual course for foreign tourists to stop by pharmacies to buy cosmetics after receiving treatment at nearby dermatological clinics," adding, "The perception that prices are lower and effectiveness is better than Olive Young has made it very popular."
Foreign medical consumption is rapidly increasing. According to the Korea Tourism Data Lab, the number of medical consumption cases by foreigners rose from 593,577 in 2020 to 2,929,831 in 2024, nearly a fivefold increase. Notably, in May of this year alone, 379,397 cases were recorded, with pharmacies accounting for approximately 61%, the highest proportion. Dermatology followed with 21%.
Items that foreign tourists primarily seek include scar and inflammatory acne treatments, pigment improvement products, and whitening supplements. Dong-A Pharmaceutical's 'Noscana Gel' recorded sales of 20.9 billion won last year, a figure that represents a 22% increase compared to the previous year. The acne treatment 'Acnon Cream' reported sales of 9.4 billion won in the first quarter of this year, a 62% increase compared to the previous year. 'Melatoning,' known for its pigmentation relief function, also saw its sales increase by 27% last year, totaling 11.6 billion won. In the first quarter of this year, it showed a sales growth rate of 52% compared to the previous year.
The influence of social media also plays a significant role. PharmaResearch's skin regeneration product 'Rejuvenex' became a hot topic on TikTok, leading to a sell-out situation. A product introduction video by an influencer with 880,000 followers garnered more than 40,000 'likes' and 'saves.'
Pharmacy-specific cosmetics are also gaining attention. Hanmi Science's 'EGF Active Vital Cream' sold 270,000 units in 11,000 pharmacies nationwide within just four months of its release. The dermatology-specific cosmetic brand 'Dr. Rejuol' is also seeing a rapidly increasing proportion of foreign purchases.
The spread of foreign consumerism through pharmacies is linked to the global status of the K-beauty industry. According to the Korea Customs Service, the export value of Korean cosmetics in the first half of this year reached $5.51 billion (approximately 7.48 trillion won), marking the highest ever for the first half of the year. Korea retained its position as the world's third-largest exporter, following France and the U.S., and surpassed France to become the largest exporter to the U.S. As K-beauty emphasizes functionality and professionalism, it is expanding its influence in the global market, with channels of consumption diversifying from Olive Young to specialized distribution networks such as pharmacies.
A representative from the beauty industry said, "The sight of Koreans buying cosmetics at pharmacies in Paris's Monge Pharmacy or Florence's Santa Maria Novella is now being recreated at pharmacies in Seoul's Gangnam and Hongdae for foreign tourists," adding, "As the premium image of K-beauty strengthens, pharmacies that handle functional products are gaining attention as new distribution hubs."