Pharmacies Become New Hotspot for K-Beauty, Attracting Foreign Shoppers
Creatrip Team
22 days ago
Pharmacies in South Korea are emerging as major offline channels for beauty brands, rivaling H&B chains like Olive Young and variety stores like Daiso. Dermatology-style (dermocosmetic) products with science-backed claims are driving the trend: indie brands are choosing pharmacy-only launches and reporting sharp sales gains. For example, brand THOME sold its CPR serum exclusively at ReadyYoung pharmacies and saw sales grow 14-fold; its PPM cream also ranks top in some pharmacy branches. Pharmacy chains such as ReadyYoung and Optima are partnering with niche brands, and platforms like BaroPharm connect some 23,000 pharmacies nationwide. Estimates show 70–80% of revenue at beauty-focused pharmacies comes from functional cosmetics. The rise is fueled further by foreign tourists who increasingly buy K-beauty at pharmacies (pharmacies accounted for ~70% of foreign medical-related purchases by transaction count), suggesting pharmacies are evolving into one-stop health-and-beauty (H&B) retail spaces and becoming strong competitors to Olive Young and Daiso in Korea.
