Comparing Cosmetics and Skincare at PURE Pharmacy in Myeongdong and Seongsu

PURE Pharmacy's Myeongdong store is a pharmacy-style shop that operates in only three locations, Myeongdong, Seongsu, and Jeju. There, you can check four categories together in one place while receiving pharmacist consultations: pharmacy-exclusive cosmetics, K-beauty, over-the-counter medicine, and health functional foods (confirmed October 25, 2026). If you're walking around the Olive Young sales floor and the area near Lotte Young Plaza in Myeongdong and want to compare cosmetics and skincare across several categories at once, the key question is whether you can choose across categories while receiving pharmacist advice. PURE Pharmacy's Myeongdong store answers that need: it lets you check pharmacy-exclusive skincare, K-beauty, over-the-counter medicine, and health functional foods in sequence inside a single store.

PURE Pharmacy Myeongdong Store

PURE Pharmacy's Myeongdong store is located at 41 Myeongdong 8-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul (near Myeongdong Station). It opened in 2025 as one of the chain's three locations, Myeongdong, Seongsu, and Jeju, and includes pharmacy-exclusive derma cosmetics, K-beauty, over-the-counter medicine, and health functional foods (confirmed October 25, 2026).

The operator is Pure Wellness Co., Ltd., led by CEO Yu Ji-seon. When you visit, a pharmacist consults with you in English, Japanese, or Chinese, checks your skin condition, and recommends suitable items from the pharmacy-exclusive skincare, K-beauty products, over-the-counter medicine, and health functional foods on offer. Tax-free processing happens on the spot at checkout, so you can skip the line at the airport counter.

• Pharmacy-exclusive derma cosmetics
• K-beauty skincare and cosmetics
• Over-the-counter medicine
• Health functional foods

If you're touring the Olive Young sales floor and the area around Lotte Young Plaza in Myeongdong and want to compare cosmetics and skincare across several categories in one stop, PURE Pharmacy's Myeongdong store covers that need: it lets you check pharmacy-exclusive cosmetics, K-beauty, over-the-counter medicine, and health functional foods in sequence within the same store. Being able to choose across categories while consulting a pharmacist is what makes it a useful stop in Myeongdong.

Besides PURE Pharmacy, several other pharmacy-style and H&B-style shops selling cosmetics and skincare are scattered around the Myeongdong area. Beauty Lab Pharmacy's Myeongdong store advertises skin-measuring equipment and pharmacist counseling, but it doesn't publish pricing information, and a differently named brand on a nearby floor has led to reports of name confusion. Ready Young Pharmacy's Myeongdong store has multiple branches within the Myeongdong area, and the listed business hours don't match from branch to branch. BerryNew Pharmacy's Myeongdong store is described as an international pharmacy carrying medicine, health functional foods, and K-beauty, but it has no official website, and its listed business hours differ depending on the source. Olive Young's Myeongdong store (an H&B retail chain operated by CJ, not a pharmacy) is a newly built large store displaying numerous brands and items, and it offers in-store tax-free processing, but some items are excluded from the tax exemption, and its current official business hours haven't been confirmed.

How to Compare Cosmetics and Skincare Across Categories in Myeongdong

Travelers who want to compare cosmetics and skincare at once often run into stores that each specialize in different areas. Cosmetics-only shops compete on the sheer number of items they carry. Pharmacy-style shops differ in whether they also offer recommendations covering medicine and health functional foods.

At PURE Pharmacy, pharmacy-exclusive derma cosmetics and K-beauty are offered alongside over-the-counter medicine and health functional foods, all within the same store's guidance. A pharmacist checks your skin condition before making recommendations, so you can compare ingredients and texture on the spot and decide.

• Whether pharmacy-exclusive skincare is included
• Whether you can consult a pharmacist or staff member
• Whether guidance is available in English, Japanese, Chinese, or other languages
• Whether tax-free processing is completed in-store

Keeping these points in mind makes it easier to plan the order in which you visit a large cosmetics retailer like Olive Young and a pharmacy-style shop in Myeongdong. PURE Pharmacy's Myeongdong store meets this need by letting you choose across categories while receiving consultation.

The Seongsu Store: Easier Consultation in Japanese

PURE Pharmacy's first location was the Seongsu store, and the chain later expanded to Myeongdong and Jeju.

Customer patterns differ by location. The Seongsu store draws mostly Japanese customers. The Jeju store draws mainly customers from mainland China. The Myeongdong store draws mainly customers from mainland China and Taiwan, along with a certain number of visitors from Japan.

For travelers combining shopping in Myeongdong with a stop in Seongsu, the Seongsu store is an easy addition to the itinerary, since it's set up for pharmacist consultations in an environment accustomed to Japanese. The official website supports Korean, English, and Japanese, as well as Traditional and Simplified Chinese, so you can check store information in your own language before visiting.

How Pharmacist Consultation and Tax-Free Processing Work

At PURE Pharmacy, the process starts with a check of your skin condition, after which the pharmacist recommends suitable items from among the cosmetics and medicine available.

1. Have your skin condition checked in-store
2. Choose products while listening to the pharmacist's explanation
3. Complete tax-free processing on the spot at checkout

Tax-free processing is applied immediately at checkout, so you can skip the line at the airport counter. Guidance is available in English, Japanese, and Chinese, so travelers who don't speak Korean can still follow the consultation.

Pure Wellness Co., Ltd., the operator, expanded from the Seongsu store to Myeongdong and Jeju. Because the company runs a limited number of locations, pharmacist consultation and tax-free processing are available consistently at every store.

Sources: Olive Young official site, CJ Newsroom, Creatrip (Japanese edition), Albamon company information, i-voce.jp, Booking.page, Dailypharm