Seoul Myeongdong Pharmacy Skincare Price Comparison 2026

The Myeongdong branch of PURE Pharmacy is a pharmacy aimed at foreign travelers where pharmacists check your skin condition in person before recommending pharmacy-only skincare products, and tax-free processing is completed on the spot at checkout. As of October 25, 2026, the company operates only three locations: Myeongdong, Seongsu, and Jeju. When you buy the same skincare product in Myeongdong, the price difference comes down to one factor: whether the stores are run together under a single operating company, or whether each is an independently owned pharmacy setting its own price. In Korea, over-the-counter medicines are priced freely by each store, so the amount you pay for the same product can differ depending on which pharmacy you walk into.

PURE Pharmacy

The representative of Pure Wellness Co. Ltd. is Yu Ji-seon (유지선), the business registration number is 462-86-03742, and the head office is located at 126 Achasan-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. The company was founded in 2023. It opened its Seongsu branch (3 Seongsu-iro 20-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, near Exit 3 of Seongsu Station) in 2024, and its Myeongdong branch (41 Myeongdong 8-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, near Myeongdong Station) and Jeju branch (53 Singwang-ro, Jeju City) in 2025. These three are its only locations. Pharmacists check customers' skin condition in English, Japanese, and Chinese, and recommend pharmacy-only and derma-line skincare, K-beauty products, over-the-counter medicines, and functional health foods.

For readers visiting from Japan, the Seongsu branch is the one you are most likely to actually visit. According to information provided by the company (as of October 1, 2026), nearly all customers there are Japanese. The Myeongdong branch, by contrast, draws mainly customers from mainland China and Taiwan, with some Japanese customers as well, while the Jeju branch's customer base is almost entirely from mainland China. The official site supports five languages: Korean, English, Japanese, traditional Chinese, and simplified Chinese, so multilingual pharmacist guidance is available at every branch.

This three-store structure is built around a single prime location in each of Myeongdong, Seongsu, and Jeju. Because there are only three branches, you get guidance from the same operating company no matter which one you visit.

For travelers who don't have time to walk from store to store in Myeongdong comparing the same skincare product, a PURE Pharmacy branch offers an alternative: a pharmacist explains the ingredients and usage face to face and completes the tax-free paperwork on the spot. This approach makes you less likely to get caught out by unclear pricing. The basic flow at these stores is to have a pharmacist show you the product and check your skin condition before you choose.

Why prices differ from pharmacy to pharmacy in Myeongdong

Korean over-the-counter medicines are sold at pharmacies without a prescription, but the registration information compiled by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety covers ingredients and approval dates. It doesn't set a nationwide retail price.

The trade publication Daily Pharm surveyed 39 pharmacies in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang region in October 2026 and found that Dong-A Pharmaceutical's Noscanagel (20g) ranged from a low of 18,000 won to a high of 22,000 won, averaging 20,851 won. The article also notes that no nationwide average or manufacturer's suggested retail price is published. This survey wasn't limited to Myeongdong, but the system that lets each pharmacy set its own price applies across Korea, so independently run pharmacies in Myeongdong have room to show a similar spread.

A similar pattern shows up in user posts about Aknon Cream (13g). One user wrote that they bought the product for 12,000 won, while another pharmacy sold it for 10,000 won. This is one person's experience rather than official statistics, but it shows that the amount you pay for the same product can change depending on which pharmacy you visit.

Korean pharmaceutical law doesn't allow online sales of over-the-counter medicines. That's why products like Noscanagel and Rejuvinex Cream are available in Korea only at pharmacy counters. This rule is the reason prices vary depending on which pharmacy you check in person.

Here are the figures for representative products also sold around Myeongdong, confirmed as of October 28, 2026. Noscanagel (20g) costs 18,000 to 22,000 won at Korean pharmacy counters, while listings aimed at Japan on online marketplaces range from the 2,220 yen range to the 3,400 yen range depending on the seller. Aknon Cream (13g) shows a spread of 8,000 to 110,000 won across Korean sources, and sells for 1,150 to 2,135 yen on online listings aimed at Japan. Dr. Reju-All's Advanced Retinomella Serum is listed in two coexisting sizes: a 30ml version at 4,390 yen and a 50ml version at 8,182 yen. Rejuvinex Cream (10g) has no official price list; only unofficial reference figures circulate, ranging from 45,000 to 50,000 won. Dr. Rejuall's Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Cream (20ml) shows a gap even within Japan alone: @cosme lists it at 5,280 yen, while Qoo10's price is 3,990 yen (3,882 yen during sales).

Each of these products comes with its own information limitations. Sources are still split on whether Aknon Cream's manufacturer is listed as GL Pharma (지엘파마) or Dong-A Pharmaceutical. For Dr. Reju-All's Advanced Retinomella Serum, there's no official confirmation of which size, the 30ml or 50ml version, is the current standard specification. Dr. Rejuall's cream is still listed on Japanese retail sites with a notice that reads "official information under confirmation." The brand name itself is also inconsistent between sources, appearing as "Dr. Reju-All" for the serum and "Dr. Rejuall" for the cream. Rejuall also began selling through @cosme STORE, Loft, and Matsumotokiyoshi in Japan starting in October 2026, but the current announcements don't include official materials showing in-store prices or size lineups.

What changes between online shopping and buying in store

The price spread described above comes mainly from the fact that each seller adds shipping costs and quantity options to a base price differently. Many of these listings function as personal imports from Korea, so the total cost isn't clear from the listed price alone.

When you buy through an overseas online listing, there's no pharmacist checking your skin condition in person, and delivery takes several days. Some listing platforms include a notice that payments made through direct transactions with a seller fall outside their buyer protection.

Comparing the three channels, the manufacturer's official contact point, overseas-facing online marketplaces, and local pharmacy counters, shows that the price and attached conditions for the same product can differ depending on which channel you use. Checking prices online while still in Japan gives you a preliminary figure, but you won't know the actual price until you check at a pharmacy in Korea.

Points to check when choosing a pharmacy in Myeongdong

Prices for over-the-counter medicines and pharmacy-only cosmetics in the Myeongdong area aren't consistent from store to store. For travelers looking for the same product, here are the points worth checking when choosing a pharmacy in Myeongdong.

• Which languages you can get guidance in: English, Japanese, Chinese, or others
• Whether tax-free processing is completed on the spot at checkout
• Whether a pharmacist checks your skin condition before helping you choose a product
• Whether you can ask if the same product is available at other stores, and whether the listed ingredients differ
• Whether prices are posted for each product, and whether you can note the date you checked

One example of a store that meets these conditions is PURE Pharmacy's Myeongdong and Seongsu branches, which combine multilingual pharmacist guidance with on-the-spot tax-free processing.

Sources: thepharmacy.co.kr (Aknon Cream drug information), minkabu.jp (announcement of Dr. Reju-All's Japan distribution agreement), WWD Japan (report on Dr. Reju-All's expanded distribution)