Beyond Olive Young: A Different Kind of Beauty Shopping in Seoul
Skin analysis, pharmacy skincare, a vast wellness store and the pleasure of finding a bargain—pick the experience that fits your Seoul day.
By A Drop of Seoul Editorial Team ·
Seoul-based reporting and human editorial review · How we work
You have done Olive Young. Where next? We would start with two stops on one Myeongdong street: a pharmacy for skincare questions, then an outlet for the pleasure of finding a deal. Elsewhere, Doremi adds skin analysis to a Seongsu afternoon, while Medi Kingdom turns a Yongsan pharmacy visit into a much bigger browse. Choose the experience that sounds like your kind of shopping.
Five Places Worth Exploring
The interesting shift is what brings you through the door: a skin concern, a brand outside your usual list, or a price worth investigating. These are our suggested branches, not the only ones. Ready Young, Doremi and Off Beauty have several Seoul locations, so fit the shopping around your day. [3][4][14]
| Store / branch | Where | Browse / best for | Fit it into your day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ready Young Myeongdong | 7 Myeongdong 8na-gil / 명동8나길 7 [3] | Pharmacy skincare; product questions during a Myeongdong shopping day. [10] | Myeongdong pair with Off Beauty; also Seongsu, Hongdae and other Seoul branches. [3] |
| Doremi Seongsu | 75 Seongsui-ro, 1F / 성수이로 75, 1층 [11][12] | Creams and ampoules; enquire about skin analysis. [4] | Pair with Seongsu beauty shops; Myeongdong is another option. [4] |
| OWM Gangnam | 42 Gangnam-daero 102-gil / 강남대로102길 42 [27] | Themed displays, K-beauty and pharmacist consultation. [26][27] | A Gangnam stop near Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6. [27] |
| Medi Kingdom | 74 Cheongpa-ro, New Building 1F, 116 / 청파로 74, 신관동 1층 116호 [1] | K-beauty zone plus health products; a larger pharmacy browse. [2][7] | A dedicated Yongsan browse inside Electronics Land. [1] |
| Off Beauty Myeongdong Square | 14 Myeongdong 8na-gil / 명동8나길 14 [13] | Skincare, makeup, masks; flexible bargain browsing. [8] | Myeongdong pair with Ready Young; also Hongdae, Seongsu, Sinchon and Gwangjang Market. [14] |
Ready Young: let a question lead the shopping
Ready Young’s Myeongdong storefront.
Image supplied by the editor.
Ready Young is a useful starting point when your shopping list has become a list of skin questions. Bring the name of a cream you are curious about and a photo of what you already use. Its pharmacy-and-beauty positioning gives the visit a different focus from a broad makeup-and-essentials run. Rudient’s placement at its Myeongdong and Myeongdong Town branches is one example of a skincare label to explore there. [3][10]
Our Myeongdong starting point is 7 Myeongdong 8na-gil, Jung-gu (서울 중구 명동8나길 7), near Myeongdong Station Exit 6. Elsewhere, Ready Young’s directory lists Seongsu (47 Seongsuil-ro 6-gil), Yeonmujang-gil (4 Yeonmujang-gil), Hongdae (8 Hongik-ro 6-gil), plus other Seoul branches including Gangnam and Doota Mall. Pick the one that fits your day. [3]
Doremi: make skin analysis part of the outing
Inside Doremi Pharmacy, pictured in Becon’s case study.
Photo source: Becon
Doremi has the most hands-on reason to pause: a closer look at your skin before choosing a product. According to technology supplier Becon, the in-store scanner assesses features such as moisture, oil, pores and redness; a multilingual results screen then supports a conversation with the pharmacist and product recommendations. Scan, look at the findings, discuss what belongs in your routine—that is a more interesting souvenir than another unexplained serum. [4]
The suggested stop is Seongsu, 75 Seongsui-ro, first floor (서울 성동구 성수이로 75, 1층), with another option in Myeongdong. Becon describes international visitors using multilingual results screens. For a friend curious about beauty technology, this would be our first suggestion: make the conversation about your own skin part of the afternoon. [4][11][12]
OWM: browse a pharmacy with a museum mindset
OWM Gangnam’s Optima Wellness Museum storefront. Photo: Creatrip.
The name is a clue: OWM stands for Optima Wellness Museum. Its Gangnam branch gives you a reason to linger beyond a quick cream purchase. The official floor guide lists themed curation zones, a consultation area and a basement exhibition hall; Visit Seoul also describes K-beauty products, health measurements and product experiences. For a friend who enjoys seeing how a shop is put together, this is our pick: explore the displays, then ask a pharmacist about the products that caught your eye. [26][27]
Find it at 42 Gangnam-daero 102-gil, Gangnam-gu (서울 강남구 강남대로102길 42), near Sinnonhyeon Station Exit 6. Make it a Gangnam stop rather than squeezing it into the Myeongdong walk. [27]
Medi Kingdom: see beauty inside a giant pharmacy
A pharmacist consultation at Medi Kingdom.
Photo source: Medi Kingdom
At Medi Kingdom, the attraction is the scale and the mix. The Yongsan pharmacy occupies about 800 pyeong—roughly 2,645 square metres—with a dedicated K-beauty zone among medicines, supplements and other health-related products. It is a chance to see how skincare sits within a much broader Korean health-shopping space. The figure covers the whole pharmacy, which is precisely what makes this a different kind of browse. [1][2]
Head to Electronics Land, 74 Cheongpa-ro, Yongsan-gu, New Building, first floor, unit 116 (서울 용산구 청파로 74, 신관동 1층 116호). For beauty, start with the K-beauty section; Dr.Pepti’s announced range there included essences and moisturising skincare. This is the option for someone who enjoys browsing across categories, especially with Yongsan already in the day’s plans. [1][7]
Off Beauty: leave space for an unexpected find
Off Beauty’s Myeongdong Square storefront.
Photo source: Park Eun-kyung / iNews24
Off Beauty makes sense when you would rather compare the product and price than keep up with another launch. Look for skincare, makeup and sheet masks, with brands such as rom&nd and Dr.G appearing in reporting on the chain. Go with a flexible shopping list: the pleasure here is finding something useful outside the new-release cycle. You can admire a good price without giving every discounted bottle a home. [8]
For our two-stop Myeongdong walk, use Myeongdong Square at 14 Myeongdong 8na-gil (서울 중구 명동8나길 14). It is on the same street as the Ready Young branch above. Off Beauty also lists stores in Hongdae, Seongsu, Sinchon and Gwangjang Market in its Seoul recruitment notice, so a bargain browse need not mean a special trip to Myeongdong. [13][14]
A July 2025 report from the Gwangjang Market branch gives a taste of the appeal: a rom&nd tint at ₩6,000 and a Laka shadow at ₩12,000, reported as 54% and 50% below their stated regular prices. Think of those as examples of the finds this format can offer; current-price details are below. [23]
Off Beauty buys regular stock, excess inventory and near-expiry products. It suits a flexible shopping list and someone willing to inspect the actual box. A half-price colour you will never wear is still a fairly expensive drawer ornament. [6]
What to Look For
For the ingredient-curious shopper, pharmacy skincare adds names worth asking about. Dr.Reju-All’s catalogue spans PDRN, retinol and ceramide categories; its cream also appeared in coverage of foreign visitors’ pharmacy purchases. Here are three concrete starting points, rather than another ten-step routine. [15][25]
Dr.Reju-All Advanced PDRN Rejuvenating Cream, 60ml: ₩80,000. The cream to ask about if this pharmacy-associated brand brought you in. [15]
Dr.Reju-All Advanced PDRN Copper Peptide Serum, 30ml: ₩35,000. An alternative format to discuss alongside the cream. [15]
Ildong Rejuniq PDRN Rejuvenating & Repair Cream: a pharmaceutical-company cosmetic with sodium DNA, niacinamide and panthenol listed among its ingredients; pharmacy price unverified. [24]
Curious about pharmacy skincare? These are three names to look for. Pharmacy-led does not mean pharmacy-only: Reju-All sells online, while Olive Young carries Rejuran—a different brand—with c-PDRN products. The reason to browse is the assortment and conversation. Use Reju-All’s pharmacy finder for stockists; the featured stores are not a confirmed stock list. [15][16][17]
Plan Your Beauty Walk
Myeongdong Station Exit 6 → Ready Young, 7 Myeongdong 8na-gil → Off Beauty Myeongdong Square, 14 Myeongdong 8na-gil. [3][13]
Start with your questions at Ready Young, then browse Off Beauty with the products and prices still fresh in mind. Both addresses are on the same street. It is an easy way to try two shopping styles without turning your afternoon into a citywide beauty marathon.
Open the map: Myeongdong Station Exit 6 | Ready Young Myeongdong | Off Beauty Myeongdong Square
Elsewhere in Seoul: Doremi Seongsu map | Medi Kingdom map | Ready Young branch directory
Before You Go
Prices: the Reju-All figures are official online prices checked on October 20, 2026, not pharmacy quotes. The Off Beauty examples are from July 2025; exact shades, sizes and expiry dates were not reported. Compare the same product and pack at today’s prices, and read the expiry date on the box. Neither example establishes a saving over Olive Young.
Visits: confirm hours, a specific product’s stock and tax-refund arrangements with your branch. Doremi’s analysis fee and session length remain unverified; ask about booking and consultation language. Its scanner is a shopping aid, not a medical diagnosis. The walk above suggests an order, not measured walking times.
Go for a conversation, a closer look at your skin, or a good find on a familiar street. The best addition to your Seoul beauty haul may be one product you can explain why you bought.
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