{"id":6484,"date":"2026-10-09T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/?p=6484"},"modified":"2026-10-09T00:27:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T15:27:08","slug":"korean-acne-cream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/korean-acne-cream\/","title":{"rendered":"Korean Acne Cream Guide: 5 Smart Pharmacy Picks + Prices"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking for a Korean acne cream to pick up during your trip to Seoul? Korean pharmacies sell several over-the-counter acne treatments you can buy without a prescription, but each one is made for a different type of breakout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Walk into a pharmacy in Myeongdong or Gangnam and you&#8217;ll spot names like Aknon, Clearteen and Fatima Gel, most priced under \u20a920,000 (about $15). The catch: labels are in Korean, English help varies from pharmacy to pharmacy, and picking the wrong formula for your skin can leave you with dryness and stinging instead of the result you wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide puts everything in one place. We compare five pharmacy picks by acne type, give you the Korean names to show the pharmacist, and cover prices in KRW and USD, how to use them safely while traveling, and when it&#8217;s worth booking a dermatologist in Seoul instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc40 Korean Acne Cream Picks at a Glance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Show the pharmacist<\/th><th>Product<\/th><th>Key ingredient<\/th><th>Best for<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>\uc560\ud06c\ub17c \ud06c\ub9bc<\/td><td>Aknon Cream<\/td><td>Ibuprofen piconol 3% + isopropyl methylphenol 1%<\/td><td>Red, painful pimples<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\ud074\ub9ac\uc5b4\ud2f4 \uc678\uc6a9\uc561<\/td><td>Clearteen Solution 2%<\/td><td>Salicylic acid (BHA) 2%<\/td><td>Whiteheads, blackheads<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\uc560\ud06c\ub9b0\uac94<\/td><td>Acrin Gel<\/td><td>Salicylic acid<\/td><td>Non-inflamed bumps<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\ud30c\ud2f0\ub9c8\uac94 2.5%<\/td><td>Fatima Gel 2.5%<\/td><td>Benzoyl peroxide 2.5%<\/td><td>Pus-filled acne<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\uc138\ube44\ud0c0\ube44\uac94 \/ \ub354\ub9c8\uadf8\ub7a8\uac94<\/td><td>Sebitabi Gel \/ Dermagram Gel<\/td><td>Nicotinamide (niacinamide)<\/td><td>Redness, oily skin<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Price:<\/strong> Most cost around \u20a910,000\u201320,000 (about $7\u201315). Prices vary by pharmacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd0d Match the Cream to Your Acne Type<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Whiteheads &amp; blackheads<\/strong> (small, skin-colored bumps) \u2192 salicylic acid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Red, sore pimples<\/strong> (early inflammation) \u2192 ibuprofen piconol or nicotinamide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pus-filled pimples<\/strong> \u2192 benzoyl peroxide<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Red marks or scars<\/strong> left after acne \u2192 a cream alone usually won&#8217;t do much; see a dermatologist<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-15.png\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A variety of acne ointments<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udc8a 5 Korean Pharmacy Acne Creams, Explained<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Aknon Cream (\uc560\ud06c\ub17c \ud06c\ub9bc) \u2014 for red, painful pimples<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A popular Korean acne cream for breakouts that are just starting to swell. It combines an anti-inflammatory ingredient with an antibacterial one. Apply a thin layer only on the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Clearteen Solution 2% (\ud074\ub9ac\uc5b4\ud2f4 \uc678\uc6a9\uc561) \u2014 for whiteheads &amp; blackheads<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A liquid with 2% salicylic acid that loosens the dead skin clogging your pores. Easy to use on larger areas like the nose and forehead. Moisturize, as it can feel drying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Acrin Gel (\uc560\ud06c\ub9b0\uac94) \u2014 for non-inflamed bumps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also salicylic acid, but in gel form. Pick either this or Clearteen, not both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Fatima Gel 2.5% (\ud30c\ud2f0\ub9c8\uac94) \u2014 for pus-filled acne<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Benzoyl peroxide reduces acne-causing bacteria. Start with a small amount, and keep it away from towels, pillowcases and dark clothes, as it can bleach fabric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Sebitabi Gel \/ Dermagram Gel (\uc138\ube44\ud0c0\ube44\uac94 \/ \ub354\ub9c8\uadf8\ub7a8\uac94) \u2014 for redness &amp; oily skin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nicotinamide-based gels for skin that gets red pimples and produces a lot of oil. Follow the dosage on the package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Heads up: Azelia cream (\uc544\uc824\ub9ac\uc544 \ud06c\ub9bc) needs a prescription.<\/strong> Azelaic acid creams are prescription-only in Korea. You&#8217;ll need to see a dermatologist to get one.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udecd\ufe0f How to Buy Acne Cream at a Korean Pharmacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Find one:<\/strong> Look for the <strong>\uc57d<\/strong> (pharmacy) sign. You&#8217;ll find many around Myeongdong, Hongdae and Gangnam Station.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Not at Olive Young:<\/strong> Medicated acne creams are sold only at pharmacies. Olive Young carries skincare and pimple patches, not these OTC drugs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Language:<\/strong> English varies by pharmacy. Show the Korean name from the table above, or point to your acne type.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Payment:<\/strong> Most pharmacies accept foreign credit cards.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Flying home:<\/strong> Check your country&#8217;s rules on bringing medicines back. Small amounts for personal use are usually fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/image-16.png\" alt=\"\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Say goodbye to acne worries!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u26a0\ufe0f How to Use It Safely<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Apply a small amount only on the affected spot after cleansing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Start once a day, then follow the package directions once your skin adjusts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Don&#8217;t layer two acne creams. Salicylic acid + benzoyl peroxide together can cause dryness and stinging.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid the eye area, lips and broken skin.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stop and ask a pharmacist or doctor if it gets redder or doesn&#8217;t help after 1\u20132 weeks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83c\udfe5 When a Cream Isn&#8217;t Enough: Dermatology Clinics in Seoul<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A Korean acne cream works for mild breakouts. If your acne keeps coming back in the same spot, feels deep and hard, or is leaving scars, it&#8217;s worth booking a dermatologist while you&#8217;re in Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Treatment<\/th><th>What it does<\/th><th>Downtime*<\/th><th>Trip tip<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Aqua Peel<\/td><td>Deep-cleans pores, removes sebum and blackheads<\/td><td>Little to none<\/td><td>Fine to book any day of your trip<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Potenza<\/td><td>Microneedling + radiofrequency for acne, scars and pores<\/td><td>Redness for a few days<\/td><td>Book early in your trip, not right before your flight<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Acne extraction<\/td><td>Clears clogged or inflamed pimples<\/td><td>Mild redness for 1\u20132 days<\/td><td>Pair with a pharmacy cream afterward (after the clinic says it&#8217;s OK)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">*Recovery varies by person and by clinic settings. Follow your doctor&#8217;s advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Aftercare:<\/strong> For about a week after needle or laser treatments, skip heavy drinking, saunas and jjimjilbang, and intense workouts. Hold off on strong acne creams for 2\u20133 days unless the clinic says otherwise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2753 FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Can I buy acne cream in Korea without a prescription?<\/strong> Yes. All five Korean acne cream options above are over-the-counter at pharmacies. Prescription creams like azelaic acid need a doctor&#8217;s visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is Korean acne cream sold at Olive Young?<\/strong> No. Medicated creams like Aknon are pharmacy-only. Olive Young sells cosmetic acne care like pimple patches and toners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Which Korean acne cream is good for whiteheads?<\/strong> Look for salicylic acid, such as Clearteen Solution or Acrin Gel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yeoshin.co.kr\/?utm_source=Owned&amp;utm_medium=261009_owned_en_EN&amp;utm_campaign=261009_none_SEO&amp;utm_content=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">[Check out YeoTi\u2019s Fall coupon deals and book now!]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yeoshin.co.kr\/?utm_source=Owned&amp;utm_medium=261009_owned_en_EN&amp;utm_campaign=261009_none_SEO&amp;utm_content=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"477\" height=\"703\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6234\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6785206258890469;width:477px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-2.png 477w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-2-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-2-400x589.png 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 477px) 100vw, 477px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Want to explore trusted Korean clinics?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yeoshin.co.kr\/?utm_source=Owned&amp;utm_medium=261009_owned_en_EN&amp;utm_campaign=261009_none_SEO&amp;utm_content=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YeoTi<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 the all-in-one Korean aesthetic app<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over\u00a0<strong>1,720,000 verified treatment reviews<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Transparent local pricing for foreigners<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Consultation and booking available in English, Japanese and Chinese<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"992\" height=\"883\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9.png 992w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9-300x267.png 300w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9-767x683.png 767w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9-400x356.png 400w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9-800x712.png 800w, https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/files\/2026\/10\/image-9-831x740.png 831w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>REAL REVIEWS FROM CUSTOMERS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Curious about treatment reviews or pricing?\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yeoshin.co.kr\/?utm_source=Owned&amp;utm_medium=261009_owned_en_EN&amp;utm_campaign=261009_none_SEO&amp;utm_content=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to find out more.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>RECOMMENDED ARTICLES<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out a variety of informative articles from\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.yeoshin.co.kr\/?utm_source=Owned&amp;utm_medium=261009_owned_en_EN&amp;utm_campaign=261009_none_SEO&amp;utm_content=article\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">YeoTi<\/a>\u00a0right\u00a0<em><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/\">here<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Looking for a Korean acne cream to pick up during your trip to Seoul? Korean pharmacies sell several&hellip;","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"csco_singular_sidebar":"","csco_page_header_type":"","csco_page_load_nextpost":"","footnotes":"","rank_math_title":"Korean Acne Cream Guide: 5 Smart Pharmacy Picks + Prices","rank_math_description":"","rank_math_canonical_url":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Korean Acne Cream"},"categories":[27,44,25,26],"tags":[526,527,343],"class_list":["post-6484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tips","category-face-wiki","category-treatment-info","category-wiki","tag-korean-acne-cream","tag-korean-pharmacy","tag-korean-skincare","cs-entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6484"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6484\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6488,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6484\/revisions\/6488"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.yeoshin.co.kr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}