Due to increases in antibiotic resistance, there is mounting interest in essential oils as alternatives to synthetic drugs, particularly against microbial agents. In the present study, we evaluated the chemical composition and the antibacterial activity of the Lindera erythrocarpa oil (LEE). L. erythrocarpa was collected from Jeju Island, south of Korea, and the essential oil was examined by GC/MS and bacteriological tests. Thirty-one compounds representing 91.85% of LEE was identified. The major constituents of LEE were nerolidol (26.93%) and beta-caryophyllene (13.24%). Other chemical components included methyl cinnamate (8.54%), alpha-humulene (8.48%), geranyl acetate (7.82%), alpha-farnesene (6.20%) and alpha-pinene (3.48%). The antibacterial activities of LEE against skin pathogens have not previously been reported. Thus, we determined the anti-bacterial activities of LEE using the disk diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values. In this study, LEE showed excellent antibacterial activities against drug-susceptible and -resistant skin pathogens such as Propionibacterium acnes, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Malassezia furfur, which are acne-causing bacteria. The MIC of LEE against drug-susceptible and -resistant skin pathogens ranged from 0.15 to 20.0 µL/mL.