Objective To evaluate the disease burden of acne vulgaris in China from 1990 to 2019 and to provide references for the prevention and control of acne vulgaris in China. MethodsThe quantity of incidences/illnesses, age-standardized incidence/prevalence rates, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and DALY rate of acne vulgaris in China from 1990 to 2019 which were derived from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019 were evaluated. The epidemiological trends, age-birth-cohort trends, and the relationship between the incidence and sociodemographic index (SDI) were also analyzed. Results In 2019, the prevalence and incidence of acne vulgaris in China were higher than the global average. The quantity of patients was slightly higher in 2019 than that in 1990 (3.91%), and the prevalence, incidence, and DALY rate showed a continuous growth trend. The incidence of acne vulgaris peaked at 10 to 14 years old. Acne vulgaris mostly affected young males, and its prevalence peaked at approximately 15 to 19 years old. With these two age groups as the boundary, there was a trend of the prevalence of acne vulgaris increasing initially and then decreasing. Obvious gender differences existed for acne vulgaris diagnoses, and most of the above indicators were shown at a higher level in females than in males. The age period cohort analysis showed that the incidence rate of acne vulgaris in China from 1990 to 2019 was significantly different from the net drift, age effect, period effect and cohort effect. As the SDI value increased, the incidence of acne vulgaris showed a linear growth trend. Conclusions From 1990 to 2019, the burden of acne disease in China increases significantly.