Brandwave

How popular isHead & Shoulders?

In October 2026, people searched for Head & Shoulders by name about 694,000 times worldwide, an 8.6% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 33.3% of all global anti-dandruff shampoo brand searches, placing Head & Shoulders second out of eight brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about anti-dandruff shampoo brands, Head & Shoulders appeared in all answers and was the second most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in October 2026

Head & Shoulders is the second most searched of 8 competitors and the second most recommended in the AI answers we collected.

  1. NizoralShare of searches 50.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Head & ShouldersShare of searches 33.3%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. Selsun BlueShare of searches 7.5%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. CLEARShare of searches 3.6%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. NeutrogenaShare of searches 3.1%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

+3 more

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Top anti-dandruff shampoo brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Head & Shoulders appeared in all five answers. Head & Shoulders is the second most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Nizoral1st
  2. Head & Shoulders2nd
  3. Selsun Blue3rd
  4. Neutrogena4th
  5. CLEAR–
  6. Briogeo–
  7. Dove–
  8. Vanicream–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Nizoral5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Head & Shoulders5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Selsun Blue3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Neutrogena3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • CLEAR0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Briogeo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Dove0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vanicream0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about anti-dandruff shampoo brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 25, 2026.

How often do people search for Head & Shoulders compared with other anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide?

Head & Shoulders against anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Nizoral, Head & Shoulders, Selsun Blue, CLEAR, Neutrogena. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthNizoralHead & ShouldersSelsun BlueCLEARNeutrogenaBriogeoDoveVanicream
Nov 202547.3%34.5%8.5%4.1%3.7%1.4%0.34%0.23%
Dec 202547.2%34.4%8.5%4%3.7%1.7%0.34%0.23%
Jan 202650.2%33.5%7.4%3.5%3.2%1.5%0.44%0.3%
Feb 202648.7%32.6%8.8%4.2%3.1%1.8%0.53%0.35%
Mar 202649.2%32.9%8.1%3.9%3.3%1.6%0.49%0.4%
Apr 202649.6%33.2%8.2%3.9%2.9%1.3%0.4%0.4%
May 202648.9%32.7%8.8%4.2%3.1%1.4%0.43%0.53%
Jun 202648.4%35.3%7.1%4.1%2.9%1.2%0.35%0.64%
Jul 202647.4%34.5%8.5%5%2.9%0.93%0.34%0.42%
Aug 202647.8%34.8%8.6%4.1%2.9%1.2%0.42%0.34%
Sep 202647.9%34.9%8.6%4.1%2.9%0.94%0.42%0.34%
Oct 202650.7%33.3%7.5%3.6%3.1%1.2%0.45%0.3%

  1. 1.Nizoral

    50.7%

    Held 1st. 918K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +2.9 points.

  2. 2.Head & Shoulders

    33.3%

    Held 2nd. 602K estimated branded searches, +10.1% vs prior month. Share -1.6 points.

  3. 3.Selsun Blue

    7.5%

    Held 3rd. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.

  4. 4.CLEAR

    3.6%

    Held 4th. 64.3K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.5 points.

  5. 5.Neutrogena

    3.1%

    Held 5th. 55.3K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  6. 6.Briogeo

    1.2%

    Held 6th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +50% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  7. 7.Dove

    0.45%

    Held 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Vanicream

    0.3%

    Held 8th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Neutrogena, Dove and Vanicream sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “t gel shampoo”.

Compare popularity between Head & Shoulders and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Head & Shoulders

11 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Head & Shoulders changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Head & Shoulders worldwide rose from 639K to 694K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Head & Shoulders’ share of searches among anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide decreased from 34.5% to 33.3%.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Head & Shoulders’ share of searches among anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide peaked at 35.3% in June 2026 and was lowest at 32.6% in February 2026.

How did search popularity change for anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide in October 2026?

6 changes

  1. In October 2026, Nizoral gained share of searches among anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide, from 47.9% to 50.7%.

  2. In October 2026, Head & Shoulders lost share of searches among anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide, from 34.9% to 33.3%.

  3. In October 2026, Selsun Blue lost share of searches among anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide, from 8.6% to 7.5%.

  4. In October 2026, CLEAR lost share of searches among anti-dandruff shampoo brands worldwide, from 4.1% to 3.6%.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Dove worldwide rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 5.4K to 8.1K in October 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Vanicream worldwide rose 50% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 5.4K in October 2026.

How are Head & Shoulders’ branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Head & Shoulders’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • head and shoulders
  • head and shoulders shampoo
  • head shoulders
  • headshoulders

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Head & Shoulders?

Head & Shoulders is owned by Procter & Gamble. Brandwave also tracks Native, Braun, DayQuil, Fairy, Gillette, Gillette Venus, Metamucil, NyQuil, Old Spice, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Secret and Tide, owned by the same company, worldwide.

Do you work for Head & Shoulders? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Where does Head & Shoulders compete?

Head & Shoulders is ranked by how often people search for it in two competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Anti-dandruff shampoo brands2nd of 833.3%Shown above
Shampoo brands3rd of 511.8%Show ranking
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