Cold and flu brands:Which are searched most?
In September 2026, Vicks was the most searched among cold and flu brands worldwide, with an estimated 1.1M branded searches and 44.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Share of SearchLeaderboard
Compare the cold, flu and sore throat remedy brands people reach. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of Search by month for Vicks, Strepsils, Sudafed, Difflam, Coldrex. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Vicks | Strepsils | Sudafed | Difflam | Coldrex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 49.3% | 29% | 15.9% | 3.2% | 2.6% |
| Nov 2025 | 45.8% | 32% | 17.5% | 2.9% | 1.9% |
| Dec 2025 | 47.6% | 28.1% | 18.7% | 3.1% | 2.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 47.9% | 28.2% | 18.9% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 45.7% | 26.9% | 22% | 3% | 2.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 44% | 28% | 22.9% | 3.1% | 2.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 41.5% | 32.4% | 21.6% | 2.9% | 1.6% |
| May 2026 | 42.8% | 34.1% | 18.7% | 3.1% | 1.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 45.1% | 35.1% | 15.7% | 3.2% | 0.94% |
| Jul 2026 | 45% | 35.1% | 15.7% | 3.2% | 0.94% |
| Aug 2026 | 45.4% | 32.7% | 17.9% | 2.9% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 44.8% | 32.3% | 17.7% | 2.9% | 2.4% |
This month’s ranking, September 2026
| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 44.8% | 1.1M | +22.3% | -0.6 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 32.3% | 823K | +22.3% | -0.4 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 17.7% | 450K | +22.3% | -0.2 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 2.9% | 74K | +22.3% | 0 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 2.4% | 60.5K | +172.5% | +1.3 points |
1.
Vicks44.8%
Held 1st. 1.1M estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.
32.3%
Held 2nd. 823K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
3.
Sudafed17.7%
Held 3rd. 450K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
4.
Difflam2.9%
Held 4th. 74K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
5.Coldrex
2.4%
Held 5th. 60.5K estimated branded searches, +172.5% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.
Compare search popularity between leading brands
Vicks vs Strepsils: compare search popularity- Vicks vs Sudafed: compare search popularity
- Vicks vs Difflam: compare search popularity
- Vicks vs Coldrex: compare search popularity
- Strepsils vs Sudafed: compare search popularity
- Strepsils vs Difflam: compare search popularity
- Strepsils vs Coldrex: compare search popularity
- Sudafed vs Difflam: compare search popularity
- Sudafed vs Coldrex: compare search popularity
- Difflam vs Coldrex: compare search popularity
- Compare any of these brands
Which brand is most popular in search among cold and flu brands worldwide?
5 brands
In September 2026, Vicks was the most searched among cold and flu brands worldwide, with an estimated 1.1M branded searches and 44.8% estimated Share of Search within this set. Strepsils is in 2nd place, 12.5 percentage points behind at 32.3% Share of Search.
| Brand | Share of Search | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vicks | 49.3% → 44.8% | 49.3%Oct 2025 | 41.5%Apr 2026 | 1st |
| Strepsils | 29% → 32.3% | 35.1%Jul 2026 | 26.9%Feb 2026 | 2nd |
| Sudafed | 15.9% → 17.7% | 22.9%Mar 2026 | 15.7%Jun 2026 | 3rd |
| Difflam | 3.2% → 2.9% | 3.2%Oct 2025 | 2.5%Jan 2026 | 4th |
| Coldrex | 2.6% → 2.4% | 2.6%Oct 2025 | 0.94%Jun 2026 | 5th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide decreased from 49.3% to 44.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Strepsils’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide increased from 29% to 32.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sudafed’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide increased from 15.9% to 17.7%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide peaked at 49.3% in October 2025 and was lowest at 41.5% in April 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Strepsils’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide peaked at 35.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 26.9% in February 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sudafed’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide peaked at 22.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 15.7% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Coldrex’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide peaked at 2.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 0.94% in June 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Difflam and Coldrex held steady: their estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for cold and flu brands worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Coldrex gained estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide, from 1.1% to 2.4%.
In September 2026, Vicks lost estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands worldwide, from 45.4% to 44.8%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Difflam worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 74K in September 2026.
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