--- title: "Cold and flu brands: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the cold, flu and sore throat remedy brands people reach. Share of Search among Vicks, Strepsils, Sudafed, Difflam and Coldrex, the cold and flu brands Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cold-and-flu-brands" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Cold and flu brands: Which are searched most? Compare the cold, flu and sore throat remedy brands people reach. Share of Search among Vicks, Strepsils, Sudafed, Difflam and Coldrex, the cold and flu brands Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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. ## Key facts - **Competitive set**: Cold and flu brands - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 5 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Vicks, 44.8% ## Which brand is most popular in search among cold and flu brands worldwide? - 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. - 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. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Vicks vs Strepsils: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/strepsils-vs-vicks): 44.8% against 32.3% Share of Search. - [Vicks vs Sudafed: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/sudafed-vs-vicks): 44.8% against 17.7% Share of Search. - [Vicks vs Difflam: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/difflam-vs-vicks): 44.8% against 2.9% Share of Search. - [Vicks vs Coldrex: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/coldrex-vs-vicks): 44.8% against 2.4% Share of Search. - [Strepsils vs Sudafed: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/strepsils-vs-sudafed): 32.3% against 17.7% Share of Search. - [Strepsils vs Difflam: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/difflam-vs-strepsils): 32.3% against 2.9% Share of Search. - [Strepsils vs Coldrex: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/coldrex-vs-strepsils): 32.3% against 2.4% Share of Search. - [Sudafed vs Difflam: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/difflam-vs-sudafed): 17.7% against 2.9% Share of Search. - [Sudafed vs Coldrex: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/coldrex-vs-sudafed): 17.7% against 2.4% Share of Search. - [Difflam vs Coldrex: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/coldrex-vs-difflam): 2.9% against 2.4% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for cold and flu brands worldwide in September 2026? - 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. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Vicks | 44.8% | 1.1M | +22.3% | Vicks | | 2 | Strepsils | 32.3% | 823K | +22.3% | Strepsils | | 3 | Sudafed | 17.7% | 450K | +22.3% | Sudafed | | 4 | Difflam | 2.9% | 74K | +22.3% | Difflam | | 5 | Coldrex | 2.4% | 60.5K | +172.5% | Coldrex | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Vicks | 1.4M | 49.3% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | Strepsils | 823K | 29% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Sudafed | 450K | 15.9% | 3 | | Oct 2025 | Difflam | 90.5K | 3.2% | 4 | | Oct 2025 | Coldrex | 74K | 2.6% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | Vicks | 1.2M | 45.8% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | Strepsils | 823K | 32% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Sudafed | 450K | 17.5% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Difflam | 74K | 2.9% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | Coldrex | 49.5K | 1.9% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | Vicks | 1.4M | 47.6% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | Strepsils | 823K | 28.1% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Sudafed | 550K | 18.7% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Difflam | 90.5K | 3.1% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | Coldrex | 74K | 2.5% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | Vicks | 1.4M | 47.9% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | Strepsils | 823K | 28.2% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Sudafed | 550K | 18.9% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Coldrex | 74K | 2.5% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | Difflam | 74K | 2.5% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | Vicks | 1.1M | 45.7% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 26.9% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Sudafed | 550K | 22% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Difflam | 74K | 3% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | Coldrex | 60.5K | 2.4% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | Vicks | 1.1M | 44% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 28% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Sudafed | 550K | 22.9% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Difflam | 74K | 3.1% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | Coldrex | 49.5K | 2.1% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | Vicks | 863K | 41.5% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 32.4% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Sudafed | 450K | 21.6% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Difflam | 60.5K | 2.9% | 4 | | Apr 2026 | Coldrex | 33.1K | 1.6% | 5 | | May 2026 | Vicks | 844K | 42.8% | 1 | | May 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 34.1% | 2 | | May 2026 | Sudafed | 368K | 18.7% | 3 | | May 2026 | Difflam | 60.5K | 3.1% | 4 | | May 2026 | Coldrex | 27.1K | 1.4% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | Vicks | 863K | 45.1% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 35.1% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Sudafed | 301K | 15.7% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Difflam | 60.5K | 3.2% | 4 | | Jun 2026 | Coldrex | 18.1K | 0.94% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | Vicks | 863K | 45% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 35.1% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Sudafed | 301K | 15.7% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Difflam | 60.5K | 3.2% | 4 | | Jul 2026 | Coldrex | 18.1K | 0.94% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | Vicks | 933K | 45.4% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | Strepsils | 673K | 32.7% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Sudafed | 368K | 17.9% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Difflam | 60.5K | 2.9% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | Coldrex | 22.2K | 1.1% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | Vicks | 1.1M | 44.8% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | Strepsils | 823K | 32.3% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Sudafed | 450K | 17.7% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Difflam | 74K | 2.9% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | Coldrex | 60.5K | 2.4% | 5 | ## What is being compared - **Coldrex**: Measured on the search term “coldrex”. - **Difflam**: Measured on the search term “difflam”. - **Strepsils**: Measured on the search term “strepsils”. - **Sudafed**: Measured on the search term “sudafed”. - **Vicks**: Measured on the search terms “vicks”, “vicks cough”, “vicks inhaler” and “vicks vaporub”, summed into one figure. - [Coldrex](/demand/global-en/brands/coldrex) - [Difflam](/demand/global-en/brands/difflam) - [Strepsils](/demand/global-en/brands/strepsils) - [Sudafed](/demand/global-en/brands/sudafed) - [Vicks](/demand/global-en/brands/vicks) ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which brand is most popular in search among cold and flu brands worldwide? 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. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Cold and flu brands: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cold-and-flu-brands This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/cold-and-flu-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.