Makeup primer brands:Which are most popular?

Name: Makeup primer brands: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics was the most searched makeup primer brand worldwide, accounting for 50.6% of all searches among the 12 brands tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Smashbox was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Smashbox was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three responses that gave a list.

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Top makeup primer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Smashbox was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Smashbox was recommended most often, coming first in one out of three answers that gave a list. Milk Makeup was second, and e.l.f. Cosmetics and Benefit Cosmetics tied for third. MAC, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

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

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Smashbox	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Milk Makeup	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	3 of 5
e.l.f. Cosmetics	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Benefit Cosmetics	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
NYX Professional Makeup	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Hourglass	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
MAC	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Charlotte Tilbury	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Laura Mercier	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Fenty Beauty	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Rare Beauty	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Too Faced	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Smashbox4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Milk Makeup3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
e.l.f. Cosmetics2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Benefit Cosmetics2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
NYX Professional Makeup1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Hourglass1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
MAC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Charlotte Tilbury0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Laura Mercier0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Fenty Beauty0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Rare Beauty0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Too Faced0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about makeup primer brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Which makeup primer should I buy?”
1. 1Smashbox
2. 2Milk Makeup
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best makeup primers?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best makeup primer for oily skin?”
1. 1Smashbox
2. 2Benefit Cosmetics
Searched Google, AI Overview
“makeup primer”
1. 1e.l.f. Cosmetics
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best primer”

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.

Which makeup primer brands do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each makeup primer brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 makeup primer brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide, by month

Month	e.l.f. Cosmetics	Benefit Cosmetics	Smashbox	Milk Makeup	NYX Professional Makeup	MAC	Hourglass	Charlotte Tilbury	Laura Mercier	Fenty Beauty	Rare Beauty	Too Faced
Nov 2025	44.4%	12.1%	8.7%	11.3%	8.4%	5.6%	2.8%	2.5%	1.7%	1.1%	0.91%	0.5%
Dec 2025	45.7%	11.8%	8.6%	11.7%	8.6%	4.7%	2.3%	2.6%	1.7%	0.94%	0.77%	0.62%
Jan 2026	41%	16.5%	9.8%	10.9%	8.1%	4.4%	2.7%	2.4%	1.6%	0.88%	0.88%	0.71%
Feb 2026	42.5%	13.4%	9.8%	13%	8%	4.4%	2.7%	2.4%	1.6%	0.86%	0.71%	0.71%
Mar 2026	44.1%	13.9%	9.3%	11.1%	8.3%	4.6%	2.3%	2.5%	1.7%	0.91%	0.73%	0.6%
Apr 2026	41.2%	12.4%	11.5%	12.9%	7.4%	5%	3%	2.7%	1.5%	0.98%	0.79%	0.79%
May 2026	43%	11.1%	12.1%	11.7%	8.1%	4.4%	2.9%	2.4%	1.6%	1.1%	0.87%	0.57%
Jun 2026	44.8%	11.6%	11.3%	11.3%	7%	4.6%	3%	2.5%	1.7%	0.91%	0.75%	0.5%
Jul 2026	45.9%	11.3%	11.1%	11.9%	6.8%	3.7%	2.9%	2.5%	1.6%	0.89%	0.89%	0.58%
Aug 2026	49.7%	10.5%	9.3%	10.2%	7.7%	4.2%	2.5%	2.3%	1.5%	0.82%	0.82%	0.54%
Sep 2026	49.7%	10.9%	10.1%	10%	6.6%	4.4%	2.7%	2%	1.6%	0.86%	0.71%	0.56%
Oct 2026	50.6%	11.1%	10.3%	8.9%	6.7%	4.5%	2.6%	2%	1.3%	0.89%	0.71%	0.39%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	e.l.f. Cosmetics	50.6%	206K	+22.2%	+0.9 points
2, held 2nd	Benefit Cosmetics	11.1%	45.2K	+22.2%	+0.2 points
3, held 3rd	Smashbox	10.3%	41.9K	+22.2%	+0.2 points
4, held 4th	Milk Makeup	8.9%	36.2K	+7.4%	-1 points
5, held 5th	NYX Professional Makeup	6.7%	27.1K	+22.1%	+0.1 points
6, held 6th	MAC	4.5%	18.1K	+22.3%	+0.1 points
7, held 7th	Hourglass	2.6%	10.5K	+16.7%	-0.1 points
8, held 8th	Charlotte Tilbury	2%	8.1K	+22.7%	0 points
9, held 9th	Laura Mercier	1.3%	5.4K	0%	-0.3 points
10, held 10th	Fenty Beauty	0.89%	3.6K	+24.1%	0 points
11, held 11th	Rare Beauty	0.71%	2.9K	+20.8%	0 points
12, held 12th	Too Faced	0.39%	1.6K	-15.8%	-0.2 points

1.e.l.f. Cosmetics
50.6%
Held 1st. 206K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.
2.Benefit Cosmetics
11.1%
Held 2nd. 45.2K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
3.Smashbox
10.3%
Held 3rd. 41.9K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
4.Milk Makeup
8.9%
Held 4th. 36.2K estimated branded searches, +7.4% vs prior month. Share -1 points.
5.NYX Professional Makeup
6.7%
Held 5th. 27.1K estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
6.MAC
4.5%
Held 6th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.
7.Hourglass
2.6%
Held 7th. 10.5K estimated branded searches, +16.7% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.
8.Charlotte Tilbury
2%
Held 8th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
9.Laura Mercier
1.3%
Held 9th. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
10.Fenty Beauty
0.89%
Held 10th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, +24.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
11.Rare Beauty
0.71%
Held 11th. 2.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share 0 points.
12.Too Faced
0.39%
Held 12th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, -15.8% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

e.l.f. Cosmetics, Benefit Cosmetics and 8 other brands sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “elf primer”.

Which brand is most popular in search among makeup primer brands worldwide?

12 brands

In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics was the most searched among makeup primer brands worldwide, with an estimated 206K branded searches, 50.6% of all searches for the 12 tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index. Benefit Cosmetics is in 2nd place, 39.5 percentage points behind at 11.1%.

Global makeup primer brands, last 12 months ending October 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
e.l.f. Cosmetics	44.4% → 50.6%	50.6%Oct 2026	41%Jan 2026	1st
Benefit Cosmetics	12.1% → 11.1%	16.5%Jan 2026	10.5%Aug 2026	2nd
Smashbox	8.7% → 10.3%	12.1%May 2026	8.6%Dec 2025	4th → 3rd
Milk Makeup	11.3% → 8.9%	13%Feb 2026	8.9%Oct 2026	3rd → 4th
NYX Professional Makeup	8.4% → 6.7%	8.6%Dec 2025	6.6%Sep 2026	5th
MAC	5.6% → 4.5%	5.6%Nov 2025	3.7%Jul 2026	6th
Hourglass	2.8% → 2.6%	3%Apr 2026	2.3%Mar 2026	7th
Charlotte Tilbury	2.5% → 2%	2.7%Apr 2026	2%Sep 2026	8th
Laura Mercier	1.7% → 1.3%	1.7%Dec 2025	1.3%Oct 2026	9th
Fenty Beauty	1.1% → 0.89%	1.1%Nov 2025	0.82%Aug 2026	10th
Rare Beauty	0.91% → 0.71%	0.91%Nov 2025	0.71%Sep 2026	11th
Too Faced	0.5% → 0.39%	0.79%Apr 2026	0.39%Oct 2026	12th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics’ share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide increased from 44.4% to 50.6%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Benefit Cosmetics’ share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide decreased from 12.1% to 11.1%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Smashbox’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide increased from 8.7% to 10.3%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Milk Makeup’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide decreased from 11.3% to 8.9%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, NYX Professional Makeup’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide decreased from 8.4% to 6.7%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, MAC’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide decreased from 5.6% to 4.5%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Charlotte Tilbury’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide decreased from 2.5% to 2%.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics’ share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide peaked at 50.6% in October 2026 and was lowest at 41% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Benefit Cosmetics’ share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide peaked at 16.5% in January 2026 and was lowest at 10.5% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Smashbox’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide peaked at 12.1% in May 2026 and was lowest at 8.6% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Milk Makeup’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide peaked at 13% in February 2026 and was lowest at 8.9% in October 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, NYX Professional Makeup’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide peaked at 8.6% in December 2025 and was lowest at 6.6% in September 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, MAC’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide peaked at 5.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.7% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Smashbox rose from 4th to 3rd among makeup primer brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Milk Makeup fell from 3rd to 4th among makeup primer brands worldwide.
Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Hourglass, Laura Mercier, Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty and Too Faced held steady: their share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for makeup primer brands worldwide in October 2026?

8 changes

In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics gained share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide, from 49.7% to 50.6%.
In October 2026, Milk Makeup lost share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide, from 10% to 8.9%.
MAC’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.7% to 4.5% in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Rare Beauty worldwide fell 34.1% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 2.9K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Fenty Beauty worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 5.4K to 3.6K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Laura Mercier worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 5.4K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Too Faced worldwide fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 1.6K in October 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for NYX Professional Makeup worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 40.5K to 27.1K in October 2026.

How are branded searches counted for makeup primer brands?

18 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among makeup primer brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.