--- title: "e.l.f. Cosmetics vs MAC: Which is more popular?" description: "Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or MAC more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Makeup primer brands set worldwide. 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/makeup-primer-brands/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-mac-cosmetics" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # e.l.f. Cosmetics vs MAC: Which is more popular? Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or MAC more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Makeup primer brands set worldwide. 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 - **Compared**: e.l.f. Cosmetics and MAC - **Competitive set**: Makeup primer brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **e.l.f. Cosmetics Share of Search**: 50.6% - **MAC Share of Search**: 4.5% ## Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or MAC more popular in search? - In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics had more branded searches than MAC among makeup primer brands worldwide. e.l.f. Cosmetics had about 206,000 branded searches, while MAC had 18,100. e.l.f. Cosmetics made up 50.6% of all makeup primer brand searches we track, and MAC accounted for 4.5%. - e.l.f. Cosmetics was ahead of MAC in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics’ share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 44.4% to 50.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 215K to 206K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, MAC’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 5.6% to 4.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 18.1K. ## Top makeup primer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, e.l.f. Cosmetics was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. MAC did not appear in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Smashbox | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Milk Makeup | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | e.l.f. Cosmetics | 3rd | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Benefit Cosmetics | 3rd | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | NYX Professional Makeup | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Hourglass | 6th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | MAC | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Charlotte Tilbury | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Laura Mercier | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Fenty Beauty | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Rare Beauty | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Too Faced | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about makeup primer brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which makeup primer should I buy?": 1. Smashbox, 2. Milk Makeup - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best makeup primers?": 1. Milk Makeup, 2. Smashbox, 3. NYX Professional Makeup, 4. Benefit Cosmetics - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best makeup primer for oily skin?": 1. Smashbox, 2. Benefit Cosmetics - Searched Google, AI Overview "makeup primer": 1. e.l.f. Cosmetics - Searched Google, AI Overview "best primer": 1. Milk Makeup, 2. e.l.f. Cosmetics, 3. Smashbox, 4. Hourglass Not named in any answer: MAC, Charlotte Tilbury, Laura Mercier, Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty and Too Faced. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 25, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for makeup primer brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics gained share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide, from 49.7% to 50.6%. - 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. ## How has branded search for e.l.f. Cosmetics and MAC changed worldwide over the last 12 months? | Month | e.l.f. Cosmetics estimated searches | e.l.f. Cosmetics Share of Search | e.l.f. Cosmetics rank | MAC estimated searches | MAC Share of Search | MAC rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 215K | 44.4% | 1 | 27.1K | 5.6% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 215K | 45.7% | 1 | 22.2K | 4.7% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 168K | 41% | 1 | 18.1K | 4.4% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 143K | 42.5% | 1 | 14.8K | 4.4% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 176K | 44.1% | 1 | 18.1K | 4.6% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 151K | 41.2% | 1 | 18.1K | 5% | 6 | | May 2026 | 143K | 43% | 1 | 14.8K | 4.4% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 143K | 44.8% | 1 | 14.8K | 4.6% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 151K | 45.9% | 1 | 12.1K | 3.7% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 176K | 49.7% | 1 | 14.8K | 4.2% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 168K | 49.7% | 1 | 14.8K | 4.4% | 6 | | Oct 2026 | 206K | 50.6% | 1 | 18.1K | 4.5% | 6 | ## How are e.l.f. Cosmetics’ and MAC’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using e.l.f. Cosmetics’ and MAC’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading. - **e.l.f. Cosmetics**: Measured on the search terms “elf power grip primer” and “elf primer”, summed into one figure. - **MAC**: Measured on the search term “mac primer”. - [e.l.f. Cosmetics profile](/demand/global-en/brands/e-l-f-cosmetics) - [MAC profile](/demand/global-en/brands/mac-cosmetics) - [All makeup primer brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/makeup-primer-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 12 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or MAC more popular in search? In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics had more branded searches than MAC among makeup primer brands worldwide. e.l.f. Cosmetics had about 206,000 branded searches, while MAC had 18,100. e.l.f. Cosmetics made up 50.6% of all makeup primer brand searches we track, and MAC accounted for 4.5%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "e.l.f. Cosmetics vs MAC: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/makeup-primer-brands/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-mac-cosmetics This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/makeup-primer-brands/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-mac-cosmetics. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.