e.l.f. Cosmetics vs NYX Professional Makeup:Which is more popular?
In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics had more branded searches than NYX Professional Makeup among makeup primer brands worldwide. e.l.f. Cosmetics had about 206,000 branded searches, while NYX Professional Makeup had 27,100. e.l.f. Cosmetics made up 50.6% of all makeup primer brand searches we track, and NYX Professional Makeup accounted for 6.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about makeup primer brands, e.l.f. Cosmetics appeared in two of the five answers and NYX Professional Makeup in one. e.l.f. Cosmetics and NYX Professional Makeup were each mentioned first in one of the two answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
e.l.f. Cosmetics, about 8 searches for every 1 for NYX Professional Makeup
Who does AI mention more?
e.l.f. Cosmetics, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, NYX Professional Makeup in 1
Who does AI recommend more?
Each is named first in 1 of 2 answers.
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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. NYX Professional Makeup was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. e.l.f. Cosmetics and NYX Professional Makeup were each listed first in one of the two answers that named either.
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.
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
See every answer about makeup primer brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which makeup primer should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best makeup primers?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best makeup primer for oily skin?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“makeup primer”
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.
Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or NYX Professional Makeup more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for e.l.f. Cosmetics and NYX Professional Makeup 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 by month for e.l.f. Cosmetics, NYX Professional Makeup. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| 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% |
e.l.f. Cosmetics and NYX Professional Makeup sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “elf primer”.
How has branded search for e.l.f. Cosmetics and NYX Professional Makeup changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- e.l.f. Cosmetics was ahead of NYX Professional Makeup 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, NYX Professional Makeup’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 8.4% to 6.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 27.1K.
How did search popularity change for makeup primer brands worldwide in October 2026?
2 changes
In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics gained share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide, from 49.7% to 50.6%.
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 e.l.f. Cosmetics’ and NYX Professional Makeup’s branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using e.l.f. Cosmetics’ and NYX Professional Makeup’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
2 branded search terms
- elf power grip primer
- elf primer
NYX Professional Makeup
1 branded search term
- nyx primer
Other head-to-heads among makeup primer brands
- e.l.f. Cosmetics vs Benefit Cosmetics: compare popularity
- e.l.f. Cosmetics vs Smashbox: compare popularity
- e.l.f. Cosmetics vs Milk Makeup: compare popularity
- Benefit Cosmetics vs Smashbox: compare popularity
- Benefit Cosmetics vs Milk Makeup: compare popularity
- Benefit Cosmetics vs NYX Professional Makeup: compare popularity
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