Hourglass vs Rare Beauty:Which is more popular?
In October 2026, Hourglass had more branded searches than Rare Beauty among makeup primer brands worldwide. Hourglass had about 10,500 branded searches, while Rare Beauty had 2,900. Hourglass made up 2.6% of all makeup primer brand searches we track, and Rare Beauty accounted for 0.71%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about makeup primer brands, Hourglass appeared in one of the five answers and Rare Beauty in none.
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Top makeup primer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Hourglass was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Rare Beauty did not appear in any of the five answers.
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
Rare 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 Hourglass or Rare Beauty more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Hourglass and Rare Beauty 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 Hourglass, Rare Beauty. 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% |
Rare Beauty sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “rare beauty primer”.
How has branded search for Hourglass and Rare Beauty changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Hourglass was ahead of Rare Beauty in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Hourglass’ share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 2.8% to 2.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 13.5K to 10.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Rare Beauty’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 0.91% to 0.71%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.4K to 2.9K.
How did search popularity change for makeup primer brands worldwide in October 2026?
2 changes

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 Hourglass worldwide fell 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 13.5K to 10.5K in October 2026.
How are Hourglass’ and Rare Beauty’s branded searches counted?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Hourglass’ and Rare Beauty’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.
Hourglass
2 branded search terms
- hourglass primer
- hourglass veil primer
Rare Beauty
1 branded search term
- rare beauty 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
e.l.f. Cosmetics vs NYX Professional Makeup: compare popularity
Benefit Cosmetics vs Smashbox: compare popularity
Benefit Cosmetics vs Milk Makeup: compare popularity

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