K18 vs Olaplex:Which is more popular?
In October 2026, Olaplex had more branded searches than K18 among purple shampoo brands worldwide. Olaplex had about 14,800 branded searches, while K18 had 9,900. Olaplex made up 16.2% of all purple shampoo brand searches we track, and K18 accounted for 10.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about purple shampoo brands, Olaplex appeared in four of the five answers and K18 in none.
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Top purple shampoo brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Olaplex was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. K18 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.
Olaplex4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Amika3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Redken2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Fanola1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Matrix1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Pureology1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Clairol0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
K180 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Joico0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Kristin Ess0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about purple shampoo brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which purple shampoo should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best purple shampoo brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best purple shampoo for brassy blonde hair?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“purple shampoo”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best purple shampoo”
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 K18 or Olaplex more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for K18 and Olaplex by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten purple shampoo brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Olaplex, K18. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Fanola | Olaplex | Clairol | K18 | Redken | Joico | Amika | Matrix | Kristin Ess | Pureology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | 35.9% | 14.4% | 14.4% | 0.31% | 11.8% | 6.4% | 5.2% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 3.5% |
| Dec 2025 | 36.1% | 14.5% | 14.5% | 0.31% | 11.8% | 6.4% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 2.3% | 3.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 34.5% | 14.9% | 14.9% | 0.39% | 12.2% | 6.6% | 5.4% | 5.4% | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Feb 2026 | 35.7% | 15.4% | 15.4% | 0.33% | 10.3% | 6.9% | 5.6% | 4.5% | 3% | 3% |
| Mar 2026 | 35.4% | 15.3% | 12.5% | 3% | 10.3% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 5.6% | 2.4% | 3% |
| Apr 2026 | 29.9% | 12.9% | 10.6% | 15.8% | 8.7% | 5.8% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 5.8% | 2% |
| May 2026 | 26.7% | 14.1% | 11.6% | 21.2% | 9.5% | 5.2% | 3.4% | 4.2% | 1.8% | 2.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 30.6% | 13.2% | 10.8% | 16.2% | 10.8% | 5.9% | 3.9% | 3.9% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| Jul 2026 | 29.7% | 12.8% | 10.5% | 19.2% | 10.5% | 5.7% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 2% | 2% |
| Aug 2026 | 29.7% | 13.7% | 13.7% | 13.7% | 9.2% | 6.1% | 5% | 4.1% | 2.2% | 2.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 27.5% | 15.6% | 12.7% | 12.7% | 10.4% | 6.9% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 2.4% | 2.4% |
| Oct 2026 | 27% | 16.2% | 13.2% | 10.8% | 10.8% | 7.2% | 4.8% | 4.8% | 2.6% | 2.6% |
Olaplex sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “olaplex purple shampoo”.
How has branded search for K18 and Olaplex changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending October 2026: K18 took it in April 2026, Olaplex took it in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, K18’s share of searches among purple shampoo brands worldwide moved from 0.31% to 10.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 210 to 9.9K.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Olaplex’s share of searches among purple shampoo brands worldwide moved from 14.4% to 16.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.9K to 14.8K.
How did search popularity change for purple shampoo brands worldwide in October 2026?
2 changes
In October 2026, Olaplex gained share of searches among purple shampoo brands worldwide, from 15.6% to 16.2%.
In October 2026, K18 lost share of searches among purple shampoo brands worldwide, from 12.7% to 10.8%.
How are K18’s and Olaplex’s branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using K18’s and Olaplex’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.
Other head-to-heads among purple shampoo brands
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