--- 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 Setting spray 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/setting-spray-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 Setting spray 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**: Setting spray brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **e.l.f. Cosmetics Share of Search**: 9.8% - **MAC Share of Search**: 5.8% ## 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 setting spray brands worldwide. e.l.f. Cosmetics had about 60,500 branded searches, while MAC had 36,100. e.l.f. Cosmetics made up 9.8% of all setting spray brand searches we track, and MAC accounted for 5.8%. - 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 setting spray brands worldwide moved from 7.1% to 9.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 60.5K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, MAC’s share of searches among setting spray brands worldwide moved from 7% to 5.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.1K to 36.1K. ## Top setting spray brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, neither e.l.f. Cosmetics nor MAC showed up in any of the four 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Urban Decay | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Charlotte Tilbury | 2nd | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | ONE/SIZE | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Milani | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | NYX Professional Makeup | 5th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 1 of 4 | | e.l.f. Cosmetics | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | MAC | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Morphe | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Huda Beauty | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Laura Mercier | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about setting spray brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which setting spray should I buy?": 1. Urban Decay, 2. Charlotte Tilbury, 3. ONE/SIZE - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best makeup setting sprays?": 1. Charlotte Tilbury, 2. Urban Decay, 3. ONE/SIZE, 4. NYX Professional Makeup, 5. Milani - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best setting spray for oily skin?": 1. ONE/SIZE, 2. Urban Decay, 3. Milani - Searched Google, AI Overview "best setting spray": 1. Charlotte Tilbury, 2. Urban Decay, 3. ONE/SIZE, 4. Milani Not named in any answer: e.l.f. Cosmetics, MAC, Morphe, Huda Beauty and Laura Mercier. 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 setting spray brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics gained share of searches among setting spray brands worldwide, from 8.1% to 9.8%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for MAC worldwide fell 26.5% over 12 measured months, from 49.1K to 36.1K 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 | 49.5K | 7.1% | 4 | 49.1K | 7% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 49.5K | 7.3% | 4 | 38.3K | 5.7% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 33.1K | 7.2% | 4 | 31.3K | 6.8% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 33.1K | 8.3% | 4 | 26.8K | 6.7% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 40.5K | 8.8% | 4 | 31.3K | 6.8% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 40.5K | 8.3% | 4 | 32.8K | 6.7% | 6 | | May 2026 | 40.5K | 7.9% | 4 | 32.8K | 6.4% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 40.5K | 8.1% | 4 | 29.5K | 5.9% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 40.5K | 7.6% | 4 | 29.5K | 5.5% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 49.5K | 9.1% | 4 | 31.3K | 5.7% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 40.5K | 8.1% | 4 | 29.5K | 5.9% | 6 | | Oct 2026 | 60.5K | 9.8% | 4 | 36.1K | 5.8% | 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 term “elf setting spray”. - **MAC**: Measured on the search terms “mac fix plus”, “mac fixing spray” and “mac setting spray”, summed into one figure. - [e.l.f. Cosmetics profile](/demand/global-en/brands/e-l-f-cosmetics) - [MAC profile](/demand/global-en/brands/mac-cosmetics) - [All setting spray brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/setting-spray-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 10 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 setting spray brands worldwide. e.l.f. Cosmetics had about 60,500 branded searches, while MAC had 36,100. e.l.f. Cosmetics made up 9.8% of all setting spray brand searches we track, and MAC accounted for 5.8%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "e.l.f. Cosmetics vs MAC: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/setting-spray-brands/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-mac-cosmetics This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/setting-spray-brands/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-mac-cosmetics. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.