Color Wow vs K18:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Color Wow had more branded searches than K18 among professional haircare and styling brands worldwide. Color Wow had about 110,000 branded searches, while K18 had 40,500. Color Wow made up 2.8% of all professional haircare and styling brand searches we track, and K18 accounted for 1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about professional haircare and styling brands, Color Wow and K18 each appeared in two of the four answers. Color Wow was mentioned before K18 in two out of three answers that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Color Wow, about 3 searches for every 1 for K18
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 2 of 4 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Color Wow, named ahead of K18 in 2 of 3 answers
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Top professional haircare and styling brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Color Wow was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. K18 was mentioned in two out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Color Wow was listed before K18 in two out of three answers that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Kérastase1st
Redken2nd
Olaplex3rd- Oribe4th
Pureology5th
K186th
Moroccanoil7th- Color Wow8th
Kevin.Murphy9th
ghd10th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Kérastase4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Olaplex4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Redken4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Pureology4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Oribe3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Moroccanoil2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- Color Wow2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- K182 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
- ghd1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
- Kevin.Murphy1 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about professional haircare and styling brands
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which professional haircare and styling brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best professional haircare and styling brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best professional haircare and styling brand for salon-quality hair care?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“professional haircare brands”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“professional hair styling”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 21, 2026.
Is Color Wow or K18 more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Color Wow and K18 by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten professional haircare and styling brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Color Wow, K18. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Kérastase | Olaplex | ghd | Moroccanoil | Redken | Kevin.Murphy | Color Wow | Oribe | Pureology | K18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 38% | 17.1% | 13.9% | 11.4% | 7.6% | 4.2% | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 0.69% |
| Nov 2025 | 40.2% | 14.8% | 17.9% | 9.9% | 6.6% | 3.6% | 2.4% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 0.59% |
| Dec 2025 | 38.4% | 17.3% | 14.1% | 11.6% | 7.7% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 0.7% |
| Jan 2026 | 43% | 15.8% | 10.6% | 10.6% | 8.6% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 0.64% |
| Feb 2026 | 42% | 15.4% | 12.6% | 10.3% | 8.4% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 0.76% |
| Mar 2026 | 43.3% | 15.9% | 10.7% | 10.7% | 8.7% | 3.9% | 2.1% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 0.64% |
| Apr 2026 | 41.1% | 18.4% | 10.1% | 10.1% | 8.2% | 4.5% | 2% | 3% | 1.7% | 0.91% |
| May 2026 | 39.2% | 17.6% | 9.6% | 14.4% | 7.9% | 3.5% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 1.6% | 0.71% |
| Jun 2026 | 43% | 15.8% | 10.5% | 10.5% | 8.6% | 3.9% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 0.78% |
| Jul 2026 | 45% | 13.5% | 11.1% | 9.1% | 7.4% | 3.3% | 2.2% | 6.1% | 1.5% | 0.81% |
| Aug 2026 | 46.7% | 14% | 9.4% | 11.5% | 7.7% | 3.4% | 2.3% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Sep 2026 | 46.5% | 14% | 11.4% | 9.4% | 7.6% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 1% |
How has the Color Wow and K18 comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Color Wow was ahead of K18 in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Color Wow’s share of searches among professional haircare and styling brands worldwide held steady at 2.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 110K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, K18’s share of searches among professional haircare and styling brands worldwide moved from 0.69% to 1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 27.1K to 40.5K.
How did search popularity change for professional haircare and styling brands worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for K18 worldwide rose 49.4% over 12 measured months, from 27.1K to 40.5K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Color Wow’s and K18’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 professional haircare and styling brands
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