Color Wow vs Olaplex:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Olaplex had more branded searches than Color Wow among professional haircare and styling brands worldwide. Olaplex had about 550,000 branded searches, while Color Wow had 110,000. Olaplex made up 14% of all professional haircare and styling brand searches we track, and Color Wow accounted for 2.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about professional haircare and styling brands, Olaplex appeared in all four answers and Color Wow in two. Olaplex was mentioned before Color Wow in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
Olaplex, about 5 searches for every 1 for Color Wow
Who does AI mention more?
Olaplex, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Olaplex, named ahead of Color Wow in every answer
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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, Olaplex appeared in all four answers. Color Wow was mentioned in two out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Olaplex was listed before Color Wow in every answer.
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 Olaplex more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Color Wow and Olaplex 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 Olaplex, Color Wow. 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 Olaplex comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Olaplex was ahead of Color Wow 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, Olaplex’s share of searches among professional haircare and styling brands worldwide moved from 17.1% to 14%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 673K to 550K.
How did search popularity change for professional haircare and styling brands worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for Olaplex worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 673K to 550K 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 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 professional haircare and styling brands
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