--- title: "e.l.f. Cosmetics vs Essence: Which is more popular?" description: "Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or Essence more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Makeup and cosmetics 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/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-essence-makeup" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # e.l.f. Cosmetics vs Essence: Which is more popular? Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or Essence more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Makeup and cosmetics 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 Essence - **Competitive set**: Makeup and cosmetics brands - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Oct 2026 - **e.l.f. Cosmetics Share of Search**: 1.6% - **Essence Share of Search**: 1.7% ## Is e.l.f. Cosmetics or Essence more popular in search? - In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Essence were level in searches among makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide, with an estimated 165K versus 181K branded searches, at 1.6% and 1.7% of the total. - The lead changed hands once in the 12 months ending October 2026: Essence took it in October 2026. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics’ share of searches among makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide moved from 1% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 201K to 165K. - Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Essence’s share of searches among makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide moved from 0.62% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 121K to 181K. ## Top makeup and cosmetics brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, e.l.f. Cosmetics was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Essence was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. e.l.f. Cosmetics was listed before Essence in four out of five 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Maybelline | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | e.l.f. Cosmetics | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Rare Beauty | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | MAC | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Charlotte Tilbury | 5th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Fenty Beauty | 6th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | NARS | 7th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Clinique | 8th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | NYX Professional Makeup | 9th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Makeup by Mario | 10th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | L'Oréal Paris | 11th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Estée Lauder | 12th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Tarte | 13th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Too Faced | 14th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Hourglass | 15th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Benefit Cosmetics | 16th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Essence | 17th | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Huda Beauty | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Morphe | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Kylie Cosmetics | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Bobbi Brown | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | ColourPop | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Revlon | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Kosas | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | CoverGirl | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Milk Makeup | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Rimmel | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Revolution Beauty | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about makeup and cosmetics brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which makeup and cosmetics brand should I buy?": 1. Maybelline, 2. e.l.f. Cosmetics, 3. L'Oréal Paris, 4. Fenty Beauty, 5. Rare Beauty - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best makeup and cosmetics brands?": 1. Charlotte Tilbury, 2. Fenty Beauty, 3. NARS, 4. MAC, 5. Rare Beauty, 6. e.l.f. Cosmetics, 7. Maybelline, 8. Estée Lauder, 9. Clinique, 10. Tarte, 11. Too Faced, 12. Benefit Cosmetics, 13. Makeup by Mario, 14. NYX Professional Makeup, 15. L'Oréal Paris - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best makeup and cosmetics brand for everyday wear?": 1. Maybelline, 2. e.l.f. Cosmetics, 3. Rare Beauty, 4. Clinique, 5. NARS - Searched Google, AI Overview "makeup brands": 1. e.l.f. Cosmetics, 2. Maybelline, 3. NYX Professional Makeup, 4. MAC, 5. Charlotte Tilbury, 6. Rare Beauty, 7. Fenty Beauty - Searched Google, AI Overview "cosmetics brands": 1. MAC, 2. Charlotte Tilbury, 3. Rare Beauty, 4. Makeup by Mario, 5. Fenty Beauty, 6. Hourglass, 7. Essence Not named in any answer: Huda Beauty, Morphe, Kylie Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, ColourPop, Revlon, Kosas, CoverGirl, Milk Makeup, Rimmel and Revolution Beauty. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 19, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide in October 2026? - In October 2026, Kylie Cosmetics overtook L'Oréal Paris and 7 others to rank 10th among makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide, with 3.5% of the searches. - In October 2026, Essence rose from 19th to 18th among makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide. - Estimated monthly branded searches for e.l.f. Cosmetics worldwide fell 17.9% over 12 measured months, from 201K to 165K in October 2026. ## How has branded search for e.l.f. Cosmetics and Essence 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 | Essence estimated searches | Essence Share of Search | Essence rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Nov 2025 | 201K | 1% | 19 | 121K | 0.62% | 21 | | Dec 2025 | 201K | 1.5% | 19 | 99K | 0.72% | 21 | | Jan 2026 | 165K | 1.4% | 19 | 99K | 0.85% | 20 | | Feb 2026 | 135K | 1.4% | 18 | 81K | 0.84% | 20 | | Mar 2026 | 165K | 1.6% | 18 | 99K | 0.95% | 20 | | Apr 2026 | 165K | 1.8% | 17 | 99K | 1.1% | 20 | | May 2026 | 201K | 2% | 17 | 99K | 0.99% | 20 | | Jun 2026 | 165K | 1.9% | 17 | 99K | 1.1% | 20 | | Jul 2026 | 165K | 1.8% | 17 | 121K | 1.3% | 20 | | Aug 2026 | 165K | 1.8% | 17 | 121K | 1.3% | 20 | | Sep 2026 | 165K | 1.8% | 17 | 148K | 1.6% | 19 | | Oct 2026 | 165K | 1.6% | 19 | 181K | 1.7% | 18 | ## How are e.l.f. Cosmetics’ and Essence’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using e.l.f. Cosmetics’ and Essence’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 “e l f cosmetics”. - **Essence**: Measured on the search terms “essence cosmetics” and “essence makeup”, summed into one figure. - [e.l.f. Cosmetics profile](/demand/global-en/brands/e-l-f-cosmetics) - [Essence profile](/demand/global-en/brands/essence-makeup) - [All makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/makeup-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 28 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 Essence more popular in search? In October 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics and Essence were level in searches among makeup and cosmetics brands worldwide, with an estimated 165K versus 181K branded searches, at 1.6% and 1.7% of the total. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "e.l.f. Cosmetics vs Essence: Which is more popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-essence-makeup This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/e-l-f-cosmetics-vs-essence-makeup. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.