Brandwave

Herbal Essences vs OUAI:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, OUAI had more branded searches than Herbal Essences among hair oil brands worldwide. OUAI had about 27,100 branded searches, while Herbal Essences had 2,900. OUAI made up 8.4% of all hair oil brand searches we track, and Herbal Essences accounted for 0.9%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about hair oil brands, neither Herbal Essences nor OUAI appeared in any of the five answers.

Among hair oil brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

OUAI, about 9 searches for every 1 for Herbal Essences

OUAI 27.1K searchesHerbal Essences 2.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both were mentioned in 0 of 5 answers.

Herbal Essences in 0 of 5OUAI in 0 of 5

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Top hair oil brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Herbal Essences nor OUAI showed up in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Moroccanoil1st
  2. Mielle2nd
  3. Olaplex3rd
  4. Kérastase4th
  5. Verb5th
  6. Gisou–
  7. OGX–
  8. OUAI–
  9. Herbal Essences–
  10. Amika–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Moroccanoil5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mielle4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Olaplex3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kérastase1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Verb1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Gisou0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • OGX0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • OUAI0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Herbal Essences0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Amika0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about hair oil brands

5 answers

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 22, 2026.

Is Herbal Essences or OUAI more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Herbal Essences and OUAI by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 hair oil brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Herbal Essences and OUAI among hair oil brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for OUAI, Herbal Essences. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGisouKérastaseMielleVerbOlaplexOGXOUAIMoroccanoilHerbal EssencesAmikaBriogeoJVN
Nov 202527%18.2%11.3%6.7%10.9%7.9%12.2%4%0.59%0.32%0.59%0.47%
Dec 202523.9%19.6%11.9%7.2%11.7%8.5%10.7%4.3%0.63%0.5%0.63%0.5%
Jan 202618.1%18.1%16.1%8.1%12.1%11.1%9.9%4.1%0.72%0.48%0.72%0.57%
Feb 202617.8%17.8%16.2%8%11.8%12.7%8%4.9%1%0.58%0.68%0.58%
Mar 202616.3%19.9%14.8%8.9%10.8%13.6%8.9%3.6%1.4%0.63%0.63%0.53%
Apr 202613.8%20.6%15.3%11.3%10.3%13.5%9.2%3.1%1.2%0.55%0.55%0.44%
May 202615.1%18.4%13.7%10.1%11.3%14.8%10.1%3.4%1.3%0.71%0.6%0.48%
Jun 202614.1%21.1%12.8%11.6%10.5%13.9%9.5%3.8%1.3%0.56%0.56%0.35%
Jul 202618.4%22.5%11.2%10.1%10%14.3%8.3%2.7%1.1%0.49%0.49%0.4%
Aug 202616.4%20%12.1%11%12.2%13.1%9%3.6%1.2%0.53%0.53%0.33%
Sep 202617.9%17.9%13.1%12%14.6%10.4%8%3.3%1.1%0.69%0.58%0.36%
Oct 202618.8%18.8%13.7%12.6%12.5%9.4%8.4%3.4%0.9%0.59%0.5%0.4%

Herbal Essences sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “herbal essences argan oil”.

How has branded search for Herbal Essences and OUAI changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • OUAI was ahead of Herbal Essences in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Herbal Essences’ share of searches among hair oil brands worldwide moved from 0.59% to 0.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.4K to 2.9K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, OUAI’s share of searches among hair oil brands worldwide moved from 12.2% to 8.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 49.5K to 27.1K.

How did search popularity change for hair oil brands worldwide in October 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Herbal Essences worldwide rose 20.8% over 12 measured months, from 2.4K to 2.9K in October 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for OUAI worldwide fell 45.3% over 12 measured months, from 49.5K to 27.1K in October 2026.

How are Herbal Essences’ and OUAI’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Herbal Essences’ and OUAI’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.

Herbal Essences

1 branded search term

  • herbal essences argan oil

OUAI

1 branded search term

  • ouai hair oil

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among hair oil brands

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