Kiehl's vs Nivea:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Nivea had more branded searches than Kiehl's among moisturizer brands worldwide. Nivea had about 1.1 million branded searches, while Kiehl's had 550,000. Nivea made up 12.4% of all moisturizer brand searches we track, and Kiehl's accounted for 6.1%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about moisturizer brands, Kiehl's appeared in one of the four answers and Nivea in none.
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Top moisturizer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Kiehl's was mentioned in one out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in the Google AI Overview. Nivea did not appear in any of the four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
La Roche-Posay4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
CeraVe4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Cetaphil2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Neutrogena2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Vanicream2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Clinique1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Kiehl's1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Nivea0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Estée Lauder0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Dermalogica0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
See every answer about moisturizer brands
4 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which moisturizer brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best moisturizer brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best moisturizer brand for dry skin?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“face moisturizer”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“moisturizer for dry skin”
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 19, 2026.
Is Kiehl's or Nivea more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Kiehl's and Nivea by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 moisturizer brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Nivea, Kiehl's. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | La Roche-Posay | CeraVe | Nivea | Cetaphil | Neutrogena | Estée Lauder | Clinique | Kiehl's | Dermalogica | Vanicream | Drunk Elephant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 18.2% | 18.2% | 10.2% | 10% | 10.3% | 12.1% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 2.4% | 1.6% | 2% |
| Nov 2025 | 17.4% | 14.2% | 11.1% | 9.5% | 7.9% | 14.2% | 9.5% | 9.5% | 2.9% | 1.6% | 2.3% |
| Dec 2025 | 19.7% | 16.1% | 10.5% | 8.8% | 9.5% | 13.2% | 8.8% | 7.2% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 2.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 20.8% | 17% | 11.2% | 11.3% | 10% | 9.3% | 7.6% | 6.2% | 2.8% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
| Feb 2026 | 22.5% | 18.4% | 10.2% | 10% | 10.4% | 10% | 6.8% | 5.5% | 2.5% | 2% | 1.7% |
| Mar 2026 | 24.1% | 16.1% | 8.9% | 10.7% | 10.3% | 10.7% | 7.2% | 5.9% | 2.6% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| Apr 2026 | 25% | 16.7% | 9.3% | 11.1% | 10.6% | 9.1% | 7.5% | 5% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| May 2026 | 25.8% | 17.2% | 9.3% | 9.4% | 10.9% | 9.4% | 7.7% | 5.2% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 23.2% | 19% | 10% | 10.4% | 10.3% | 8.5% | 7% | 5.7% | 2.5% | 2.1% | 1.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 23% | 18.8% | 12.7% | 10.3% | 9.9% | 8.5% | 6.9% | 4.6% | 2.1% | 2.1% | 1.1% |
| Aug 2026 | 22.4% | 18.3% | 11.4% | 10% | 11.7% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 5.5% | 2.5% | 2% | 1.3% |
| Sep 2026 | 20.4% | 16.7% | 12.4% | 11.1% | 10.4% | 9.2% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 2.7% | 2.2% | 1.2% |
How has the Kiehl's and Nivea comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Nivea was ahead of Kiehl's in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kiehl's’ share of searches among moisturizer brands worldwide moved from 6.7% to 6.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 673K to 550K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nivea’s share of searches among moisturizer brands worldwide moved from 10.2% to 12.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1M to 1.1M.
How did search popularity change for moisturizer brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Nivea overtook Neutrogena to rank 3rd among moisturizer brands worldwide, with 12.4% of the searches.
In September 2026, Kiehl's gained share of searches among moisturizer brands worldwide, from 5.5% to 6.1%.
How are branded searches counted?
6 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kiehl's’ and Nivea’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 moisturizer brands
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