Brandwave

Kosas vs Merit:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Merit had more branded searches than Kosas among clean makeup brands worldwide. Merit had about 110,000 branded searches, while Kosas had 74,000. Merit made up 10.8% of all clean makeup brand searches we track, and Kosas accounted for 7.3%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about clean makeup brands, Merit appeared in four of the five answers and Kosas in three. Merit was mentioned before Kosas in three out of four answers that named either.

Among clean makeup brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Merit, about 49% more searches than Kosas

Merit 110K searchesKosas 74K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Merit, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Kosas in 3

Merit in 4 of 5Kosas in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Merit, named ahead of Kosas in 3 of 4 answers

Merit first in 3Kosas first in 1

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Top clean makeup brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Merit was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Kosas was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Merit was listed before Kosas in three out of four answers that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. ILIA1st
  2. Merit2nd
  3. Saie3rd
  4. Tower 284th
  5. RMS Beauty5th
  6. Kosas6th
  7. Well People7th
  8. bareMinerals8th
  9. Jones Road–
  10. Westman Atelier–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Merit4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ILIA4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Saie3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Kosas3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • RMS Beauty3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Well People3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Tower 282 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • bareMinerals2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Jones Road0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Westman Atelier0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about clean makeup 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 25, 2026.

Is Kosas or Merit more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Kosas and Merit by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 12 clean makeup brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Kosas and Merit among clean makeup brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Merit, Kosas. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthJones RoadSaieTower 28Westman AtelierbareMineralsMeritKosasRMS BeautyILIAEre PerezWell PeopleKjaer Weis
Nov 202513.6%16.7%13.6%9.2%13.6%13.6%9.2%5%3.4%1.2%0.45%0.45%
Dec 202514.2%17.3%14.2%9.5%14.2%11.6%7.8%6.4%2.8%1%0.46%0.46%
Jan 202615.4%15.4%15.4%10.3%12.6%10.3%8.5%6.9%3.1%1.1%0.5%0.5%
Feb 202614.2%14.2%14.2%11.6%14.2%11.6%7.8%6.4%3.5%1.3%0.69%0.46%
Mar 202614.7%12%14.7%12%14.7%12%8.1%6.6%3%1.1%0.59%0.48%
Apr 202615.5%12.7%15.5%12.7%12.7%10.3%8.5%6.9%3.1%1.1%0.62%0.51%
May 202616.1%13.2%16.1%10.7%13.2%8.8%8.8%5.9%4.8%1.2%0.53%0.53%
Jun 202614.3%14.3%17.5%9.6%14.3%9.6%9.6%5.3%2.9%1.6%0.57%0.47%
Jul 202614.6%14.6%17.8%11.9%11.9%9.8%8%6.5%2.4%1.3%0.58%0.58%
Aug 202614.1%14.1%17.2%14.1%11.5%9.4%9.4%5.2%2.8%1.3%0.56%0.46%
Sep 202617.4%11.6%17.4%14.3%11.6%9.6%7.8%5.2%2.9%1.3%0.46%0.46%
Oct 202616.2%16.2%16.2%13.3%10.8%10.8%7.3%4.9%2.2%1.2%0.53%0.43%

How has branded search for Kosas and Merit changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Merit was ahead of Kosas in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Kosas’ share of searches among clean makeup brands worldwide moved from 9.2% to 7.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 74K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Merit’s share of searches among clean makeup brands worldwide moved from 13.6% to 10.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 201K to 110K.

How did search popularity change for clean makeup brands worldwide in October 2026?

2 changes

  1. In October 2026, Merit gained share of searches among clean makeup brands worldwide, from 9.6% to 10.8%.

  2. In October 2026, Kosas lost share of searches among clean makeup brands worldwide, from 7.8% to 7.3%.

How are Kosas’ and Merit’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kosas’ and Merit’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.

Kosas

1 branded search term

  • kosas

Merit

1 branded search term

  • merit beauty

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among clean makeup brands

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