Brandwave

Rare Beauty vs Smashbox:Which is more popular?

In October 2026, Smashbox had more branded searches than Rare Beauty among makeup primer brands worldwide. Smashbox had about 41,900 branded searches, while Rare Beauty had 2,900. Smashbox made up 10.3% of all makeup primer brand searches we track, and Rare Beauty accounted for 0.71%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about makeup primer brands, Smashbox appeared in four of the five answers and Rare Beauty in none.

Among makeup primer brands worldwide in October 2026

Who do people search for more?

Smashbox, about 14 searches for every 1 for Rare Beauty

Smashbox 41.9K searchesRare Beauty 2.9K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Smashbox, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Rare Beauty in 0

Smashbox in 4 of 5Rare Beauty in 0 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Smashbox, the only one of the two named

Smashbox first in 3Rare Beauty never named

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Top makeup primer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Smashbox was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Rare Beauty did not appear in any of the five answers.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Smashbox1st
  2. Milk Makeup2nd
  3. e.l.f. Cosmetics3rd
  4. Benefit Cosmetics3rd
  5. NYX Professional Makeup5th
  6. Hourglass6th
  7. MAC–
  8. Charlotte Tilbury–
  9. Laura Mercier–
  10. +1 more
  11. Rare Beauty–
  12. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Smashbox4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Milk Makeup3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • e.l.f. Cosmetics2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Benefit Cosmetics2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • NYX Professional Makeup1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Hourglass1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • MAC0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Charlotte Tilbury0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Laura Mercier0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rare Beauty0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+2 more

See every answer about makeup primer 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 Rare Beauty or Smashbox more popular in search?

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

Rare Beauty and Smashbox among makeup primer brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Smashbox, Rare Beauty. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
Monthe.l.f. CosmeticsBenefit CosmeticsSmashboxMilk MakeupNYX Professional MakeupMACHourglassCharlotte TilburyLaura MercierFenty BeautyRare BeautyToo Faced
Nov 202544.4%12.1%8.7%11.3%8.4%5.6%2.8%2.5%1.7%1.1%0.91%0.5%
Dec 202545.7%11.8%8.6%11.7%8.6%4.7%2.3%2.6%1.7%0.94%0.77%0.62%
Jan 202641%16.5%9.8%10.9%8.1%4.4%2.7%2.4%1.6%0.88%0.88%0.71%
Feb 202642.5%13.4%9.8%13%8%4.4%2.7%2.4%1.6%0.86%0.71%0.71%
Mar 202644.1%13.9%9.3%11.1%8.3%4.6%2.3%2.5%1.7%0.91%0.73%0.6%
Apr 202641.2%12.4%11.5%12.9%7.4%5%3%2.7%1.5%0.98%0.79%0.79%
May 202643%11.1%12.1%11.7%8.1%4.4%2.9%2.4%1.6%1.1%0.87%0.57%
Jun 202644.8%11.6%11.3%11.3%7%4.6%3%2.5%1.7%0.91%0.75%0.5%
Jul 202645.9%11.3%11.1%11.9%6.8%3.7%2.9%2.5%1.6%0.89%0.89%0.58%
Aug 202649.7%10.5%9.3%10.2%7.7%4.2%2.5%2.3%1.5%0.82%0.82%0.54%
Sep 202649.7%10.9%10.1%10%6.6%4.4%2.7%2%1.6%0.86%0.71%0.56%
Oct 202650.6%11.1%10.3%8.9%6.7%4.5%2.6%2%1.3%0.89%0.71%0.39%

Smashbox and Rare Beauty sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “smashbox primer”.

How has branded search for Rare Beauty and Smashbox changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Smashbox was ahead of Rare Beauty in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Rare Beauty’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 0.91% to 0.71%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 4.4K to 2.9K.
  • Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Smashbox’s share of searches among makeup primer brands worldwide moved from 8.7% to 10.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 41.9K.

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

1 change

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for Rare Beauty worldwide fell 34.1% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 2.9K in October 2026.

How are Rare Beauty’s and Smashbox’s branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Rare Beauty’s and Smashbox’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.

Rare Beauty

1 branded search term

  • rare beauty primer

Smashbox

2 branded search terms

  • smashbox photo finish primer
  • smashbox primer

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among makeup primer brands

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