Brandwave

How popular isKiehl's?

In September 2026, people searched for Kiehl's by name about 2,740 times in New Zealand, a 32.2% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 4.1% of all New Zealand moisturizer brand searches, placing Kiehl's fifth out of eight brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about moisturizer brands, Kiehl's appeared in one of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Kiehl's is the fifth most searched of 8 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. La Roche-PosayShare of searches 32.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. CeraVeShare of searches 25%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. CetaphilShare of searches 21.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. Estée LauderShare of searches 8.2%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. Kiehl'sShare of searches 4.1%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th

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Top moisturizer brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Kiehl's was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Kiehl's is the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. CeraVe1st
  2. La Roche-Posay2nd
  3. Cetaphil3rd
  4. Kiehl's4th
  5. Clinique5th
  6. Estée Lauder–
  7. Dermalogica–
  8. Drunk Elephant–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • La Roche-Posay4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • CeraVe4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Cetaphil3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kiehl's1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Clinique1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Estée Lauder0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Dermalogica0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Drunk Elephant0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about moisturizer brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

Which moisturizer brands compete with Kiehl's?

Kiehl's against moisturizer brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, Cetaphil, Estée Lauder, Kiehl's, Dermalogica, Clinique, Drunk Elephant. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthLa Roche-PosayCeraVeCetaphilEstée LauderKiehl'sDermalogicaCliniqueDrunk Elephant
Oct 202532%22.6%20.2%7.9%7.4%4.8%3.2%1.9%
Nov 202534.2%19.5%17.6%8.9%8.9%5.4%3.9%1.7%
Dec 202532.5%23.1%18.7%9%7%4.3%3.6%1.8%
Jan 202631.5%27.5%19.4%7.3%4.8%3.8%3.7%1.9%
Feb 202630.6%28%18.8%7.5%4.5%5%3.7%1.8%
Mar 202627.7%29.1%19%8.8%5.4%4.9%3.5%1.7%
Apr 202630%30.4%18.5%8.1%4.2%4.6%2.7%1.6%
May 202626.6%32%19.4%7.3%5.5%4.2%3.5%1.4%
Jun 202626.2%36.7%18.7%6.5%3.8%3.8%3.1%1.2%
Jul 202626.1%34.5%20.6%6.3%4.5%3.5%3.4%1.1%
Aug 202627.4%30.5%20.5%7%6.3%3.9%3.2%1.3%
Sep 202632.4%25%21.3%8.2%4.1%3.7%3.1%2.2%

  1. 1.La Roche-Posay

    32.4%

    Moved from 2nd to 1st. 20K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +5 points.

  2. 2.CeraVe

    25%

    Moved from 1st to 2nd. 15.4K estimated branded searches, -15.1% vs prior month. Share -5.6 points.

  3. 3.Cetaphil

    21.3%

    Held 3rd. 13.2K estimated branded searches, +8.1% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  4. 4.Estée Lauder

    8.2%

    Held 4th. 5.1K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share +1.3 points.

  5. 5.Kiehl's

    4.1%

    Held 5th. 2.5K estimated branded searches, -32.1% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.

  6. 6.Dermalogica

    3.7%

    Held 6th. 2.3K estimated branded searches, -0.43% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

  7. 7.Clinique

    3.1%

    Held 7th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  8. 8.Drunk Elephant

    2.2%

    Held 8th. 1.4K estimated branded searches, +77.6% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

Compare popularity between Kiehl's and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Kiehl's

19 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Kiehl's changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Kiehl's in New Zealand fell from 4K to 2.7K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kiehl's’ share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand decreased from 7.4% to 4.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kiehl's’ share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand peaked at 8.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.8% in June 2026.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand moisturizer brands in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, La Roche-Posay overtook CeraVe to become the leader among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, with 32.4% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Estée Lauder gained share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 7% to 8.2%.

  3. In September 2026, Drunk Elephant gained share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 1.3% to 2.2%.

  4. In September 2026, Cetaphil gained share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 20.5% to 21.3%.

  5. In September 2026, CeraVe lost share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 30.5% to 25%.

  6. In September 2026, Kiehl's lost share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 6.3% to 4.1%.

How are Kiehl's’ branded searches counted?

5 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Kiehl's’ name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • kiehls
  • kiehls cleanser
  • kiehls facial cleanser
  • kiehls serum
  • kiehls skincare

Do you work for Kiehl's? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Kiehl's compete?

Kiehl's is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Skincare brands9th of 222.6%Show ranking
Face cleanser brands9th of 142.9%Show ranking
Moisturizer brands5th of 84.1%Shown above
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