Brandwave

How popular isNurofen?

In September 2026, people searched for Nurofen by name about 4,810 times in New Zealand, a 20% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 26.5% of all New Zealand pain relief brand searches, placing Nurofen second out of seven brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about pain relief brands, Nurofen appeared in four of the five answers and was the second most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Nurofen is the second most searched of 7 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. PanadolShare of searches 34.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. NurofenShare of searches 26.5%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  3. Deep HeatShare of searches 16%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  4. MaxigesicShare of searches 12.8%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. NaprogesicShare of searches 6.1%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th

+2 more

Nurofen website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Nurofen and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Top pain relief brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Nurofen was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Nurofen is the second most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Panadol1st
  2. Nurofen2nd
  3. Maxigesic3rd
  4. Voltaren4th
  5. Deep Heat5th
  6. Disprin6th
  7. Naprogesic7th

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Panadol4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Nurofen4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Voltaren3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Maxigesic2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Deep Heat1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Naprogesic1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Disprin1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about pain relief brands

5 answers

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

Which pain relief brands compete with Nurofen?

Nurofen against pain relief brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Panadol, Nurofen, Deep Heat, Maxigesic, Naprogesic, Disprin. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPanadolNurofenDeep HeatMaxigesicNaprogesicDisprinVoltaren
Oct 202534.9%27%12.8%13.4%6.9%4.4%0.61%
Nov 202535%26.8%13.4%13%6.8%4.1%0.85%
Dec 202538.6%25.7%12.5%12.2%6.4%4%0.63%
Jan 202635.3%28.5%13.4%11.2%7%3.9%0.63%
Feb 202636.8%25.3%14%11.8%7.2%4.3%0.59%
Mar 202634.2%28.8%12.7%13.2%6.7%3.8%0.54%
Apr 202632.6%26.2%12.5%18.5%6.3%3.2%0.66%
May 202633.8%25.4%15.1%15.1%6.2%3.8%0.69%
Jun 202633.2%28.8%15.1%13.1%6.2%3.1%0.5%
Jul 202632.2%28.5%14.7%14.3%6%3.7%0.61%
Aug 202637.1%27.1%13.6%13.7%4.7%3.2%0.56%
Sep 202634.5%26.5%16%12.8%6.1%3.9%0.39%

  1. 1.Panadol

    34.5%

    Held 1st. 6.3K estimated branded searches, -20.6% vs prior month. Share -2.6 points.

  2. 2.Nurofen

    26.5%

    Held 2nd. 4.8K estimated branded searches, -16.5% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  3. 3.Deep Heat

    16%

    Moved from 4th to 3rd. 2.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +2.3 points.

  4. 4.Maxigesic

    12.8%

    Moved from 3rd to 4th. 2.3K estimated branded searches, -20.2% vs prior month. Share -0.9 points.

  5. 5.Naprogesic

    6.1%

    Held 5th. 1.1K estimated branded searches, +11.1% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.

  6. 6.Disprin

    3.9%

    Held 6th. 700 estimated branded searches, +1.4% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  7. 7.Voltaren

    0.39%

    Held 7th. 70 estimated branded searches, -41.7% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

Compare popularity between Nurofen and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Nurofen

6 comparisons

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

3 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Nurofen in New Zealand rose from 4K to 4.8K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nurofen’s share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand decreased from 27% to 26.5%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Nurofen’s share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand peaked at 28.8% in June 2026 and was lowest at 25.3% in February 2026.

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

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Deep Heat overtook Maxigesic to rank 3rd among pain relief brands in New Zealand, with 16% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Naprogesic gained share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 4.7% to 6.1%.

  3. In September 2026, Disprin gained share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 3.2% to 3.9%.

  4. In September 2026, Panadol lost share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 37.1% to 34.5%.

  5. In September 2026, Maxigesic lost share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 13.7% to 12.8%.

  6. In September 2026, Nurofen lost share of searches among pain relief brands in New Zealand, from 27.1% to 26.5%.

How are Nurofen’s branded searches counted?

11 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Nurofen’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.

  • gel nurofen
  • nurofen
  • nurofen for toothache
  • nurofen headache
  • nurofen ibuprofen
  • nurofen liquid
  • nurofen liquid capsules
  • nurofen pain relief
  • nurofen period pain
  • nurofen tableta
  • nurofen zavance

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Nurofen?

Nurofen is owned by Reckitt. Brandwave also tracks Finish, Dettol, Disprin, Gaviscon and Veet, owned by the same company, in New Zealand.

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

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Nurofen your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

Start free