Brandwave

How popular isSephora?

In September 2026, people searched for Sephora by name about 23,600 times in New Zealand, a 17.5% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 2.7% of all New Zealand beauty retailer searches, placing Sephora fourth out of ten retailers. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about beauty retailers, Sephora appeared in three of the four answers and was the second most recommended of the ten.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Sephora is the fourth most searched of 10 competitors and the second most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Chemist WarehouseShare of searches 80%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  2. MECCAShare of searches 9.6%Mentioned in 4 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. HikocoShare of searches 6%Mentioned in 2 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. SephoraShare of searches 2.7%Mentioned in 3 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  5. StylevanaShare of searches 0.5%Mentioned in 0 of 4 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+5 more

Sephora website (opens in a new tab)

Follow Sephora 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 beauty retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Sephora was mentioned in three out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Sephora is the second most recommended of the ten.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. MECCA1st
  2. Sephora2nd
  3. Chemist Warehouse3rd
  4. Hikoco4th
  5. Adore Beauty4th
  6. Stylevana–
  7. YesStyle–
  8. Beauty Bliss–
  9. Cult Beauty–
  10. Lookfantastic–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • MECCA4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Chemist Warehouse3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Sephora3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Hikoco2 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Adore Beauty1 of 4Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Stylevana0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • YesStyle0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Beauty Bliss0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Cult Beauty0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Lookfantastic0 of 4Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about beauty retailers

4 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 19, 2026.

Which beauty retailers compete with Sephora?

Sephora against beauty retailers in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Chemist Warehouse, MECCA, Hikoco, Sephora. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthChemist WarehouseMECCAHikocoSephoraStylevanaYesStyleAdore BeautyBeauty BlissCult BeautyLookfantastic
Oct 202581%8.8%5.6%3%0.37%0.46%0.46%0.13%0.13%0.06%
Nov 202579.3%10.2%5.4%3.5%0.37%0.37%0.55%0.2%0.11%0.04%
Dec 202575.8%14.1%5.3%3.3%0.34%0.41%0.51%0.12%0.07%0.05%
Jan 202680%9.9%5.6%2.8%0.52%0.42%0.42%0.15%0.08%0.04%
Feb 202678.2%12.1%5.6%2.9%0.34%0.43%0.34%0.12%0.06%0.04%
Mar 202680.5%8.4%6.4%2.8%0.52%0.52%0.52%0.15%0.06%0.04%
Apr 202678.5%9.8%7.3%2.8%0.42%0.51%0.42%0.15%0.07%0.04%
May 202680.5%8.4%6.4%2.9%0.43%0.52%0.52%0.15%0.05%0.04%
Jun 202680.9%8.4%6.2%2.9%0.53%0.53%0.43%0.16%0.05%0.04%
Jul 202679.1%10%6.3%2.8%0.51%0.51%0.42%0.15%0.05%0.05%
Aug 202679.4%10%6.1%2.8%0.52%0.52%0.42%0.19%0.06%0.05%
Sep 202680%9.6%6%2.7%0.5%0.5%0.41%0.18%0.07%0.04%

  1. 1.Chemist Warehouse

    80%

    Held 1st. 702K estimated branded searches, +3.9% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  2. 2.MECCA

    9.6%

    Held 2nd. 84.6K estimated branded searches, -0.4% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  3. 3.Hikoco

    6%

    Held 3rd. 52.8K estimated branded searches, +2% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  4. 4.Sephora

    2.7%

    Held 4th. 23.6K estimated branded searches, -0.34% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  5. 5.Stylevana

    0.5%

    Held 5th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  6. 6.YesStyle

    0.5%

    Held 6th. 4.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  7. 7.Adore Beauty

    0.41%

    Held 7th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Beauty Bliss

    0.18%

    Held 8th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Cult Beauty

    0.07%

    Held 9th. 590 estimated branded searches, +22.9% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  10. 10.Lookfantastic

    0.04%

    Held 10th. 390 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Sephora and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Sephora

9 comparisons

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

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Sephora in New Zealand fell from 28.6K to 23.6K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sephora’s share of searches among beauty retailers in New Zealand held steady, from 3% to 2.7%.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand beauty retailers in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Chemist Warehouse gained share of searches among beauty retailers in New Zealand, from 79.4% to 80%.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Beauty Bliss in New Zealand rose 23.1% over 12 measured months, from 1.3K to 1.6K in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Stylevana in New Zealand rose 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 3.6K to 4.4K in September 2026.

  4. Estimated monthly branded searches for Cult Beauty in New Zealand fell 54.6% over 12 measured months, from 1.3K to 590 in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lookfantastic in New Zealand fell 33.9% over 12 measured months, from 590 to 390 in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Adore Beauty in New Zealand fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 4.4K to 3.6K in September 2026.

How are Sephora’s branded searches counted?

4 search terms

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

  • sephora
  • sephora makeup
  • sephora skincare
  • sephora sylvia park

Do you work for Sephora? 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

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Sephora 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