Brandwave

Cold and flu brands in New Zealand:Which brands are most popular in search?

Lemsip and Sudafed share the highest estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand, at 28.5% and 28.2% in August 2026.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Lemsip28.5%
  2. Sudafed28.2%
  3. Strepsils23.2%
  4. Vicks18.9%
  5. Coldrex1.1%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the cold, flu and sore throat remedy brands New Zealanders reach for. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of Search by month for Lemsip, Sudafed, Strepsils, Vicks. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthLemsipSudafedStrepsilsVicksColdrex
Oct 202520.5%35.9%24.1%17.8%1.7%
Nov 202521.8%34.6%22.3%20.3%1.1%
Dec 202519.4%34.9%22.9%21.4%1.4%
Jan 202620.2%33.5%24%21.1%1.2%
Feb 202622.8%31.3%23.9%20.5%1.4%
Mar 202624.3%31.3%25.5%17.3%1.5%
Apr 202622.7%33.5%22%20.1%1.8%
May 202625.3%31.2%20.9%20.6%2%
Jun 202625.7%30.9%21.6%20.1%1.7%
Jul 202627%31.6%21%18.9%1.5%
Aug 202628.5%28.2%23.2%18.9%1.1%
Sep 2026—————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.Lemsip

    28.5%

    moved from 2nd to 1st · 9.5K estimated branded searches · +43.5% vs prior month · +1.5 points

  2. 2.Sudafed

    28.2%

    moved from 1st to 2nd · 9.4K estimated branded searches · +21.6% vs prior month · -3.3 points

  3. 3.Strepsils

    23.2%

    held 3rd · 7.7K estimated branded searches · +50.4% vs prior month · +2.2 points

  4. 4.Vicks

    18.9%

    held 4th · 6.3K estimated branded searches · +36.1% vs prior month · 0 points

  5. 5.Coldrex

    1.1%

    held 5th · 370 estimated branded searches · +2.8% vs prior month · -0.4 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand?

Lemsip and Sudafed share the highest estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand, at 28.5% and 28.2% in August 2026.

New Zealand cold and flu brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Lemsip20.5% → 28.5%28.5%Aug 202619.4%Dec 20253rd → 1st
Sudafed35.9% → 28.2%35.9%Oct 202528.2%Aug 20261st → 2nd
Strepsils24.1% → 23.2%25.5%Mar 202620.9%May 20262nd → 3rd
Vicks17.8% → 18.9%21.4%Dec 202517.3%Mar 20264th
Coldrex1.7% → 1.1%2%May 20261.1%Nov 20255th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lemsip’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand increased from 20.5% to 28.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sudafed’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand decreased from 35.9% to 28.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Strepsils’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand decreased from 24.1% to 23.2%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Vicks’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand increased from 17.8% to 18.9%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Coldrex’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand decreased from 1.7% to 1.1%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lemsip’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand peaked at 28.5% in August 2026 and was lowest at 19.4% in December 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Strepsils’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand peaked at 25.5% in March 2026 and was lowest at 20.9% in May 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Vicks’ estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand peaked at 21.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 17.3% in March 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Lemsip rose from 3rd to 1st among cold and flu brands in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sudafed fell from 1st to 2nd among cold and flu brands in New Zealand.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Strepsils fell from 2nd to 3rd among cold and flu brands in New Zealand.

How did search popularity change for New Zealand cold and flu brands in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Lemsip overtook Sudafed to take the highest estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand, at 28.5%.

  2. In August 2026, Strepsils gained estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand, from 21% to 23.2%.

  3. In August 2026, Sudafed lost estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand, from 31.6% to 28.2%.

  4. Coldrex’s estimated Share of Search among cold and flu brands in New Zealand has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2% to 1.1% in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Vicks in New Zealand rose 153% over 11 measured months, from 2.5K to 6.3K in August 2026.

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