Drunk Elephant vs Kiehl's:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Kiehl's had more branded searches than Drunk Elephant among moisturizer brands in New Zealand. Kiehl's had about 2,540 branded searches, while Drunk Elephant had 1,350. Kiehl's made up 4.1% of all moisturizer brand searches we track, and Drunk Elephant accounted for 2.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about moisturizer brands, Kiehl's appeared in one of the five answers and Drunk Elephant in none.
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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. Drunk Elephant 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.
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
Asked ChatGPT
“Which moisturizer brand should I buy in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best moisturizer brands in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best moisturizer brand in New Zealand for daily skincare?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best moisturizer”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“face moisturizer for dry skin”
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.
Is Drunk Elephant or Kiehl's more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Drunk Elephant and Kiehl's by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight moisturizer brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Kiehl's, Drunk Elephant. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | La Roche-Posay | CeraVe | Cetaphil | Estée Lauder | Kiehl's | Dermalogica | Clinique | Drunk Elephant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 32% | 22.6% | 20.2% | 7.9% | 7.4% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 1.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 34.2% | 19.5% | 17.6% | 8.9% | 8.9% | 5.4% | 3.9% | 1.7% |
| Dec 2025 | 32.5% | 23.1% | 18.7% | 9% | 7% | 4.3% | 3.6% | 1.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 31.5% | 27.5% | 19.4% | 7.3% | 4.8% | 3.8% | 3.7% | 1.9% |
| Feb 2026 | 30.6% | 28% | 18.8% | 7.5% | 4.5% | 5% | 3.7% | 1.8% |
| Mar 2026 | 27.7% | 29.1% | 19% | 8.8% | 5.4% | 4.9% | 3.5% | 1.7% |
| Apr 2026 | 30% | 30.4% | 18.5% | 8.1% | 4.2% | 4.6% | 2.7% | 1.6% |
| May 2026 | 26.6% | 32% | 19.4% | 7.3% | 5.5% | 4.2% | 3.5% | 1.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 26.2% | 36.7% | 18.7% | 6.5% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 1.2% |
| Jul 2026 | 26.1% | 34.5% | 20.6% | 6.3% | 4.5% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 1.1% |
| Aug 2026 | 27.4% | 30.5% | 20.5% | 7% | 6.3% | 3.9% | 3.2% | 1.3% |
| Sep 2026 | 32.4% | 25% | 21.3% | 8.2% | 4.1% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.2% |
How has the Drunk Elephant and Kiehl's comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Kiehl's was ahead of Drunk Elephant in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Drunk Elephant’s share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand moved from 1.9% to 2.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 950 to 1.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kiehl's’ share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand moved from 7.4% to 4.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.8K to 2.5K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand moisturizer brands in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Drunk Elephant gained share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 1.3% to 2.2%.
In September 2026, Kiehl's lost share of searches among moisturizer brands in New Zealand, from 6.3% to 4.1%.
How are branded searches counted?
5 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Drunk Elephant’s and Kiehl'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.
Drunk Elephant
2 branded search terms
- drunk elephant
- drunk elephant skincare
Kiehl's
3 branded search terms
- kiehls
- kiehls serum
- kiehls skincare
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