---
title: "Nail polish brands in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare the nail polish and gel brands New Zealanders paint their nails with. Share of Search among OPI, Essie, Sally Hansen and Kester Black, the nail polish brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-nail-polish-brands"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Nail polish brands in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare the nail polish and gel brands New Zealanders paint their nails with. Share of Search among OPI, Essie, Sally Hansen and Kester Black, the nail polish brands Brandwave compares in New Zealand, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Nail polish brands
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 4
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: OPI, 37.6%

## Which brand is most popular in search among nail polish brands in New Zealand?

- In August 2026, OPI was the most searched among nail polish brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 3K branded searches and 37.6% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Essie is in 2nd place, 7.1 percentage points behind at 30.5% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Essie’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand increased from 21.5% to 30.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sally Hansen’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand increased from 24.5% to 27.4%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Kester Black’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand decreased from 16% to 4.5%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OPI’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand peaked at 46.6% in June 2026 and was lowest at 30.2% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Essie’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand peaked at 30.5% in August 2026 and was lowest at 20% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sally Hansen’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand peaked at 27.4% in August 2026 and was lowest at 20.3% in December 2025.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Kester Black’s estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand peaked at 29.5% in December 2025 and was lowest at 4.1% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Essie rose from 3rd to 2nd among nail polish brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Sally Hansen fell from 2nd to 3rd among nail polish brands in New Zealand.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OPI held steady: its estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [OPI vs Essie: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/essie-vs-opi): 37.6% against 30.5% Share of Search.
- [OPI vs Sally Hansen: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/opi-vs-sally-hansen): 37.6% against 27.4% Share of Search.
- [OPI vs Kester Black: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/kester-black-vs-opi): 37.6% against 4.5% Share of Search.
- [Essie vs Sally Hansen: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/essie-vs-sally-hansen): 30.5% against 27.4% Share of Search.
- [Essie vs Kester Black: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/essie-vs-kester-black): 30.5% against 4.5% Share of Search.
- [Sally Hansen vs Kester Black: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/kester-black-vs-sally-hansen): 27.4% against 4.5% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand nail polish brands in August 2026?

- In August 2026, Sally Hansen gained estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand, from 23.3% to 27.4%.
- In August 2026, OPI lost estimated Share of Search among nail polish brands in New Zealand, from 42.5% to 37.6%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Essie in New Zealand rose 71.3% over 11 measured months, from 1.4K to 2.5K in August 2026.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Kester Black in New Zealand fell 66% over 11 measured months, from 1.1K to 360 in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | OPI | 37.6% | 3K | -14.2% | OPI |
| 2 | Essie | 30.5% | 2.5K | -1.6% | Essie |
| 3 | Sally Hansen | 27.4% | 2.2K | +14.0% | Sally Hansen |
| 4 | Kester Black | 4.5% | 360 | +5.9% | Kester Black |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | OPI | 2.5K | 38% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Sally Hansen | 1.6K | 24.5% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | Essie | 1.4K | 21.5% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | Kester Black | 1.1K | 16% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | OPI | 3.1K | 36.2% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Sally Hansen | 2K | 23.7% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Essie | 1.9K | 21.9% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Kester Black | 1.6K | 18.2% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | OPI | 3.4K | 30.2% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Kester Black | 3.4K | 29.5% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Sally Hansen | 2.3K | 20.3% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Essie | 2.3K | 20% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | OPI | 3.1K | 34.2% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Sally Hansen | 2.3K | 24.5% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Essie | 2.1K | 22.8% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Kester Black | 1.7K | 18.5% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | OPI | 3K | 42% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Essie | 1.8K | 24.7% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Sally Hansen | 1.6K | 23.3% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Kester Black | 710 | 10% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | OPI | 2.9K | 41.3% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Essie | 1.7K | 23.8% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Sally Hansen | 1.5K | 21.7% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Kester Black | 930 | 13.2% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | OPI | 3.3K | 44.8% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Essie | 2K | 28% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Sally Hansen | 1.6K | 21.4% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Kester Black | 420 | 5.8% | 4 |
| May 2026 | OPI | 3.7K | 44.5% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Essie | 2.2K | 26.3% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Sally Hansen | 1.9K | 23.5% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Kester Black | 480 | 5.8% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | OPI | 3.8K | 46.6% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Essie | 2K | 25.2% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Sally Hansen | 1.9K | 23.9% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Kester Black | 350 | 4.3% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | OPI | 3.5K | 42.5% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Essie | 2.5K | 30.1% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Sally Hansen | 1.9K | 23.3% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Kester Black | 340 | 4.1% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | OPI | 3K | 37.6% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Essie | 2.5K | 30.5% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Sally Hansen | 2.2K | 27.4% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Kester Black | 360 | 4.5% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Essie | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Kester Black | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | OPI | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Sally Hansen | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **Essie**: Measured on the search terms “ballet slippers nail polish essie”, “essie”, “essie ballet slippers”, “essie bordeaux”, “essie com”, “essie gel couture”, “essie gel couture nail polish”, “essie gel couture top coat”, “essie mademoiselle”, “essie nail gel”, “essie nail polish”, “essie nails”, “essie near me”, “essie nz”, “essie online” and “essie top coat”, summed into one figure.
- **Kester Black**: Measured on the search terms “kester black”, “kester black nail polish”, “kester black nails”, “kester black near me”, “kester black nz”, “kesterblack” and “kesterblack nz”, summed into one figure.
- **OPI**: Measured on the search terms “opi”, “opi com”, “opi gel nail polish”, “opi nail envy”, “opi nail envy nail strengthener”, “opi nail gel”, “opi nail lacquer”, “opi nail paint”, “opi nails”, “opi near me”, “opi new zealand”, “opi nz”, “opi online” and “opi rapidry”, summed into one figure.
- **Sally Hansen**: Measured on the search terms “airbrush sally hansen legs”, “press on nails sally hansen”, “sally hansen”, “sally hansen cuticle remover”, “sally hansen gel polish”, “sally hansen hard as nails”, “sally hansen instadri”, “sally hansen max growth”, “sally hansen miracle gel”, “sally hansen miracle gel top coat”, “sally hansen nail color”, “sally hansen nail rehab”, “sally hansen nail varnish remover”, “sally hansen nails”, “sally hansen near me”, “sally hansen nz”, “sallyhansen”, “sallyhansen com”, “sallyhansen gel polish” and “sallyhansen nails”, summed into one figure.

- [Essie](/demand/nz/brands/essie)
- [Kester Black](/demand/nz/brands/kester-black)
- [OPI](/demand/nz/brands/opi)
- [Sally Hansen](/demand/nz/brands/sally-hansen)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among nail polish brands in New Zealand?

In August 2026, OPI was the most searched among nail polish brands in New Zealand, with an estimated 3K branded searches and 37.6% estimated Share of Search within this set.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Nail polish brands in New Zealand: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-nail-polish-brands

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-nail-polish-brands. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.