Brandwave

Life Pharmacy vs Unichem:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Unichem had more branded searches than Life Pharmacy among community pharmacy brands in New Zealand. Unichem had about 34,400 branded searches, while Life Pharmacy had 27,600. Unichem made up 23.4% of all community pharmacy brand searches we track, and Life Pharmacy accounted for 18.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about community pharmacy brands, both Life Pharmacy and Unichem appeared in all three answers. Unichem was mentioned before Life Pharmacy in every answer.

Among community pharmacy brands in New Zealand in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Unichem, about 25% more searches than Life Pharmacy

Unichem 34.4K searchesLife Pharmacy 27.6K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Life Pharmacy in 3 of 3Unichem in 3 of 3

Who does AI recommend more?

Unichem, named ahead of Life Pharmacy in every answer

Unichem first in 3Life Pharmacy never first

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Top community pharmacy brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, both Life Pharmacy and Unichem showed up in all three answers. Unichem was listed before Life Pharmacy in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Unichem1st
  2. Chemist Warehouse2nd
  3. Life Pharmacy3rd
  4. Bargain Chemist4th
  5. Woolworths Pharmacy–

Mentioned by AI

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

See every answer about community pharmacy brands

3 answers
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “Which community pharmacy should I shop at in New Zealand?”

    1. 1Chemist Warehouse
    2. 2Unichem
    3. 3Life Pharmacy
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What are the best community pharmacies in New Zealand?”

    1. 1Unichem
    2. 2Life Pharmacy
  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best community pharmacy in New Zealand for prescriptions and health products?”

    1. 1Unichem
    2. 2Chemist Warehouse
    3. 3Life Pharmacy
    4. 4Bargain Chemist
  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “chemist nz”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

  • Searched Google, AI Overview

    “prescription pharmacy”

    Google showed no AI Overview for this search.

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.

Is Life Pharmacy or Unichem more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Life Pharmacy and Unichem by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five community pharmacy brands we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.

Life Pharmacy and Unichem among community pharmacy brands in New Zealand, by month

Share of searches by month for Unichem, Life Pharmacy. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthBargain ChemistUnichemLife PharmacyWoolworths PharmacyChemist Warehouse
Oct 202549.5%24.7%18.5%4.1%3.2%
Nov 202546.5%25.2%21.3%3.4%3.7%
Dec 202544.8%27.1%20.5%3.4%4.2%
Jan 202649.8%24.8%18.4%3.8%3.2%
Feb 202644.9%27.3%20.4%3.9%3.5%
Mar 202647%28.9%17.4%3.6%3.2%
Apr 202646.9%29.1%17.4%2.9%3.7%
May 202648.3%27.6%18%3%3.2%
Jun 202647.7%27.1%17.7%3.6%3.9%
Jul 202648.4%27.4%18%3%3.3%
Aug 202653.2%24.6%16.2%3.1%2.9%
Sep 202650.8%23.4%18.8%3.6%3.4%

How has the Life Pharmacy and Unichem comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for New Zealand community pharmacy brands in September 2026?

2 changes
  1. In September 2026, Life Pharmacy gained share of searches among community pharmacy brands in New Zealand, from 16.2% to 18.8%.

  2. In September 2026, Unichem lost share of searches among community pharmacy brands in New Zealand, from 24.6% to 23.4%.

How are branded searches counted?

12 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Life Pharmacy’s and Unichem’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.

Life Pharmacy

8 branded search terms

  • Life Pharmacy
  • life pharmacy beauty
  • life pharmacy fragrance
  • life pharmacy makeup
  • life pharmacy perfume
  • life pharmacy supplements
  • life pharmacy vaccinations
  • life pharmacy vitamins

Unichem

4 branded search terms

  • unichem
  • unichem flu vaccination
  • unichem pharmacy
  • unichem vaccinations

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among community pharmacy brands

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