--- title: "Essence vs Kester Black: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Essence or Kester Black more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Nail polish brands set in New Zealand. 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/compare/essence-makeup-vs-kester-black" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Essence vs Kester Black: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Essence or Kester Black more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Nail polish brands set in New Zealand. 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 - **Compared**: Essence and Kester Black - **Competitive set**: Nail polish brands - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Essence Share of Search**: 13% - **Kester Black Share of Search**: 2.1% ## Is Essence or Kester Black more popular in search? - In September 2026, Essence had more branded searches than Kester Black among nail polish brands in New Zealand. Essence had about 1,360 branded searches, while Kester Black had 220. Essence made up 13% of all nail polish brand searches we track, and Kester Black accounted for 2.1%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Kester Black took it in December 2025, Essence took it in February 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Essence’s share of searches among nail polish brands in New Zealand moved from 9.8% to 13%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 980 to 1.4K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Kester Black’s share of searches among nail polish brands in New Zealand moved from 4.9% to 2.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 490 to 220. ## Top nail polish brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Essence was mentioned in two out of four: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Kester Black did not appear in any of the four answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | OPI | 1st | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Sally Hansen | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 4 of 4 | | Essie | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 3 of 4 | | Essence | 4th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 1 | 2 of 4 | | Gelish | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Kester Black | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | Hanami | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | | NSI | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 1 | 0 of 4 | ## Every AI answer about nail polish brands - Asked ChatGPT "Which nail polish brand should I buy in New Zealand?": 1. OPI, 2. Sally Hansen, 3. Essie, 4. Essence - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best nail polish brands in New Zealand?": 1. OPI, 2. Essie, 3. Sally Hansen - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best nail polish brand in New Zealand for everyday wear?": 1. Essie, 2. Sally Hansen, 3. OPI - Searched Google, AI Overview "best nail polish nz": 1. OPI, 2. Sally Hansen, 3. Essence Not named in any answer: Gelish, Kester Black, Hanami and NSI. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand nail polish brands in September 2026? - Essence’s share of searches among nail polish brands in New Zealand has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 10.1% to 13% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Kester Black in New Zealand fell 55.1% over 12 measured months, from 490 to 220 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Essence estimated searches | Essence Share of Search | Essence rank | Kester Black estimated searches | Kester Black Share of Search | Kester Black rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 980 | 9.8% | 4 | 490 | 4.9% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 980 | 8.9% | 4 | 730 | 6.6% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 800 | 5.3% | 5 | 1.6K | 10.7% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 800 | 6.3% | 5 | 890 | 7.1% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 690 | 7.1% | 4 | 330 | 3.4% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 910 | 9% | 4 | 490 | 4.9% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 910 | 8.8% | 4 | 180 | 1.7% | 6 | | May 2026 | 980 | 9.1% | 4 | 220 | 2% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 1.1K | 10.1% | 4 | 180 | 1.7% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 1.3K | 11.7% | 4 | 180 | 1.6% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 1.4K | 12.5% | 4 | 180 | 1.7% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 1.4K | 13% | 4 | 220 | 2.1% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Essence’s and Kester Black’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. - **Essence**: Measured on the search terms “essence makeup”, “essence makeup makeup” and “essence mascara”, summed into one figure. - **Kester Black**: Measured on the search terms “kester black”, “kester black nails” and “kesterblack”, summed into one figure. - [Essence profile](/demand/nz/brands/essence-makeup) - [Kester Black profile](/demand/nz/brands/kester-black) - [All nail polish brands in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-nail-polish-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Essence or Kester Black more popular in search? In September 2026, Essence had more branded searches than Kester Black among nail polish brands in New Zealand. Essence had about 1,360 branded searches, while Kester Black had 220. Essence made up 13% of all nail polish brand searches we track, and Kester Black accounted for 2.1%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Essence vs Kester Black: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/essence-makeup-vs-kester-black This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/essence-makeup-vs-kester-black. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.