Brandwave

How popular isSudafed?

In September 2026, people searched for Sudafed by name about 33,100 times in the United Kingdom, an 18.3% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 16.2% of all United Kingdom cold and flu brand searches, placing Sudafed third out of nine brands. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cold and flu brands, Sudafed did not appear in any of the answers.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Sudafed is the third most searched of 9 competitors and not listed in any AI answer.

  1. LemsipShare of searches 19.8%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. Night NurseShare of searches 19.8%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  3. SudafedShare of searches 16.2%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. OlbasShare of searches 11.6%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. VicksShare of searches 11.5%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –

+4 more

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Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Sudafed 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.

  1. Lemsip1st
  2. Beechams2nd
  3. Benylin3rd
  4. Night Nurse–
  5. Sudafed–
  6. Olbas–
  7. Vicks–
  8. Strepsils–
  9. Covonia–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Lemsip2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Beechams2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Benylin2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Night Nurse0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Sudafed0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Olbas0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Vicks0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Strepsils0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Covonia0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cold and flu brands

5 answers

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's the best cold and flu medicine in the UK?”

    1. 1Lemsip
    2. 2Beechams

  • Asked ChatGPT

    “What's good for a blocked nose?”

    1. Asked ChatGPT

      “What's the best cough medicine for a chesty cough?”

      1. Searched Google, AI Overview

        “cold and flu tablets”

        1. 1Benylin
        2. 2Beechams
        3. 3Lemsip

      2. Searched Google, AI Overview

        “cough medicine”

        1. 1Benylin

      Not named in any answer:

      Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026.

      Which cold and flu brands compete with Sudafed?

      Sudafed against cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, by month

      Share of searches by month for Lemsip, Night Nurse, Sudafed, Olbas, Vicks, Strepsils, Covonia, Beechams, Benylin. The figures are in the table below the chart.

      View monthly share of searches table
      MonthLemsipNight NurseSudafedOlbasVicksStrepsilsCovoniaBeechamsBenylin
      Oct 202519.4%19.4%15.9%11.4%13.2%10.6%3.9%3.2%3.2%
      Nov 202516.9%20.6%16.9%12.1%14%9.3%4.1%2.8%3.4%
      Dec 202516%23.9%16%11.3%12.7%8.8%4.8%2.6%3.9%
      Jan 202615.2%22.8%18.6%10.9%12.2%10.2%4.6%2.5%3%
      Feb 202616.4%20.1%20.1%11.8%13.2%9%4%2.2%3.3%
      Mar 202614.9%18.2%22.3%12.9%11.9%10%3.6%2.4%3.6%
      Apr 202615.6%19.1%23.3%11.1%10.2%10.4%3.8%2.5%3.8%
      May 202614.3%17.6%21.4%12.5%11.9%11.7%4.3%2.8%3.5%
      Jun 202614.4%17.6%21.6%12.7%12%11.8%3.5%2.8%3.5%
      Jul 202612.9%19.3%23.6%11.3%10.6%12.9%3.8%2.6%3.1%
      Aug 202613.6%24.8%20.3%9.7%11.3%11.1%3.3%2.7%3.3%
      Sep 202619.8%19.8%16.2%11.6%11.5%10.8%4%3.2%3.2%

      1. 1.Lemsip

        19.8%

        Moved from 3rd to 1st. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +173.6% vs prior month. Share +6.2 points.

      2. 2.Night Nurse

        19.8%

        Moved from 1st to 2nd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +49.4% vs prior month. Share -5 points.

      3. 3.Sudafed

        16.2%

        Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 33.1K estimated branded searches, +49.1% vs prior month. Share -4.2 points.

      4. 4.Olbas

        11.6%

        Moved from 6th to 4th. 23.8K estimated branded searches, +124.1% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.

      5. 5.Vicks

        11.5%

        Moved from 4th to 5th. 23.5K estimated branded searches, +91.1% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

      6. 6.Strepsils

        10.8%

        Moved from 5th to 6th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +83.5% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

      7. 7.Covonia

        4%

        Moved from 8th to 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, +125% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

      8. 8.Beechams

        3.2%

        Moved from 9th to 8th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +127.6% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

      9. 9.Benylin

        3.2%

        Moved from 7th to 9th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +83.3% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

      Compare popularity between Sudafed and its closest rivals

      Every comparison with Sudafed

      8 comparisons

      How has branded search demand for Sudafed changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months?

      2 findings
      • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Sudafed in the United Kingdom fell from 40.5K to 33.1K.
      • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sudafed’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 23.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 15.9% in October 2025.

      How did search popularity change for United Kingdom cold and flu brands in September 2026?

      6 changes

      1. In September 2026, Lemsip overtook Night Nurse and Sudafed to become the leader among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 19.8% of the searches.

      2. In September 2026, Covonia overtook Benylin to rank 7th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 4% of the searches.

      3. In September 2026, Olbas overtook Vicks and Strepsils to rank 4th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 11.6% of the searches.

      4. In September 2026, Beechams overtook Benylin to rank 8th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 3.2% of the searches.

      5. In September 2026, Night Nurse lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, from 24.8% to 19.8%.

      6. In September 2026, Sudafed lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, from 20.3% to 16.2%.

      How are Sudafed’s branded searches counted?

      1 search term

      Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Sudafed’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

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      How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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