Beauty retailers in the United Kingdom:Which are most popular?

Name: Beauty retailers in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Superdrug was the most searched beauty retailer in the United Kingdom, accounting for 50.3% of all searches among the six retailers we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Space NK, Cult Beauty and Boots showed up in every answer. Boots was recommended most often, coming first in three out of four responses.

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Top beauty retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Space NK, Cult Beauty and Boots appeared every time. Boots was recommended most often, coming first in three out of four answers. Sephora was second, and Space NK was third.

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.

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Space NK	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
Cult Beauty	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
Boots	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	4 of 4
Sephora	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 1 Google AI Overviews	3 of 4
Superdrug	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4
Lookfantastic	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 1 Google AI Overviews	2 of 4

Space NK4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Cult Beauty4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Boots4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Sephora3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
Superdrug2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
Lookfantastic2 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about beauty retailers

4 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“Where should I buy skincare and makeup in the UK?”
1. 1Boots
2. 2Sephora
3. 3Space NK
4. 4Superdrug
5. 5Cult Beauty
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best beauty shops in the UK?”
1. 1Boots
2. 2Sephora
3. 3Space NK
4. 4Superdrug
5. 5Lookfantastic
6. 6Cult Beauty
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best online beauty retailer in the UK?”
1. 1Lookfantastic
2. 2Boots
3. 3Cult Beauty
4. 4Space NK
Searched Google, AI Overview
“makeup shops”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“beauty retailers”
1. 1Boots
2. 2Sephora
3. 3Space NK
4. 4Cult Beauty

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.

Which beauty retailers do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each beauty retailer by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all six beauty retailers we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, by month

Month	Superdrug	Sephora	Space NK	Lookfantastic	Cult Beauty	Boots
Oct 2025	52.9%	16.9%	13%	13%	3.9%	0.23%
Nov 2025	42.5%	20.3%	15.6%	15.6%	5.7%	0.19%
Dec 2025	46.5%	18.1%	17.1%	14%	4.2%	0.17%
Jan 2026	48.4%	18.1%	14.5%	14.5%	4.4%	0.21%
Feb 2026	51.8%	18.7%	12.7%	12.7%	3.8%	0.23%
Mar 2026	48.6%	17.5%	14.6%	14.6%	4.4%	0.26%
Apr 2026	51.4%	18.5%	12.6%	12.6%	4.6%	0.28%
May 2026	57%	13.8%	11.5%	14%	3.4%	0.38%
Jun 2026	54.9%	16.2%	11%	13.5%	4%	0.44%
Jul 2026	56.9%	16.3%	11.4%	11.4%	3.4%	0.46%
Aug 2026	56.6%	16.7%	11.4%	11.4%	3.4%	0.46%
Sep 2026	50.3%	18.1%	15.1%	12.3%	3.7%	0.5%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Superdrug	50.3%	1.5M	-18%	-6.4 points
2, held 2nd	Sephora	18.1%	541K	0%	+1.4 points
3, moved from 4th to 3rd	Space NK	15.1%	450K	+22.3%	+3.7 pointsmoved from 4th to 3rd
4, moved from 3rd to 4th	Lookfantastic	12.3%	368K	0%	+0.9 pointsmoved from 3rd to 4th
5, held 5th	Cult Beauty	3.7%	110K	0%	+0.3 points
6, held 6th	Boots	0.5%	14.8K	0%	0 points

1.Superdrug
50.3%
Held 1st. 1.5M estimated branded searches, -18% vs prior month. Share -6.4 points.
2.Sephora
18.1%
Held 2nd. 541K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1.4 points.
3.Space NK
15.1%
Moved from 4th to 3rd. 450K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share +3.7 points.
4.Lookfantastic
12.3%
Moved from 3rd to 4th. 368K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.
5.Cult Beauty
3.7%
Held 5th. 110K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.
6.Boots
0.5%
Held 6th. 14.8K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom?

6 brands

In September 2026, Superdrug was the most searched among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 1.5M branded searches, 50.3% of all searches for the six we track. Sephora is in 2nd place, 32.2 percentage points behind at 18.1%.

United Kingdom beauty retailers, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Superdrug	52.9% → 50.3%	57%May 2026	42.5%Nov 2025	1st
Sephora	16.9% → 18.1%	20.3%Nov 2025	13.8%May 2026	2nd
Space NK	13% → 15.1%	17.1%Dec 2025	11%Jun 2026	4th → 3rd
Lookfantastic	13% → 12.3%	15.6%Nov 2025	11.4%Aug 2026	3rd → 4th
Cult Beauty	3.9% → 3.7%	5.7%Nov 2025	3.4%Aug 2026	5th
Boots	0.23% → 0.5%	0.5%Sep 2026	0.17%Dec 2025	6th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Superdrug’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom decreased from 52.9% to 50.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sephora’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom increased from 16.9% to 18.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Space NK’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom increased from 13% to 15.1%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lookfantastic’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom decreased from 13% to 12.3%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Superdrug’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 57% in May 2026 and was lowest at 42.5% in November 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sephora’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 20.3% in November 2025 and was lowest at 13.8% in May 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Space NK’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 17.1% in December 2025 and was lowest at 11% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lookfantastic’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 15.6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 11.4% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cult Beauty’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom peaked at 5.7% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.4% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Space NK rose from 4th to 3rd among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lookfantastic fell from 3rd to 4th among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cult Beauty and Boots held steady: their share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom beauty retailers in September 2026?

6 changes

In September 2026, Space NK overtook Lookfantastic to rank 3rd among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, with 15.1% of the searches.
In September 2026, Sephora gained share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, from 16.7% to 18.1%.
In September 2026, Lookfantastic gained share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, from 11.4% to 12.3%.
In September 2026, Superdrug lost share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, from 56.6% to 50.3%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Boots in the United Kingdom rose 82.7% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 14.8K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Cult Beauty in the United Kingdom fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 110K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for beauty retailers?

7 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among beauty retailers comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.