Cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom:Which are most popular?

Name: Cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Lemsip and Night Nurse tie for the highest share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, at 19.8% each in September 2026. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Lemsip, Beechams and Benylin were mentioned most often, in two of the five answers. Lemsip was recommended most often, coming first in one out of two responses that gave a list.

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Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Lemsip, Beechams and Benylin were mentioned most often, in two of the five answers. Lemsip was recommended most often, coming first in one out of two answers that gave a list. Beechams was second, and Benylin was third. Night Nurse, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all.

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
Lemsip	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Beechams	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Benylin	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Night Nurse	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Sudafed	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Olbas	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Vicks	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Strepsils	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Covonia	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

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?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cough medicine for a chesty cough?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cold and flu tablets”
1. 1Benylin
2. 2Beechams
3. 3Lemsip
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 do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each cold and flu brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine cold and flu brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, by month

Month	Lemsip	Night Nurse	Sudafed	Olbas	Vicks	Strepsils	Covonia	Beechams	Benylin
Oct 2025	19.4%	19.4%	15.9%	11.4%	13.2%	10.6%	3.9%	3.2%	3.2%
Nov 2025	16.9%	20.6%	16.9%	12.1%	14%	9.3%	4.1%	2.8%	3.4%
Dec 2025	16%	23.9%	16%	11.3%	12.7%	8.8%	4.8%	2.6%	3.9%
Jan 2026	15.2%	22.8%	18.6%	10.9%	12.2%	10.2%	4.6%	2.5%	3%
Feb 2026	16.4%	20.1%	20.1%	11.8%	13.2%	9%	4%	2.2%	3.3%
Mar 2026	14.9%	18.2%	22.3%	12.9%	11.9%	10%	3.6%	2.4%	3.6%
Apr 2026	15.6%	19.1%	23.3%	11.1%	10.2%	10.4%	3.8%	2.5%	3.8%
May 2026	14.3%	17.6%	21.4%	12.5%	11.9%	11.7%	4.3%	2.8%	3.5%
Jun 2026	14.4%	17.6%	21.6%	12.7%	12%	11.8%	3.5%	2.8%	3.5%
Jul 2026	12.9%	19.3%	23.6%	11.3%	10.6%	12.9%	3.8%	2.6%	3.1%
Aug 2026	13.6%	24.8%	20.3%	9.7%	11.3%	11.1%	3.3%	2.7%	3.3%
Sep 2026	19.8%	19.8%	16.2%	11.6%	11.5%	10.8%	4%	3.2%	3.2%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, moved from 3rd to 1st	Lemsip	19.8%	40.5K	+173.6%	+6.2 pointsmoved from 3rd to 1st
2, moved from 1st to 2nd	Night Nurse	19.8%	40.5K	+49.4%	-5 pointsmoved from 1st to 2nd
3, moved from 2nd to 3rd	Sudafed	16.2%	33.1K	+49.1%	-4.2 pointsmoved from 2nd to 3rd
4, moved from 6th to 4th	Olbas	11.6%	23.8K	+124.1%	+1.9 pointsmoved from 6th to 4th
5, moved from 4th to 5th	Vicks	11.5%	23.5K	+91.1%	+0.2 pointsmoved from 4th to 5th
6, moved from 5th to 6th	Strepsils	10.8%	22.2K	+83.5%	-0.2 pointsmoved from 5th to 6th
7, moved from 8th to 7th	Covonia	4%	8.1K	+125%	+0.7 pointsmoved from 8th to 7th
8, moved from 9th to 8th	Beechams	3.2%	6.6K	+127.6%	+0.6 pointsmoved from 9th to 8th
9, moved from 7th to 9th	Benylin	3.2%	6.6K	+83.3%	-0.1 pointsmoved from 7th to 9th

1.Lemsip
19.8%
Moved from 3rd to 1st. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +173.6% vs prior month. Share +6.2 points.
2.Night Nurse
19.8%
Moved from 1st to 2nd. 40.5K estimated branded searches, +49.4% vs prior month. Share -5 points.
3.Sudafed
16.2%
Moved from 2nd to 3rd. 33.1K estimated branded searches, +49.1% vs prior month. Share -4.2 points.
4.Olbas
11.6%
Moved from 6th to 4th. 23.8K estimated branded searches, +124.1% vs prior month. Share +1.9 points.
5.Vicks
11.5%
Moved from 4th to 5th. 23.5K estimated branded searches, +91.1% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.
6.Strepsils
10.8%
Moved from 5th to 6th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +83.5% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
7.Covonia
4%
Moved from 8th to 7th. 8.1K estimated branded searches, +125% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
8.Beechams
3.2%
Moved from 9th to 8th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +127.6% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.
9.Benylin
3.2%
Moved from 7th to 9th. 6.6K estimated branded searches, +83.3% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom?

9 brands

Lemsip and Night Nurse tie for the highest share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, at 19.8% each in September 2026.

United Kingdom cold and flu brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Lemsip	19.4% → 19.8%	19.8%Sep 2026	12.9%Jul 2026	1st
Night Nurse	19.4% → 19.8%	24.8%Aug 2026	17.6%May 2026	2nd
Sudafed	15.9% → 16.2%	23.6%Jul 2026	15.9%Oct 2025	3rd
Olbas	11.4% → 11.6%	12.9%Mar 2026	9.7%Aug 2026	5th → 4th
Vicks	13.2% → 11.5%	14%Nov 2025	10.2%Apr 2026	4th → 5th
Strepsils	10.6% → 10.8%	12.9%Jul 2026	8.8%Dec 2025	6th
Covonia	3.9% → 4%	4.8%Dec 2025	3.3%Aug 2026	7th
Beechams	3.2%	3.2%Sep 2026	2.2%Feb 2026	8th
Benylin	3.2%	3.9%Dec 2025	3%Jan 2026	9th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom decreased from 13.2% to 11.5%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lemsip’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 19.8% in September 2026 and was lowest at 12.9% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Night Nurse’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 24.8% in August 2026 and was lowest at 17.6% in May 2026.
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.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Olbas’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 12.9% in March 2026 and was lowest at 9.7% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 14% in November 2025 and was lowest at 10.2% in April 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Strepsils’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 12.9% in July 2026 and was lowest at 8.8% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Covonia’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 4.8% in December 2025 and was lowest at 3.3% in August 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Beechams’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom peaked at 3.2% in September 2026 and was lowest at 2.2% in February 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Olbas rose from 5th to 4th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks fell from 4th to 5th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Lemsip, Night Nurse, Sudafed, Strepsils, Covonia, Beechams and Benylin held steady: their share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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

8 changes

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.
In September 2026, Covonia overtook Benylin to rank 7th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 4% of the searches.
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.
In September 2026, Beechams overtook Benylin to rank 8th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 3.2% of the searches.
In September 2026, Night Nurse lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, from 24.8% to 19.8%.
In September 2026, Sudafed lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, from 20.3% to 16.2%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Vicks in the United Kingdom fell 30.3% over 12 measured months, from 33.7K to 23.5K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Benylin in the United Kingdom fell 18.5% over 12 measured months, from 8.1K to 6.6K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for cold and flu brands?

11 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among cold and flu brands 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.