Brandwave

Birchbox vs Cult Beauty:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Birchbox had more branded searches than Cult Beauty among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom. Birchbox had about 1,300 branded searches, while Cult Beauty had 750. Birchbox made up 3.1% of all beauty box searches we track, and Cult Beauty accounted for 1.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about beauty boxes, Cult Beauty appeared in one of the five answers and Birchbox in none.

Among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Birchbox, about 73% more searches than Cult Beauty

Birchbox 1.3K searchesCult Beauty 750 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Cult Beauty, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, Birchbox in 0

Cult Beauty in 1 of 5Birchbox in 0 of 5

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Top beauty boxes in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cult Beauty was mentioned in one out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Birchbox 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. Lookfantastic1st
  2. GLOSSYBOX2nd
  3. Boots3rd
  4. Next4th
  5. Cult Beauty5th
  6. Liberty London6th
  7. Latest in Beauty7th
  8. M&S–
  9. Birchbox–
  10. John Lewis–

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Lookfantastic5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GLOSSYBOX4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Boots3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Next2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Latest in Beauty1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Liberty London1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Cult Beauty1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • M&S0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Birchbox0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • John Lewis0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about beauty boxes

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 28, 2026.

Is Birchbox or Cult Beauty more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Birchbox and Cult Beauty by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten beauty box brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Birchbox and Cult Beauty among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for Birchbox, Cult Beauty. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGLOSSYBOXBootsNextLatest in BeautyM&SLookfantasticBirchboxLiberty LondonCult BeautyJohn Lewis
Oct 202534.2%27.9%10.2%6.8%6.8%6.8%2.5%2%1.5%1.5%
Nov 202532.7%32.7%11.9%5.3%5.3%5.3%2.4%1.3%1.7%1.5%
Dec 202539.1%26.1%11.6%4.2%4.2%6.3%2.3%1.5%2.9%1.8%
Jan 202637%20.2%9%4.9%13.5%5.9%3.3%2.7%2%1.5%
Feb 202644%16%13.1%4.6%5.8%5.8%3.2%1.8%3.5%2.1%
Mar 202635.9%19.7%13.1%5.8%10.7%5.8%2.6%1.7%2.1%2.6%
Apr 202638.5%21.1%11.4%4.9%7.5%6.2%2.6%2.6%2.5%2.6%
May 202624.7%16.5%9%4.8%30.2%7.3%1.7%1.2%2.3%2.2%
Jun 202632.9%18%9.8%5.3%14.7%6.4%2.2%2%2.3%6.4%
Jul 202626.9%32.9%9.8%5.3%8%8%2%2.9%2.4%2%
Aug 202637%24.7%9%7.4%5.9%7.4%2.7%2%2.2%1.8%
Sep 202643.5%19.5%10.6%7%5.8%3.8%3.1%3.1%1.8%1.7%

Cult Beauty sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “cult beauty box”.

How has the Birchbox and Cult Beauty comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 6 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Cult Beauty took it in December 2025, Birchbox took it in January 2026, Cult Beauty took it in February 2026, Birchbox took it in March 2026, Cult Beauty took it in May 2026, Birchbox took it in August 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Birchbox’s share of searches among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom moved from 2.5% to 3.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.6K to 1.3K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cult Beauty’s share of searches among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom moved from 1.5% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 970 to 750.

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

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Liberty London overtook Cult Beauty to rank 8th among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom, with 3.1% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Cult Beauty in the United Kingdom fell 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 970 to 750 in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for Birchbox in the United Kingdom fell 18.8% over 12 measured months, from 1.6K to 1.3K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Birchbox’s and Cult Beauty’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.

Birchbox

1 branded search term

  • birchbox

Cult Beauty

2 branded search terms

  • cult beauty box
  • cult beauty goody bag

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among beauty boxes

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