Birchbox vs John Lewis:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Birchbox had more branded searches than John Lewis among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom. Birchbox had about 1,300 branded searches, while John Lewis had 720. Birchbox made up 3.1% of all beauty box searches we track, and John Lewis accounted for 1.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about beauty boxes, neither Birchbox nor John Lewis appeared in any of the five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Birchbox, about 81% more searches than John Lewis
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 0 of 5 answers.
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Top beauty boxes in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Birchbox nor John Lewis showed up in any of the five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Lookfantastic1st
GLOSSYBOX2nd
Boots3rd
Next4th
Cult Beauty5th
Liberty London6th
Latest in Beauty7th
M&S–- Birchbox–
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
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best beauty subscription box in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“Which beauty box is worth the money?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's a good beauty box to give as a gift?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“beauty box”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“beauty boxes uk”
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 John Lewis more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Birchbox and John Lewis 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.
Share of searches by month for Birchbox, John Lewis. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | GLOSSYBOX | Boots | Next | Latest in Beauty | M&S | Lookfantastic | Birchbox | Liberty London | Cult Beauty | John Lewis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 34.2% | 27.9% | 10.2% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 2.5% | 2% | 1.5% | 1.5% |
| Nov 2025 | 32.7% | 32.7% | 11.9% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 5.3% | 2.4% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
| Dec 2025 | 39.1% | 26.1% | 11.6% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 6.3% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 2.9% | 1.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 37% | 20.2% | 9% | 4.9% | 13.5% | 5.9% | 3.3% | 2.7% | 2% | 1.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 44% | 16% | 13.1% | 4.6% | 5.8% | 5.8% | 3.2% | 1.8% | 3.5% | 2.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 35.9% | 19.7% | 13.1% | 5.8% | 10.7% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 2.6% |
| Apr 2026 | 38.5% | 21.1% | 11.4% | 4.9% | 7.5% | 6.2% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 2.5% | 2.6% |
| May 2026 | 24.7% | 16.5% | 9% | 4.8% | 30.2% | 7.3% | 1.7% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Jun 2026 | 32.9% | 18% | 9.8% | 5.3% | 14.7% | 6.4% | 2.2% | 2% | 2.3% | 6.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 26.9% | 32.9% | 9.8% | 5.3% | 8% | 8% | 2% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 2% |
| Aug 2026 | 37% | 24.7% | 9% | 7.4% | 5.9% | 7.4% | 2.7% | 2% | 2.2% | 1.8% |
| Sep 2026 | 43.5% | 19.5% | 10.6% | 7% | 5.8% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.1% | 1.8% | 1.7% |
John Lewis sells other things too, so only its searches that name this product count here, like “john lewis beauty box”.
How has the Birchbox and John Lewis comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: John Lewis 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, John Lewis’ share of searches among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom moved from 1.5% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1K to 720.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom beauty boxes in September 2026?
2 changes
John Lewis’ share of searches among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 6.4% to 1.7% in September 2026.
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?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Birchbox’s and John Lewis’ 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
John Lewis
1 branded search term
- john lewis beauty box
Other head-to-heads among beauty boxes
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