Brandwave

Cult Beauty vs John Lewis:Which is more popular in the United Kingdom?

In September 2026, Cult Beauty and John Lewis were level in searches among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 750 versus 720 branded searches, at 1.8% and 1.7% of the total. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about beauty boxes, Cult Beauty appeared in one of the five answers and John Lewis in none.

Among beauty boxes in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cult Beauty and John Lewis are searched for about as often as each other.

Cult Beauty 750 searchesJohn Lewis 720 searches

Who does AI mention more?

Cult Beauty, mentioned in 1 of 5 answers, John Lewis in 0

Cult Beauty in 1 of 5John Lewis 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. John Lewis 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 Cult Beauty or John Lewis more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cult Beauty 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.

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

Share of searches by month for Cult Beauty, John Lewis. 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 and John Lewis sell other things too, so only their searches that name this product count here, like “cult beauty box”.

How has branded search for Cult Beauty and John Lewis changed in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 5 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Cult Beauty took it in November 2025, John Lewis took it in March 2026, Cult Beauty took it in May 2026, John Lewis took it in June 2026, Cult Beauty took it in July 2026.
  • 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.
  • 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?

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. 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.

  3. 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.

How are Cult Beauty’s and John Lewis’ branded searches counted?

3 search terms

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

Cult Beauty

2 branded search terms

  • cult beauty box
  • cult beauty goody bag

John Lewis

1 branded search term

  • john lewis beauty box

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among beauty boxes

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