Cult Beauty vs Sephora:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Sephora had more branded searches than Cult Beauty among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom. Sephora had about 541,000 branded searches, while Cult Beauty had 110,000. Sephora made up 18.1% of all beauty retailer searches we track, and Cult Beauty accounted for 3.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about beauty retailers, Cult Beauty appeared in all four answers and Sephora in three. Sephora was mentioned before Cult Beauty in three out of four answers.
Who do people search for more?
Sephora, about 5 searches for every 1 for Cult Beauty
Who does AI mention more?
Cult Beauty, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Sephora, named ahead of Cult Beauty in 3 of 4 answers
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Top beauty retailers in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, Cult Beauty appeared in all four answers. Sephora was mentioned in three out of four: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in the Google AI Overview. Sephora was listed before Cult Beauty in three out of four answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Boots1st- Sephora2nd
Space NK3rd
Lookfantastic4th- Cult Beauty5th
Superdrug6th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- 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?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best beauty shops in the UK?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best online beauty retailer in the UK?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“makeup shops”
Google showed no AI Overview for this search.
Searched Google, AI Overview
“beauty retailers”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United Kingdom on October 22, 2026.
Is Cult Beauty or Sephora more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Cult Beauty and Sephora 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 by month for Sephora, Cult Beauty. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| 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% |
How has the Cult Beauty and Sephora comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Sephora was ahead of Cult Beauty in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cult Beauty’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom moved from 3.9% to 3.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 110K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sephora’s share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom moved from 16.9% to 18.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 585K to 541K.
How did search popularity change for United Kingdom beauty retailers in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Sephora gained share of searches among beauty retailers in the United Kingdom, from 16.7% to 18.1%.
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?
3 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cult Beauty’s and Sephora’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.
Cult Beauty
1 branded search term
- cult beauty
Sephora
2 branded search terms
- sephora
- sephora uk
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