Brandwave

Head & Shoulders vs K18:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, K18 had more branded searches than Head & Shoulders among shampoo brands in the United Kingdom. K18 had about 49,500 branded searches, while Head & Shoulders had 8,100. K18 made up 16.6% of all shampoo brand searches we track, and Head & Shoulders accounted for 2.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about shampoo brands, Head & Shoulders appeared in two of the five answers and K18 in none.

Among shampoo brands in the United Kingdom in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

K18, about 6 searches for every 1 for Head & Shoulders

K18 49.5K searchesHead & Shoulders 8.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Head & Shoulders, mentioned in 2 of 5 answers, K18 in 0

Head & Shoulders in 2 of 5K18 in 0 of 5

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Top shampoo brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Head & Shoulders was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. K18 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. L'Oréal Paris Elvive1st
  2. Kérastase2nd
  3. Redken3rd
  4. Olaplex4th
  5. Moroccanoil5th
  6. Dove6th
  7. Herbal Essences7th
  8. Head & Shoulders8th
  9. K18–
  10. OGX–
  11. +5 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • L'Oréal Paris Elvive4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Kérastase2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Redken2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Head & Shoulders2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Olaplex1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Moroccanoil1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Dove1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Herbal Essences1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • K180 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • OGX0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+5 more

See every answer about shampoo brands

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 26, 2026.

Is Head & Shoulders or K18 more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Head & Shoulders and K18 by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 15 shampoo brands we track, month by month, from searches in United Kingdom.

Head & Shoulders and K18 among shampoo brands in the United Kingdom, by month

Share of searches by month for K18, Head & Shoulders. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthKérastaseK18OlaplexMoroccanoilRedkenOGXPhilip KingsleyAussieTRESemméDoveHead & ShouldersHerbal EssencesL'Oréal Paris ElvivePanteneBumble and bumble
Oct 202522.2%18.2%18.2%9.9%6.7%3.6%4.4%3%2.4%1.3%3%2%2.4%1.6%1.1%
Nov 202525%16.8%20.6%11.2%6.2%2.7%4.1%2.2%1.8%1.5%2.2%1.5%1.8%1.2%1%
Dec 202524.4%16.3%19.9%10.9%6%3.3%4.9%2.7%1.8%1.5%2.2%1.5%2.2%1.5%1.2%
Jan 202625.7%17.2%17.2%9.4%6.3%3.4%4.2%2.8%2.3%1.5%2.8%1.9%2.3%1.9%1.2%
Feb 202625.2%16.8%16.8%9.2%6.2%4.1%4.1%2.8%2.2%2.2%2.8%2.2%2.2%1.8%1.2%
Mar 202623.5%15.7%19.2%10.5%5.7%3.8%3.8%3.1%2.1%2.1%3.1%2.1%2.1%1.7%1.4%
Apr 202621.4%17.5%17.5%9.6%6.4%4.3%4.3%3.5%2.3%2.3%3.5%2.3%2%1.9%1.3%
May 202621.1%14.1%17.3%14.1%5.2%4.2%4.2%3.5%2.8%2.8%3.5%2.3%2%1.5%1.3%
Jun 202621.5%14.4%17.6%11.7%6.4%4.3%4.3%3.5%3.5%2.9%2.9%2.3%1.9%1.6%1.3%
Jul 202622.2%14.8%14.8%9.9%5.4%8.1%4.4%3.6%3.6%3%3%2.4%1.9%1.6%1.1%
Aug 202625.2%16.8%13.8%9.2%6.2%5%4.1%3.4%2.8%2.8%2.8%2.2%2.2%1.8%1.8%
Sep 202624.8%16.6%16.6%9.1%6.1%4%4%3.3%3.3%2.7%2.7%2.2%2.2%1.5%0.97%

How has the Head & Shoulders and K18 comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United Kingdom shampoo brands in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, TRESemmé overtook Dove and Head & Shoulders to rank 9th among shampoo brands in the United Kingdom, with 3.3% of the searches.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Head & Shoulders in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 9.9K to 8.1K in September 2026.

  3. Estimated monthly branded searches for K18 in the United Kingdom fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 60.5K to 49.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Head & Shoulders’ and K18’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.

Head & Shoulders

1 branded search term

  • head and shoulders

K18

1 branded search term

  • k18

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among shampoo brands

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