--- title: "Olbas vs Vicks: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?" description: "Is Olbas or Vicks more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cold and flu brands set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/olbas-vs-vicks" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Olbas vs Vicks: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom? Is Olbas or Vicks more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Cold and flu brands set in the United Kingdom. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Compared**: Olbas and Vicks - **Competitive set**: Cold and flu brands - **Market**: United Kingdom - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Olbas Share of Search**: 11.6% - **Vicks Share of Search**: 11.5% ## Is Olbas or Vicks more popular in search? - In September 2026, Olbas and Vicks were level in searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 23.8K versus 23.5K branded searches, at 11.6% and 11.5% of the total. - The lead changed hands 3 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Olbas took it in March 2026, Vicks took it in August 2026, Olbas took it in September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Olbas’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom moved from 11.4% to 11.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 29K to 23.8K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom moved from 13.2% to 11.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 33.7K to 23.5K. ## Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, neither Olbas nor Vicks showed up in any of the five answers. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Lemsip | 1st | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Beechams | 2nd | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Benylin | 3rd | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Night Nurse | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Sudafed | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Olbas | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Vicks | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Strepsils | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Covonia | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about cold and flu brands - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cold and flu medicine in the UK?": 1. Lemsip, 2. Beechams - Asked ChatGPT "What's good for a blocked nose?": named none of the brands we track - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cough medicine for a chesty cough?": named none of the brands we track - Searched Google, AI Overview "cold and flu tablets": 1. Benylin, 2. Beechams, 3. Lemsip - Searched Google, AI Overview "cough medicine": 1. Benylin Not named in any answer: Night Nurse, Sudafed, Olbas, Vicks, Strepsils and Covonia. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United Kingdom on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United Kingdom cold and flu brands in September 2026? - In September 2026, Olbas overtook Vicks and Strepsils to rank 4th among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with 11.6% of the searches. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Vicks in the United Kingdom fell 30.3% over 12 measured months, from 33.7K to 23.5K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Olbas estimated searches | Olbas Share of Search | Olbas rank | Vicks estimated searches | Vicks Share of Search | Vicks rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 29K | 11.4% | 5 | 33.7K | 13.2% | 4 | | Nov 2025 | 29K | 12.1% | 5 | 33.7K | 14% | 4 | | Dec 2025 | 35K | 11.3% | 5 | 39.2K | 12.7% | 4 | | Jan 2026 | 29K | 10.9% | 5 | 32.5K | 12.2% | 4 | | Feb 2026 | 23.8K | 11.8% | 5 | 26.6K | 13.2% | 4 | | Mar 2026 | 23.5K | 12.9% | 4 | 21.7K | 11.9% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 15.8K | 11.1% | 4 | 14.5K | 10.2% | 6 | | May 2026 | 15.8K | 12.5% | 4 | 15K | 11.9% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 13K | 12.7% | 4 | 12.3K | 12% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 10.6K | 11.3% | 5 | 10K | 10.6% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 10.6K | 9.7% | 6 | 12.3K | 11.3% | 4 | | Sep 2026 | 23.8K | 11.6% | 4 | 23.5K | 11.5% | 5 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Olbas’ and Vicks’ 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. - **Olbas**: Measured on the search terms “olbas” and “olbas oil”, summed into one figure. - **Vicks**: Measured on the search terms “vicks first defence” and “vicks vaporub”, summed into one figure. - [Olbas profile](/demand/uk/brands/olbas) - [Vicks profile](/demand/uk/brands/vicks) - [All cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom](/demand/uk/categories/uk-cold-and-flu-brands): The set both shares are measured inside, 9 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Olbas or Vicks more popular in search? In September 2026, Olbas and Vicks were level in searches among cold and flu brands in the United Kingdom, with an estimated 23.8K versus 23.5K branded searches, at 11.6% and 11.5% of the total. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Olbas vs Vicks: Which is searched more in the United Kingdom?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/olbas-vs-vicks This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/uk/compare/olbas-vs-vicks. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.