Cold and flu brands in the United States:Which are most popular?

Name: Cold and flu brands in the United States: Which are searched most?
Creator: Brandwave
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

In September 2026, Mucinex was the most searched cold and flu brand in the United States, accounting for 28.9% of all searches among the nine brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Mucinex was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers.

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Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Mucinex was mentioned most often, in four of the five answers. Theraflu, which ranked fourth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Mentioned by AI

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

How many AI answers named each brand
Brand	ChatGPT	Google	Answers that named it
Mucinex	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Robitussin	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
Delsym	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	2 of 5
NyQuil	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
DayQuil	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Vicks	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 1 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Theraflu	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Zicam	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Alka-Seltzer Plus	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Mucinex4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Robitussin2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Delsym2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
NyQuil1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
DayQuil1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Vicks1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Theraflu0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Zicam0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Alka-Seltzer Plus0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about cold and flu brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cold medicine?”
1. 1Mucinex
Asked ChatGPT
“What's good for a stuffy nose?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cough medicine for adults?”
1. 1Delsym
2. 2Robitussin
3. 3Mucinex
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cold medicine”
1. 1Mucinex
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best cold medicine”
1. 1Vicks
2. 2DayQuil
3. 3NyQuil
4. 4Mucinex
5. 5Delsym
6. 6Robitussin

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 27, 2026.

Which cold and flu brands do people search for most?

This chart shows how often people search Google for each cold and flu brand by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine cold and flu brands we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

Share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, by month

Month	Mucinex	NyQuil	Robitussin	Theraflu	DayQuil	Vicks	Zicam	Delsym	Alka-Seltzer Plus
Oct 2025	30.1%	13.5%	13.5%	11%	9%	9%	7.4%	5%	1.5%
Nov 2025	30.6%	13.7%	11.2%	13.7%	9.2%	7.5%	7.5%	5%	1.5%
Dec 2025	28.7%	12.8%	10.5%	19.2%	8.6%	7%	7%	4.7%	1.4%
Jan 2026	28%	12.5%	10.2%	18.7%	8.4%	8.4%	6.9%	5.6%	1.4%
Feb 2026	28%	12.5%	10.3%	15.3%	10.3%	8.4%	8.4%	5.6%	1.4%
Mar 2026	33.3%	12.2%	12.2%	12.2%	8.1%	8.1%	6.7%	5.5%	1.6%
Apr 2026	34.6%	12.7%	12.7%	10.3%	8.5%	8.5%	5.7%	5.7%	1.4%
May 2026	30.2%	13.5%	13.5%	11%	9.1%	9.1%	6.1%	6.1%	1.5%
Jun 2026	33.9%	12.5%	12.5%	10.2%	8.3%	10.2%	5.6%	5.6%	1.4%
Jul 2026	30.1%	13.5%	13.5%	9.1%	9.1%	11.1%	6.1%	6.1%	1.5%
Aug 2026	31.3%	14%	11.4%	11.4%	9.4%	9.4%	6.3%	5.1%	1.5%
Sep 2026	28.9%	12.9%	12.9%	12.9%	10.6%	8.7%	7.1%	4.7%	1.4%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Mucinex Reckitt	28.9%	450K	+49.5%	-2.4 points
2, held 2nd	NyQuil Procter & Gamble	12.9%	201K	+48.9%	-1.1 points
3, held 3rd	Robitussin	12.9%	201K	+82.7%	+1.5 points
4, held 4th	Theraflu	12.9%	201K	+82.7%	+1.5 points
5, held 5th	DayQuil Procter & Gamble	10.6%	165K	+82.3%	+1.2 points
6, held 6th	Vicks	8.7%	135K	+49.2%	-0.8 points
7, held 7th	Zicam	7.1%	110K	+81.8%	+0.8 points
8, held 8th	Delsym	4.7%	74K	+49.5%	-0.4 points
9, held 9th	Alka-Seltzer Plus	1.4%	22.2K	+50%	-0.1 points

1.Mucinex
28.9%
Held 1st. 450K estimated branded searches, +49.5% vs prior month. Share -2.4 points.
2.NyQuil
12.9%
Held 2nd. 201K estimated branded searches, +48.9% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
3.Robitussin
12.9%
Held 3rd. 201K estimated branded searches, +82.7% vs prior month. Share +1.5 points.
4.Theraflu
12.9%
Held 4th. 201K estimated branded searches, +82.7% vs prior month. Share +1.5 points.
5.DayQuil
10.6%
Held 5th. 165K estimated branded searches, +82.3% vs prior month. Share +1.2 points.
6.Vicks
8.7%
Held 6th. 135K estimated branded searches, +49.2% vs prior month. Share -0.8 points.
7.Zicam
7.1%
Held 7th. 110K estimated branded searches, +81.8% vs prior month. Share +0.8 points.
8.Delsym
4.7%
Held 8th. 74K estimated branded searches, +49.5% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
9.Alka-Seltzer Plus
1.4%
Held 9th. 22.2K estimated branded searches, +50% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among cold and flu brands in the United States?

9 brands

In September 2026, Mucinex was the most searched among cold and flu brands in the United States, with an estimated 450K branded searches, 28.9% of all searches for the nine we track. NyQuil is in 2nd place, 16 percentage points behind at 12.9%.

United States cold and flu brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Mucinex	30.1% → 28.9%	34.6%Apr 2026	28%Feb 2026	1st
NyQuil	13.5% → 12.9%	14%Aug 2026	12.2%Mar 2026	2nd
Robitussin	13.5% → 12.9%	13.5%Jul 2026	10.2%Jan 2026	3rd
Theraflu	11% → 12.9%	19.2%Dec 2025	9.1%Jul 2026	4th
DayQuil	9% → 10.6%	10.6%Sep 2026	8.1%Mar 2026	5th
Vicks	9% → 8.7%	11.1%Jul 2026	7%Dec 2025	6th
Zicam	7.4% → 7.1%	8.4%Feb 2026	5.6%Jun 2026	7th
Delsym	5% → 4.7%	6.1%Jul 2026	4.7%Dec 2025	8th
Alka-Seltzer Plus	1.5% → 1.4%	1.6%Mar 2026	1.4%Jun 2026	9th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mucinex’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States decreased from 30.1% to 28.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NyQuil’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States decreased from 13.5% to 12.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Robitussin’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States decreased from 13.5% to 12.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Theraflu’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States increased from 11% to 12.9%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DayQuil’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States increased from 9% to 10.6%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mucinex’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 34.6% in April 2026 and was lowest at 28% in February 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, NyQuil’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 14% in August 2026 and was lowest at 12.2% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Robitussin’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 13.5% in July 2026 and was lowest at 10.2% in January 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Theraflu’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 19.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 9.1% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DayQuil’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 10.6% in September 2026 and was lowest at 8.1% in March 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 11.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 7% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zicam’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 8.4% in February 2026 and was lowest at 5.6% in June 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Delsym’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States peaked at 6.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 4.7% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks, Zicam, Delsym and Alka-Seltzer Plus held steady: their share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States cold and flu brands in September 2026?

8 changes

In September 2026, Robitussin gained share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 11.4% to 12.9%.
In September 2026, Theraflu gained share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 11.4% to 12.9%.
In September 2026, DayQuil gained share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 9.4% to 10.6%.
In September 2026, Zicam gained share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 6.3% to 7.1%.
In September 2026, Mucinex lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 31.3% to 28.9%.
In September 2026, NyQuil lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 14% to 12.9%.
In September 2026, Vicks lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 9.4% to 8.7%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Alka-Seltzer Plus in the United States rose 22.7% over 12 measured months, from 18.1K to 22.2K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for cold and flu brands?

9 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among cold and flu brands comes from the terms listed under its name. When people mostly search for a brand because of something else it sells, only the searches that name this product count here.