Pain relief brands in the United States:Which are most popular?

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

In September 2026, Tylenol was the most searched pain relief brand in the United States, accounting for 37.2% of all searches among the seven brands we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Advil showed up in every answer. Advil was recommended most often, coming first in three out of four responses that gave a list.

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Top pain relief brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Advil appeared every time. Advil was recommended most often, coming first in three out of four answers that gave a list. Motrin was second, and Tylenol was third. Icy Hot, which ranked sixth in searches, was not mentioned at all.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

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
Advil	Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	5 of 5
Tylenol	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Aleve	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Motrin	Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 2 of 2 Google AI Overviews	4 of 5
Excedrin	Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	1 of 5
Icy Hot	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5
Bayer Aspirin	Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers	Named in 0 of 2 Google AI Overviews	0 of 5

Advil5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Tylenol4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Aleve4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Motrin4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Excedrin1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Icy Hot0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Bayer Aspirin0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about pain relief brands

5 answers

Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best over-the-counter pain reliever?”
1. 1Advil
2. 2Motrin
3. 3Tylenol
4. 4Aleve
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best thing to take for a migraine?”
1. 1Advil
2. 2Motrin
3. 3Tylenol
4. 4Excedrin
Asked ChatGPT
“What's good for back pain?”
1. 1Advil
2. 2Aleve
Searched Google, AI Overview
“pain reliever”
1. 1Tylenol
2. 2Advil
3. 3Motrin
4. 4Aleve
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best pain reliever”
1. 1Advil
2. 2Motrin
3. 3Aleve
4. 4Tylenol

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 pain relief brands do people search for most?

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

Share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States, by month

Month	Tylenol	Advil	Aleve	Excedrin	Motrin	Icy Hot	Bayer Aspirin
Oct 2025	45.6%	13.6%	11.2%	11.2%	11.2%	6.1%	1%
Nov 2025	38.5%	14.1%	14.1%	14.1%	11.6%	6.3%	1.3%
Dec 2025	36.7%	16.4%	13.5%	13.5%	13.5%	4.9%	1.5%
Jan 2026	36.2%	16.2%	13.3%	13.3%	13.3%	6%	1.8%
Feb 2026	39.9%	14.6%	14.6%	12%	12%	5.4%	1.6%
Mar 2026	38.3%	14%	14%	14%	11.5%	6.3%	1.9%
Apr 2026	34.7%	15.6%	15.6%	12.7%	12.7%	7%	1.7%
May 2026	35.2%	15.8%	15.8%	12.9%	12.9%	5.8%	1.7%
Jun 2026	36%	16.2%	16.2%	13.2%	10.8%	5.9%	1.8%
Jul 2026	40.3%	14.8%	14.8%	12.1%	9.8%	6.6%	1.6%
Aug 2026	38.4%	14.1%	14.1%	14.1%	11.5%	6.3%	1.5%
Sep 2026	37.2%	16.6%	13.7%	13.7%	11.2%	6.1%	1.5%

Rank	Brand	Share of searches	Estimated monthly branded searches	vs prior month	Share change
1, held 1st	Tylenol Kenvue	37.2%	450K	0%	-1.1 points
2, held 2nd	Advil	16.6%	201K	+21.8%	+2.6 points
3, held 3rd	Aleve	13.7%	165K	0%	-0.4 points
4, held 4th	Excedrin	13.7%	165K	0%	-0.4 points
5, held 5th	Motrin	11.2%	135K	0%	-0.3 points
6, held 6th	Icy Hot	6.1%	74K	0%	-0.2 points
7, held 7th	Bayer Aspirin	1.5%	18.1K	0%	0 points

1.Tylenol
37.2%
Held 1st. 450K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -1.1 points.
2.Advil
16.6%
Held 2nd. 201K estimated branded searches, +21.8% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.
3.Aleve
13.7%
Held 3rd. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
4.Excedrin
13.7%
Held 4th. 165K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
5.Motrin
11.2%
Held 5th. 135K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.
6.Icy Hot
6.1%
Held 6th. 74K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
7.Bayer Aspirin
1.5%
Held 7th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Which brand is most popular in search among pain relief brands in the United States?

7 brands

In September 2026, Tylenol was the most searched among pain relief brands in the United States, with an estimated 450K branded searches, 37.2% of all searches for the seven we track. Advil is in 2nd place, 20.6 percentage points behind at 16.6%.

United States pain relief brands, last 12 months ending September 2026
Brand	Share of searches	Peak	Low	Rank
Tylenol	45.6% → 37.2%	45.6%Oct 2025	34.7%Apr 2026	1st
Advil	13.6% → 16.6%	16.6%Sep 2026	13.6%Oct 2025	2nd
Aleve	11.2% → 13.7%	16.2%Jun 2026	11.2%Oct 2025	3rd
Excedrin	11.2% → 13.7%	14.1%Nov 2025	11.2%Oct 2025	4th
Motrin	11.2%	13.5%Dec 2025	9.8%Jul 2026	5th
Icy Hot	6.1%	7%Apr 2026	4.9%Dec 2025	6th
Bayer Aspirin	1% → 1.5%	1.9%Mar 2026	1%Oct 2025	7th

Each finding as a sentence

Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tylenol’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States decreased from 45.6% to 37.2%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Advil’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States increased from 13.6% to 16.6%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Aleve’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States increased from 11.2% to 13.7%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Excedrin’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States increased from 11.2% to 13.7%.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Tylenol’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States peaked at 45.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 34.7% in April 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Aleve’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States peaked at 16.2% in June 2026 and was lowest at 11.2% in October 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Excedrin’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States peaked at 14.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 11.2% in October 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Motrin’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States peaked at 13.5% in December 2025 and was lowest at 9.8% in July 2026.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Icy Hot’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States peaked at 7% in April 2026 and was lowest at 4.9% in December 2025.
Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Motrin, Icy Hot and Bayer Aspirin held steady: their share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for United States pain relief brands in September 2026?

6 changes

In September 2026, Advil gained share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States, from 14.1% to 16.6%.
In September 2026, Tylenol lost share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States, from 38.4% to 37.2%.
Aleve’s share of searches among pain relief brands in the United States has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 16.2% to 13.7% in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Bayer Aspirin in the United States rose 22.3% over 12 measured months, from 14.8K to 18.1K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Icy Hot in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 74K in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Motrin in the United States fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 165K to 135K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted for pain relief brands?

7 search terms

Each brand's share of searches among pain relief 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.