--- title: "DayQuil vs Vicks: Which is searched more in the United States?" description: "Is DayQuil 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 States. 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/us/compare/dayquil-vs-vicks" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # DayQuil vs Vicks: Which is searched more in the United States? Is DayQuil 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 States. 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**: DayQuil and Vicks - **Competitive set**: Cold and flu brands - **Market**: United States - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **DayQuil Share of Search**: 10.6% - **Vicks Share of Search**: 8.7% ## Is DayQuil or Vicks more popular in search? - In September 2026, DayQuil had more branded searches than Vicks among cold and flu brands in the United States. DayQuil had about 165,000 branded searches, while Vicks had 135,000. DayQuil made up 10.6% of all cold and flu brand searches we track, and Vicks accounted for 8.7%. - The lead changed hands 2 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Vicks took it in June 2026, DayQuil took it in September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DayQuil’s share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States moved from 9% to 10.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 110K to 165K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vicks’ share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States moved from 9% to 8.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 110K to 135K. ## Top cold and flu brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, DayQuil and Vicks were each mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Too few answers listed options to rank the brands, so only mentions are counted. | Brand | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mucinex | 2 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | NyQuil | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Robitussin | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Theraflu | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | DayQuil | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Vicks | 0 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 1 of 5 | | Zicam | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Delsym | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Alka-Seltzer Plus | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about cold and flu brands - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cold medicine?": 1. Mucinex - Asked ChatGPT "What's good for a stuffy nose?": named none of the brands we track - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best cough medicine for adults?": 1. Delsym, 2. Robitussin, 3. Mucinex - Searched Google, AI Overview "cold medicine": 1. Mucinex - Searched Google, AI Overview "best cold medicine": 1. Vicks, 2. DayQuil, 3. NyQuil, 4. Mucinex, 5. Delsym, 6. Robitussin Not named in any answer: Theraflu, Zicam and Alka-Seltzer Plus. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 27, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for United States cold and flu brands in September 2026? - 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, Vicks lost share of searches among cold and flu brands in the United States, from 9.4% to 8.7%. ## Month by month | Month | DayQuil estimated searches | DayQuil Share of Search | DayQuil rank | Vicks estimated searches | Vicks Share of Search | Vicks rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 110K | 9% | 5 | 110K | 9% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 135K | 9.2% | 5 | 110K | 7.5% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 201K | 8.6% | 5 | 165K | 7% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 165K | 8.4% | 5 | 165K | 8.4% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 165K | 10.3% | 4 | 135K | 8.4% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 110K | 8.1% | 5 | 110K | 8.1% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 90.5K | 8.5% | 5 | 90.5K | 8.5% | 6 | | May 2026 | 90.5K | 9.1% | 5 | 90.5K | 9.1% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 60.5K | 8.3% | 6 | 74K | 10.2% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 60.5K | 9.1% | 5 | 74K | 11.1% | 4 | | Aug 2026 | 90.5K | 9.4% | 5 | 90.5K | 9.4% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 165K | 10.6% | 5 | 135K | 8.7% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DayQuil’s 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. - **DayQuil**: Measured on the search term “dayquil”. - **Vicks**: Measured on the search term “vicks vaporub”. - [DayQuil profile](/demand/us/brands/dayquil) - [Vicks profile](/demand/us/brands/vicks) - [All cold and flu brands in the United States](/demand/us/categories/us-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 DayQuil or Vicks more popular in search? In September 2026, DayQuil had more branded searches than Vicks among cold and flu brands in the United States. DayQuil had about 165,000 branded searches, while Vicks had 135,000. DayQuil made up 10.6% of all cold and flu brand searches we track, and Vicks accounted for 8.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "DayQuil vs Vicks: Which is searched more in the United States?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/dayquil-vs-vicks This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/compare/dayquil-vs-vicks. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.