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ItalianoWhich haircare brands
AI recommends in the US
Brands ranked by mention rate on ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode
- Brands
- 102
- Questions
- 800
- Answers
- 2,400
- AI engines
- 3
01 · Brand leader
Top 10 brands by mention rate
No single brand runs away with the category.
Several brands compete for the top places.
| # | Brand | Mention rate Share of questions where ChatGPT names the brand | Share of voice The brand’s share of all brand mentions in the engine’s answers | 95% range The interval the true mention rate most likely falls in | In top 20 of The brand’s place inside each engine’s own top 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–3 | Olaplex | 23.6% | 4.8% | 20.7–26.6 | ChatGPT1Gemini1Google AI Mode1 |
| 21–3 | Redken | 21.3% | 4.1% | 18.4–24.1 | ChatGPT2Gemini5Google AI Mode11 |
| 31–4 | Living Proof | 19.8% | 4.7% | 17.0–22.5 | ChatGPT3Gemini6Google AI Mode3 |
| 43–10 | Ouai | 15.4% | 3.9% | 12.9–17.9 | ChatGPT4Gemini9Google AI Mode9 |
| 54–14 | K18 | 14.0% | 2.8% | 11.6–16.4 | ChatGPT5Gemini12Google AI Mode5 |
| 64–16 | Verb | 13.3% | 3.0% | 10.9–15.6 | ChatGPT6Gemini18Google AI Mode19 |
| 74–16 | Color Wow | 12.9% | 3.3% | 10.5–15.2 | ChatGPT7Gemini8Google AI Mode10 |
| 84–17 | Amika | 12.6% | 2.6% | 10.3–14.9 | ChatGPT8Gemini7Google AI Mode4 |
| 94–19 | L'Oréal | 12.1% | 2.0% | 9.9–14.4 | ChatGPT9Gemini3Google AI Mode6 |
| 104–20 | Kérastase | 11.5% | 2.0% | 9.3–13.7 | ChatGPT10Gemini2Google AI Mode7 |
| 115–20 | Ouidad | 10.4% | 2.1% | 8.3–12.5 | ChatGPT11Google AI Mode17 |
| 125–20 | Garnier | 10.3% | 1.6% | 8.1–12.4 | ChatGPT12Gemini17Google AI Mode20 |
| 135–20 | L'Oréal Paris | 10.3% | 1.6% | 8.1–12.4 | ChatGPT13Gemini4Google AI Mode8 |
| 145–20 | Odele | 10.1% | 2.8% | 8.0–12.2 | ChatGPT14 |
| 156–20 | Garnier Fructis | 9.3% | 1.5% | 7.4–11.5 | ChatGPT15 |
| 166–20 | Curlsmith | 8.8% | 1.7% | 7.0–10.9 | ChatGPT16Gemini13Google AI Mode14 |
| 178–20 | SheaMoisture | 8.3% | 1.7% | 6.5–10.4 | ChatGPT17Gemini10 |
| 189–20 | Oribe | 8.1% | 1.6% | 6.4–10.2 | ChatGPT18Gemini14Google AI Mode2 |
| 199–20 | Paul Mitchell | 7.9% | 1.6% | 6.2–9.9 | ChatGPT19Gemini11Google AI Mode12 |
| 2010–20 | Davines | 7.8% | 1.9% | 6.1–9.8 | ChatGPT20 |
02 · Engine consensus
Where each brand ranks
inside every engine’s top 10
There is no single AI top 10.
Only 7 of 13 brands rank in the top 10 of all 3 engines.
| Brand | ChatGPT | Gemini | Google AI Mode | Perplexity | In top 10 of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olaplex | 1 | 1 | 1 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Living Proof | 3 | 6 | 3 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| L'Oréal | 9 | 3 | 6 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Kérastase | 10 | 2 | 7 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Amika | 8 | 7 | 4 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Ouai | 4 | 9 | 9 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Color Wow | 7 | 8 | 10 | n/a | ChatGPTGeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Redken | 2 | 5 | – | n/a | ChatGPTGemini |
| K18 | 5 | – | 5 | n/a | ChatGPTGoogle AI Mode |
| L'Oréal Paris | – | 4 | 8 | n/a | GeminiGoogle AI Mode |
| Oribe | – | – | 2 | n/a | Google AI Mode |
| Verb | 6 | – | – | n/a | ChatGPT |
| SheaMoisture | – | 10 | – | n/a | Gemini |
Rank inside each engine’s own top 10 · a dash means the brand is not in that engine’s top 10 · n/a — the engine gave too few answers here to publish a ranking.
The rest depend on which engine the buyer opens — so a rank from a single engine is not a market position.
Source: Findrix's research. Where each brand ranks inside every engine's top 10, haircare, United States.
03 · Most cited domains
Which sites each engine cites, and
how much of its answers they carry
| Domain | ChatGPT | Gemini | Google AI Mode | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| google.com | <0.1% | – | 63.4% | n/a |
| ulta.com | 19.1% | 3.1% | 1.4% | n/a |
| whowhatwear.com | 1.0% | 9.3% | 0.8% | n/a |
| curlynikki.com | <0.1% | 7.5% | 0.4% | n/a |
| walmart.com | 7.2% | 1.1% | 0.1% | n/a |
| sephora.com | 6.9% | 1.3% | 0.9% | n/a |
| reddit.com | 5.5% | 0.6% | 3.0% | n/a |
| allure.com | 4.3% | – | 5.3% | n/a |
| byrdie.com | 0.6% | – | 5.3% | n/a |
| elle.com | 0.7% | 4.7% | – | n/a |
| goodhousekeeping.com | 1.7% | 3.9% | 0.1% | n/a |
| marieclaire.com | 0.7% | 3.9% | 0.2% | n/a |
04 · The questions we asked
800 buyer questions, each
asked once per engine
General requests and requests with a specific use case, audience, selection criterion or problem.
| Question type | Questions |
|---|---|
| General questions | 112 |
| Use case | 280 |
| Audience | 167 |
| Selection criteria | 155 |
| Problem to solve | 86 |
By question type
Examples · General questions
“what are the best haircare brands in the US?”
“what are the best daily shampoos in the US?”
Examples · Use case
“what should I buy if I need hair mousses for blowouts in the US?”
“which brands make the best hair masks for smoothing frizzy hair in the US?”
Examples · Audience
“which haircare brands are best for people with type 3 and type 4 curly hair in the US?”
“which haircare brands are most popular with people experiencing hair thinning and excessive shedding in the US?”
Examples · Selection criteria
“which hair gels should I choose if humidity resistance matters most in the US?”
“how do haircare brands compare on proven bond-building and repair results in the US?”
Examples · Problem to solve
“purple shampoo makes hair feel dry and brittle. which purple shampoos should I buy in the US?”
“heat protectant spray makes hair look greasy. which heat protectant sprays should I buy in the US?”
Source: Findrix research. 800 buyer questions by question type, haircare, United States.
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Frequently asked questions
What does this Haircare AI Search report measure?
Which haircare brands ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Mode name when buyers in the United States ask them for advice. We asked 800 buyer questions, each once to each engine, and counted how often every brand appears and which websites the engines cite. Measured Oct 2026.
What does “mention rate” mean?
The share of questions where an engine names the brand in its answer. A 10% mention rate means the brand came up in about one question in ten. Every rate carries a 95% range: the interval the true value most likely falls in.
How are the top Haircare brands ranked?
By mention rate, separately for each engine — pick the engine above the table. When two brands’ 95% ranges overlap, their order is not really different — tick “Only distinguishable places” to see the ranks the data can actually separate.
Why does a brand rank differently across AI engines?
Each engine retrieves from different sources and weighs them differently, so the brands it knows best differ too. Only 7 of 13 brands make the top 10 of every engine here; the rest depend on which engine the buyer opens.
What counts as a citation?
A link or source an engine shows alongside its answer. We record every cited domain, whether it appears inline or in the source list.
Why can AI mention a brand without citing its website?
Engines learn brand names from reviews, expert sites, retailers and forums, then cite those sources rather than the brand’s own pages. A brand can be named often while its own site is rarely among the sources.
What does “share of citations” mean?
Of all the citations one engine gave across our questions, the share that went to a given domain. The shares of one engine add up to 100%.
Will I get the same answers if I ask these questions myself?
Not word for word. AI answers vary between runs, accounts and locations, which is why we ask every question once to each engine and report a 95% range instead of a single answer.