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AI Search Visibility Benchmark: UK Skincare Brands

Which skincare brands are winning visibility in AI search, and why? We analysed hundreds of recommendation, comparison and need-state queries across leading AI platforms to understand which brands appear most often — and which sources shape those recommendations.

Executive summary

Which skincare brands are winning visibility in AI search, and why? We analysed hundreds of recommendation, comparison and need-state queries across leading AI platforms to understand which brands appear most often — and which sources shape those recommendations.

Key takeaways

  • The top five brands account for 58% of weighted AI search visibility.
  • Brand visibility varies significantly by stage of the customer journey.
  • Editorial and community sources generate a large share of citations.
  • Challenger brands gain visibility most often through specific need-state queries.

Top 5 by weighted SOV

The five brands with the highest weighted share of voice across all benchmark queries.
The top five account for 58% of visibility.

AI visibility positioning heat map

How the leading brands perform across different stages of the AI search journey. Darker values indicate stronger relative visibility.
Different brands win at different stages.

Top sources by stage

OVERALL

Overall

# Source Type Citations Share
1 Reddit Community 770 18%
2 Boots Retailer 514 12%
3 NHS Health authority 471 11%
4 YouTube Video 385 9%
5 DermNet Medical / education 300 7%

01

Discovery

# Source Type Citations Share
1 Reddit Community 182 22%
2 YouTube Video 141 17%
3 Boots Retailer 96 12%
4 Glamour Editorial 74 9%
5 Marie Claire Editorial 63 8%

02

Shortlisting

# Source Type Citations Share
1 Boots Retailer 156 19%
2 Reddit Community 139 17%
3 Lookfantastic Retailer 104 13%
4 Cosmopolitan Editorial 81 10%
5 YouTube Video 67 8%

03

Need-state

# Source Type Citations Share
1 NHS Health authority 163 21%
2 DermNet Medical / education 129 17%
3 Reddit Community 111 14%
4 British Association of Dermatologists Medical authority 86 11%
5 Boots Retailer 62 8%

04

Comparison

# Source Type Citations Share
1 Reddit Community 151 20%
2 YouTube Video 117 15%
3 Boots Retailer 98 13%
4 Trustpilot Reviews 76 10%
5 Glamour Editorial 61 8%

05

Validation

# Source Type Citations Share
1 Trustpilot Reviews 142 19%
2 Reddit Community 128 17%
3 YouTube Video 94 13%
4 Boots Retailer 83 11%
5 Reddit r/SkincareAddiction Community 68 9%

06

Purchase

# Source Type Citations Share
1 Boots Retailer 174 24%
2 Lookfantastic Retailer 132 18%
3 Amazon UK Marketplace 94 13%
4 Cult Beauty Retailer 78 11%
5 Space NK Retailer 56 8%

Market citation leaderboard by stage

The skincare brands cited most frequently across the benchmark, independent of whether they ranked first in the response.

OVERALL

Overall

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 CeraVe 788 18.4%
2 La Roche-Posay 518 12.1%
3 The Ordinary 454 10.6%
4 Nivea 398 9.3%
5 Clinique 325 7.6%

01

Discovery

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 CeraVe 184 20.8%
2 The Ordinary 142 16.1%
3 La Roche-Posay 113 12.8%
4 Nivea 92 10.4%
5 Neutrogena 71 8.0%

02

Shortlisting

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 CeraVe 171 19.2%
2 La Roche-Posay 146 16.4%
3 The Ordinary 109 12.2%
4 Clinique 84 9.4%
5 Eucerin 69 7.7%

03

Need-state

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 La Roche-Posay 163 19.8%
2 CeraVe 148 18.0%
3 Eucerin 112 13.6%
4 The Ordinary 87 10.6%
5 Neutrogena 64 7.8%

04

Comparison

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 CeraVe 156 18.9%
2 La Roche-Posay 151 18.3%
3 The Ordinary 105 12.7%
4 Clinique 83 10.0%
5 Nivea 67 8.1%

05

Validation

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 La Roche-Posay 143 18.1%
2 CeraVe 136 17.2%
3 Clinique 98 12.4%
4 The Ordinary 81 10.3%
5 Eucerin 62 7.9%

06

Purchase

# Brand Citations Share of stage
1 CeraVe 149 21.3%
2 La Roche-Posay 127 18.1%
3 Nivea 91 13.0%
4 Clinique 76 10.8%
5 The Ordinary 61 8.7%

Prompts covered for each stage

We analysed 250 real-world search scenarios across the customer journey. Below are representative examples from each stage.
01
Discovery
45
prompts

“What are the best skincare brands in the UK?”

02
Shortlisting
40
prompts

“Which skincare brands are best for sensitive skin?”

03
Need-state
45
prompts

“What is the best moisturiser for dry, sensitive skin?”

04
Comparison
40
prompts

“Is CeraVe or La Roche-Posay better for acne-prone skin?”

05
Validation
40
prompts

“Is CeraVe actually recommended by dermatologists?”

06
Purchase
40
prompts

“Where is the best place to buy La Roche-Posay in the UK?”

Limitations

  • Focused on the UK market only.
  • Represents a snapshot of AI results during August 2026.
  • Limited to four AI platforms.
  • Measures visibility rather than sentiment, accuracy or purchase intent.

Methodology

We analysed 250 representative search queries across seven stages of the skincare customer journey.

Each query was tested across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews. Responses were collected, cited domains were extracted, and brand mentions were classified by query stage.

Weighted share of voice was calculated using both frequency of appearance and position within each response.

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