Which makeup brands do AI assistants recommend in Germany? Q4 2026
In Germany, AI assistants most often recommend Maybelline, Essence and Catrice for makeup. Maybelline is named by 5 of 5 assistants.
What the data says
Maybelline (L'Oréal) is the makeup brand AI assistants recommend most in Germany, taking 21.5% of all recommendation points across 5 assistants. Essence follows with 15.8% and Catrice is third with 11.8%.
Maybelline's lead over Essence is 5.7 points, a clear advantage in how AI shortlists the category.
Claude, DeepSeek and Grok put Maybelline first, while ChatGPT favours Essence and Gemini favours Essence.
The top five brands hold 67% of recommendations out of 29 brands named in total, leaving room for challengers to break into AI shortlists.
| # | Brand | Owner | AI share | ChatGPT | Claude | DeepSeek | Gemini | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maybelline | L'Oréal | 21.5% | 150 | 215 | 90 | 130 | 166 |
| 2 | Essence | Independent | 15.8% | 175 | – | 56 | 180 | 143 |
| 3 | Catrice | Cosnova | 11.8% | 68 | – | 60 | 177 | 108 |
| 4 | MAC | Estée Lauder | 8.9% | 25 | 205 | 75 | 8 | – |
| 5 | NYX | L'Oréal | 8.6% | 57 | – | 60 | 24 | 160 |
| 6 | L'Oréal | L’Oréal | 7.9% | 32 | – | 67 | 69 | 107 |
| 7 | Revlon | Revlon Inc. | 3.8% | – | 132 | – | – | – |
| 8 | Clinique | Estée Lauder | 2.6% | – | 92 | – | – | – |
| 9 | Urban Decay | L'Oréal | 2.2% | 43 | – | 35 | – | – |
| 10 | NARS | Shiseido | 2% | 28 | – | 35 | 8 | – |
| 11 | Estée Lauder | Estée Lauder | 1.9% | 25 | – | 35 | 8 | – |
| 12 | Fenty Beauty | LVMH | 1.4% | – | – | 50 | – | – |
| 13 | Anastasia Beverly Hills | ABH Cosmetics | 1.3% | 20 | – | 25 | – | – |
| 14 | Lancôme | L'Oréal | 1.3% | – | 32 | 12 | – | – |
| 15 | Benefit Cosmetics | LVMH | 1.1% | – | – | 25 | 12 | – |
| 16 | Maxhair | Country Life | 1% | – | – | 20 | 8 | 8 |
| 17 | Stila | Stila Cosmetics | 1% | – | – | 35 | – | – |
| 18 | ARTDECO | ARTDECO Cosmetic | 0.8% | – | – | – | 28 | – |
| 19 | Rare Beauty | Rare Beauty LLC | 0.7% | 25 | – | – | – | – |
| 20 | Bare Minerals | Orveon | 0.7% | – | 24 | – | – | – |
Questions about AI makeup recommendations
- Which makeup brand does ChatGPT recommend most in Germany?
- ChatGPT recommends Essence most often for makeup in Germany. Across all assistants, Maybelline leads with 21.5% of recommendations.
- Which makeup brand is improving fastest in Germany?
- Urban Decay has the strongest momentum among challengers: AI names it first in 2 of 3 answers where it appears, while holding 2.2% share. This is the first Q4 2026 reading; change over time will be shown from the next update.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- We ask each AI assistant the questions shoppers ask in each category and market, record the top five brands it names, and give 35, 25, 20, 12 and 8 points for positions one to five. Share is a brand's points divided by all points awarded.
Makeup: AI rankings by country
Covers: Eye Products: Eyeliner, Eye Products: Eyeshadow, Eye Products: Mascara, Face Products: Base, Face Products: Cheeks, Lip Products: Gloss, Lip Products: Lipstick.
Method: each AI assistant is asked the shopper questions for every segment in the category and market; the top five brands named score 35, 25, 20, 12 and 8 points. Share is a brand's points divided by all points awarded. Rankings reflect AI answers, not sales.
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