Which skin care brands do AI assistants recommend in Japan? Q4 2026
In Japan, AI assistants most often recommend Hada Labo, SK-II and Shiseido for skin care. Hada Labo is named by 5 of 5 assistants.
What the data says
Hada Labo (Rohto Pharmaceutical) is the skin care brand AI assistants recommend most in Japan, taking 23.9% of all recommendation points across 5 assistants. SK-II follows with 15.4% and Shiseido is third with 14.1%.
Hada Labo's lead over SK-II is 8.5 points, a clear advantage in how AI shortlists the category.
ChatGPT, Claude and DeepSeek put Hada Labo first, while Gemini favours SK-II and Grok favours SK-II.
The top five brands hold 65% of recommendations out of 32 brands named in total, leaving room for challengers to break into AI shortlists.
| # | Brand | Owner | AI share | ChatGPT | Claude | DeepSeek | Gemini | Grok |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hada Labo | Rohto Pharmaceutical | 23.9% | 125 | 130 | 90 | 78 | 55 |
| 2 | SK-II | P&G | 15.4% | 8 | 25 | 80 | 80 | 115 |
| 3 | Shiseido | Shiseido | 14.1% | 37 | 65 | 45 | 77 | 58 |
| 4 | Lululun | DHC Corporation | 5.8% | 35 | 47 | – | 35 | – |
| 5 | Biore | Kao | 5.8% | 25 | 25 | 25 | 40 | – |
| 6 | Senka | Shiseido | 4.4% | 8 | – | 20 | 25 | 35 |
| 7 | Curel | Kao | 2.6% | 12 | – | – | 12 | 28 |
| 8 | Melano CC | Rohto Pharmaceutical | 2.5% | – | 25 | – | 25 | – |
| 9 | Cetaphil | Galderma | 2.2% | 20 | – | – | 25 | – |
| 10 | Saborino | B&H Co. | 2.2% | – | – | 25 | – | 20 |
| 11 | DHC | DHC Corporation | 2.2% | 12 | 12 | 8 | 12 | – |
| 12 | Fancl | Fancl | 1.8% | – | 35 | – | – | – |
| 13 | Obagi | Obagi | 1.8% | 35 | – | – | – | – |
| 14 | Kose | Kose | 1.4% | – | – | – | 20 | 8 |
| 15 | Elixir | Shiseido | 1.2% | 25 | – | – | – | – |
| 16 | Keana Rice Mask | Independent | 1.2% | – | – | – | – | 25 |
| 17 | Kosé | Kose | 1.2% | – | 12 | – | – | 12 |
| 18 | Albion | Kao | 1.2% | 8 | – | – | 8 | 8 |
| 19 | Minon | Daiichi Sankyo | 1% | 20 | – | – | – | – |
| 20 | The Ordinary | Estée Lauder | 1% | – | 8 | – | – | 12 |
Questions about AI skin care recommendations
- Which skin care brand does ChatGPT recommend most in Japan?
- ChatGPT recommends Hada Labo most often for skin care in Japan. Across all assistants, Hada Labo leads with 23.9% of recommendations.
- Which skin care brand is improving fastest in Japan?
- Lululun has the strongest momentum among challengers: AI names it first in 3 of 4 answers where it appears, while holding 5.8% 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.
Skin Care: AI rankings by country
Covers: Facial Care: Cleansing, Facial Care: Moisturizing, Facial Masks, Facial Treatments.
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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