Category AI Visibility Report
Foundation AI Visibility Report 2026: Top Brands & Buyer Topics in AI Search
Data updated 2026-08-27 · 30-day window · ChatGPT · Google AI Mode · Google AI Overviews
≈29,055
Est. AI queries / month
16
Buyer topics monitored
10
Brands on the AI shelf
Key insights
- Over the last 30 days, GEOly monitored 16 buyer topics in Foundation across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews — an estimated 29,055 AI queries per month.
- Fenty Beauty leads the AI shelf with 8.7% of brand mentions, followed by NARS (8.5%) and Estée Lauder (7.5%). The top three hold 24.7% combined — a shelf that has not consolidated yet, leaving a clear window for challengers.
- The highest-demand topic is “Color-Changing Foundation” (top keyword “color changing foundation”, ~14,800 searches/mo).
- AI answers lean on reddit.com most (26.3% of citations) — earning presence on these sources is the shortest path to being recommended.
Brands AI recommends most
Share of brand mentions across AI answers in the last 30 days (Share of Model).
| # | Brand | AI mentions | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenty Beauty | 502 | 8.7% |
| 2 | NARS | 491 | 8.5% |
| 3 | Estée Lauder | 435 | 7.5% |
| 4 | L'Oréal | 395 | 6.8% |
| 5 | Lancôme | 285 | 4.9% |
| 6 | Maybelline | 261 | 4.5% |
| 7 | Armani Beauty | 254 | 4.4% |
| 8 | ILIA | 215 | 3.7% |
| 9 | L'Oréal Paris | 184 | 3.2% |
| 10 | Dior | 158 | 2.7% |
What shoppers ask AI
Buyer topics monitored in this category, with estimated monthly AI queries and the top Google keyword behind each topic.
| Topic | Est. AI queries / mo | Top keyword | Search volume / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Color-Changing Foundation | ≈12,061 | color changing foundation | 14,800 |
| Vegan Foundation | ≈11,120 | vegansk foundation | 14,800 |
| cruelty-free foundation | ≈5,526 | aboutface foundation | 4,400 |
| Foundation Building Materials | ≈348 | foundation reapir | 60,500 |
| Indie and specialty brand foundation | — | narz foundation | 40,500 |
| Premium and luxury brand foundation | — | luxe foundation makeup | 40,500 |
| affordable foundation | — | e l f foundation | 18,100 |
| Long-Wearing Foundation | — | longwearing foundation | 14,800 |
| Lightweight Foundation | — | lightweight foundation | 22,200 |
| Mass-market and drugstore foundation | — | foundation elf | 18,100 |
| Long-wear foundation | — | longwearing foundation | 14,800 |
| Full Coverage Foundation | — | full cover foundation | 22,200 |
| Foundation for Olive Skin | — | foundation for olive skin | 22,200 |
| Foundation for Mature Skin | — | best skin foundation for mature skin | 33,100 |
| brush on foundation | — | foundation in a brush | 33,100 |
| Liquid Foundation | — | narz foundation | 40,500 |
Sources AI cites in this category
Root domains AI engines cited most when answering category queries in the last 30 days.
| Domain | Citations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| reddit.com | 204 | 26.3% |
| allure.com | 187 | 24.1% |
| goodhousekeeping.com | 59 | 7.6% |
| whowhatwear.com | 49 | 6.3% |
| glamour.com | 39 | 5% |
| makeup.com | 29 | 3.7% |
| vogue.com | 28 | 3.6% |
| narscosmetics.com | 24 | 3.1% |
FAQ
Which brands do AI assistants recommend most for foundation?
Over the last 30 days the top brands by AI mention share are: Fenty Beauty (8.7%), NARS (8.5%), Estée Lauder (7.5%), L'Oréal (6.8%), Lancôme (4.9%). Data from GEOly's continuous monitoring across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews.
How many people ask AI about foundation?
GEOly estimates ~29,055 AI queries per month in this category across 16 buyer topics, led by “Color-Changing Foundation”.
Which sources do AI engines cite for foundation?
The most-cited domains are: reddit.com, allure.com, goodhousekeeping.com, whowhatwear.com, glamour.com. Building brand presence on these sources is the most direct way to win AI recommendations.
Methodology
GEOly continuously runs category buyer prompts across ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews and records which brands are mentioned and which sources are cited. Figures aggregate a 30-day window; AI query volumes are modeled estimates from keyword demand and AI-adoption share. Data: GEOly MCP Server, updated 2026-08-27.
See your brand inside this category
GEOly tracks how ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and Google AI Overviews mention, rank and cite your brand against every competitor above — and what to fix to win the AI shelf.