The Most Popular Skincare Ingredients According to Google
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When there’s a new wonder skincare product on the market, what’s the first thing you do? You whip out your smartphone and start Googling the ingredients of course! After all, you want to know exactly what’s in it and how it can benefit your skin.
When there’s a new wonder skincare product on the market, what’s the first thing you do? You whip out your smartphone and start Googling the ingredients of course! After all, you want to know exactly what’s in it and how it can benefit your skin.
This got us thinking; could our Google searches reveal the ingredients we look for the most in our skincare products? We’ve analyzed Google searches for over 200 different ingredients to reveal which ones are our favorites, and those that we’re most intrigued by!
Of course, not every search relates to skincare. To make sure our rankings aren’t skewed, we based our research on searches that include ‘for skin’ for each ingredient.
The Most Popular Skincare Ingredients According to Google
The Top 50 Most Popular Skincare Ingredients
The table below shows the top 50 most searched for skincare ingredients globally each month:
| Coconut Oil | 43,000 |
| Vitamin E | 31,000 |
| Lactic Acid | 24,000 |
| Collagen | 23,000 |
| Retinol | 22,000 |
| Hyaluronic Acid | 21,000 |
| Glycerin | 20,000 |
| Vitamin C | 20,000 |
| Olive Oil | 19,000 |
| Almond Oil | 17,000 |
| Salicylic Acid | 17,000 |
| Tea Tree Oil | 14,000 |
| Grapeseed Oil | 13,000 |
| Aloe Vera | 12,000 |
| Niacinamide | 12,000 |
| Tranexamic Acid | 12,000 |
| Castor Oil | 11,000 |
| Apple Cider Vinegar | 9,800 |
| Shea Butter | 9,800 |
| Avocado Oil | 7,200 |
| Ceramides | 7,000 |
| Argan Oil | 6,900 |
| Vitamin A | 6,900 |
| Glycolic Acid | 6,700 |
| Turmeric | 6,300 |
| Neem Oil | 5,800 |
| Stearic Acid | 5,300 |
| Honey | 5,200 |
| Vitamin B3 | 5,200 |
| Propylene Glycol | 4,700 |
| Sunflower Oil | 4,700 |
| Allantoin | 4,500 |
| Green Tea | 4,500 |
| Lavender Oil | 4,100 |
| Dimethicone | 3,900 |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | 3,700 |
| Snail Mucin | 3,600 |
| Baking Soda | 3,500 |
| Zinc | 3,300 |
| Antioxidants | 3,200 |
| Resveratrol | 3,200 |
| Rosehip Oil | 3,200 |
| Citric Acid | 2,800 |
| Evening Primrose Oil | 2,800 |
| Licorice Extract | 2,700 |
| Phenoxyethanol | 2,700 |
| Panthenol | 2,600 |
| Biotin | 2,500 |
| Pycnogenol | 2,500 |
| Mineral Oil | 2,400 |
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Coconut oil tops our list of the most popular skincare ingredients
Searched a whopping 43,000 times every month globally, coconut oil tops our list of the most in-demand skincare ingredients. Over the course of a year, that’s a staggering 516,000 searches!
When you look at the benefits coconut oil can offer skin, it’s easy to see why it tops our list! Not only does it hydrate and protect skin, it’s also claimed to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and reduce redness. No wonder it’s such a sought after ingredient in our skincare routine!
However, despite it topping our list, some of us are still unsure of the benefits the ingredient can bring. Every month, there are 11,000 searches for ‘is coconut oil good for your skin?’, while 9,100 people look up ‘benefits of coconut oil on skin’. This suggests that although the ingredient is in our skincare, we’re not too sure what it does!
Vitamin E takes second place, with creams, oils and serums our go-to products
Following behind coconut oil, vitamin E takes second place with 31,000 monthly global searches. That’s 372,000 searches over the course of the year!
In terms of the most popular vitamin E skincare products, vitamin E cream is way out in front, with 34,000 monthly searches. Vitamin E oil (21,000 monthly searches) is in second place, followed by vitamin E serum with 9,700 searches per month respectively.
Even though these products are in such high demand, people still question ‘vitamin E benefits for skin’ 11,000 times a month.
Clearly, we’re doing our research before we invest - and given the number of searches for specific vitamin E products, we seem to like the benefits the ingredient offers! Reported to soften skin and protect against damage and moisture loss, there’s no reason not to like it!
Lesser known lactic acid rounds out the top three most popular skincare ingredients
While coconut oil and vitamin E are well-marketed skincare ingredients, a lesser known ingredient takes third place. Lactic acid racks up 24,000 monthly searches globally, but what benefits does the ingredient actually bring?
Lactic acid is often found in exfoliation products. It reportedly helps to remove dead skin cells, helping skin appear smoother and more youthful in appearance.
Interestingly, there are no lactic acid product-specific searches in our top 30 product search findings. This suggests that people are maybe spotting the ingredient on the packaging of their skincare and are Googling it to find out more.
Calamine lotion, vitamin C serum and hydrocortisone cream are the most sought-after skincare products
Now we know which ingredients are our favorites, how do we like to incorporate them into our skincare routine? The table below shows the most searched for skincare products containing the ingredients we analyzed, so you can see which types of products we prefer:
Most popular product types based on ingredients analyzed
| Calamine lotion | 318,000 |
| Vitamin C serum | 310,000 |
| Hydrocortisone cream | 306,000 |
| Tretinoin cream | 233,000 |
| Retinol cream | 147,000 |
| Retinol serum | 136,000 |
| Hyaluronic acid serum | 107,000 |
| Niacinamide serum | 97,000 |
| Salicylic acid face wash | 79,000 |
| Hydroquinone cream | 74,000 |
| Green tea cleansing mask | 51,000 |
| Silver sulfadiazine cream | 43,000 |
| Vitamin E cream | 34,000 |
| Benzoyl peroxide face wash | 32,000 |
| Nizoral cream | 31,000 |
| Green tea mask | 30,000 |
| Lanolin cream | 29,000 |
| CBD cream | 29,000 |
| Salicylic acid cream | 29,000 |
| Benzoyl peroxide wash | 28,000 |
| Zinc oxide cream | 28,000 |
| Kojic acid cream | 26,000 |
| Charcoal face wash | 26,000 |
| Retinol eye cream | 24,000 |
| Collagen cream | 24,000 |
| Benzoyl peroxide cream | 22,000 |
| Cocoa butter lotion | 20,000 |
| Hibiscus and honey firming cream | 20,000 |
| CBD lotion | 19,000 |
| Vitamin C cream | 19,000 |
‘Best vitamin C serum’ is the most searched skincare question globally
As part of our research, we also tracked the most popular questions for each of the ingredients we analyzed.
There are a staggering 99,000 searches each month for ‘best vitamin C serum’, totalling over 1.1 million look-ups over the course of a year! This makes it the most asked ingredient-specific skincare question, highlighting the huge demand for this type of product.
In second place is ‘best retinol serum’ with 32,000 monthly searches (384,000 yearly), while ‘calamine lotion uses’ trails in third place with 24,000 searches each month (288,000 yearly).
10 Most popular skincare queries based on global monthly Google searches for ingredients analyzed
| Best vitamin C serum | 99,000 |
| Best retinol serum | 32,000 |
| Calamine lotion uses | 24,000 |
| Turmeric benefits for skin | 23,000 |
| Vitamin C serum benefits | 22,000 |
| Best retinol cream | 22,000 |
| Benefits of aloe vera on skin | 20,000 |
| Best hyaluronic acid serum | 19,000 |
| Tretinoin cream uses | 15,000 |
| Best vitamin C serum for face | 15,000 |
Our research may show which ingredients are the most in demand globally, but which ones do you have in your beauty bag?
We all have our go-to products and preferred ingredients, and what works for you may not work for the next person. Perfecting your skincare routine is all about figuring out what your skin needs and selecting the most suitable products. Only then can you truly look and feel your best.
Methodology
Using Byrdie’s skincare ingredient glossary as a reference, we analyzed Google searches for 212 different ingredients to find out which ones were searched the most often globally each month.
Our rankings are based on searches for the ingredient name + ‘for skin’. For example, ‘Aloe Vera for skin’.
Our list of the most popular product types is based on generic product searches based on the ingredients analyzed, with brand searches omitted. Most popular skincare queries are also based on the ingredients analyzed.
