Clean Makeup Brands AI Visibility Ranking Trends - November 2026

Answer capsule

The November 2026 Clean Makeup Brands benchmark compares 10 companies across 286 AI answers that met its inclusion rules. e.l.f. Cosmetics leads with 95 recommendations (33.22% of answers). At least one tracked company was recommended in 194 answers; some answers recommended several companies.

The rankings distinguish being mentioned from receiving an affirmative recommendation, then examine placement and the wording used about each company. Earlier monthly results show how counts and rates changed, with each month using its own answer total. These results describe the answers reviewed, not product quality or customer satisfaction. Differences between monthly samples limit comparisons and do not establish why a result changed.

For the strategic interpretation of this benchmark, read CiteWorks Studio's analysis of How AI Search Is Recommending Clean Makeup Brands

Industry leaderboard

Questions This Section Answers

• How do Clean Makeup Brands rank by recorded AI recommendations in November 2026?

The leaderboard orders companies by how many answers affirmatively recommended them, so it measures recorded endorsement volume rather than overall presence. A company can appear often yet be recommended less often, and those two readings answer different questions. Ties in recommendation counts share a rank; the printed table shows no tie at the top. Placement figures are subsets of recommendations, not separate wins.

Key findings

Tracked-company answer coverage

Questions This Section Answers

• How often did the November 2026 Clean Makeup Brands answer sample recommend any tracked company?

194 distinct answers recommended at least one tracked company. Counting each company recommendation separately gives 574, because an answer can recommend several companies. Answers with no tracked recommendation may still have recommended companies outside this comparison.

Every qualified answer mentioned at least one tracked company, but only about two-thirds recommended one. Because a single answer can recommend several companies, company-level recommendation counts exceed the number of answers carrying any recommendation. The remaining answers may still have named companies outside this comparison, so coverage here describes the tracked set, not the whole market.

Reach and affirmative recommendation

e.l.f. Cosmetics ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 162 (56.64%); recommendations: 95 (33.22%). Top 3 placements: 49 (17.13%); first-place placements: 35 (12.24%).

Wording about the company: 108 positive, 54 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 58.6%. The net framing score was 0.67 (defined in Methodology).

67 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 51.58% were Top 3 and 36.84% were first-place.

Mention marks appearance in an answer; recommendation marks affirmative endorsement. e.l.f. Cosmetics leads on recommendation count, but its mentions outnumber its recommendations, and a substantial share of its mentions carried no recorded recommendation. Reach and endorsement therefore diverge, and the ranking reflects the latter. Neither measure establishes why an answer endorsed a company.

Recommendation order and placement

Top-three and first-place counts are nested inside recommendations, so they should be read as position within endorsed answers rather than as additional wins. Companies differ in how often their recommendations land near the top of an answer. ILIA Beauty and e.l.f. Cosmetics show relatively high first-place shares of their recommendations, while Beautycounter records none.

Classified framing in context

Framing describes the wording attached to mentions in the selected answers, not customer sentiment or company quality. Most companies here drew positive or neutral wording and almost no negative wording, so net framing scores cluster in a narrow positive band. Neutral wording is common and does not indicate disapproval. Wording alone does not explain why recommendations occurred.

Company results in detail

e.l.f. Cosmetics

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about e.l.f. Cosmetics mentions, recommendations and placement?

e.l.f. Cosmetics ranks 1 by recommendation count. Mentions: 162 (56.64%); recommendations: 95 (33.22%). Top 3 placements: 49 (17.13%); first-place placements: 35 (12.24%).

Wording about the company: 108 positive, 54 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 58.6%. The net framing score was 0.67 (defined in Methodology).

67 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 51.58% were Top 3 and 36.84% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, e.l.f. Cosmetics' mention count fell from 394 to 162, while its recommendation count fell from 355 to 95. The recommendation rate was 56.71% and 33.22% respectively.

e.l.f. Cosmetics leads the recommendation ranking and appears in a majority of qualified answers, though many of those mentions carried no recorded recommendation. Its wording was overwhelmingly positive with no negative mentions. Placements are frequent relative to its recommendation base. The month-to-month comparison shows lower counts and a lower recommendation rate than October, but the samples differ and the cause is not established.

Tower 28

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Tower 28 mentions, recommendations and placement?

Tower 28 ranks 2 by recommendation count. Mentions: 147 (51.40%); recommendations: 87 (30.42%). Top 3 placements: 38 (13.29%); first-place placements: 21 (7.34%).

Wording about the company: 94 positive, 53 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 59.2%. The net framing score was 0.64 (defined in Methodology).

60 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 43.68% were Top 3 and 24.14% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Tower 28's mention count fell from 302 to 147, while its recommendation count fell from 256 to 87. The recommendation rate was 40.89% and 30.42% respectively.

Tower 28 holds second place by recommendation count, with mentions in roughly half of qualified answers. Its recommendation-to-mention ratio is close to e.l.f. Cosmetics, and its wording was positive or neutral with no negatives. First-place placements are a smaller share of its recommendations than the leader's. Counts and rate were lower than the prior month, a recorded comparison whose cause is not established.

Rare Beauty

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Rare Beauty mentions, recommendations and placement?

Rare Beauty ranks 3 by recommendation count. Mentions: 160 (55.94%); recommendations: 86 (30.07%). Top 3 placements: 35 (12.24%); first-place placements: 21 (7.34%).

Wording about the company: 99 positive, 61 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 53.8%. The net framing score was 0.62 (defined in Methodology).

74 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 40.70% were Top 3 and 24.42% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Rare Beauty's mention count fell from 400 to 160, while its recommendation count fell from 323 to 86. The recommendation rate was 51.60% and 30.07% respectively.

Rare Beauty ranks third on recommendations while appearing in more answers than Tower 28, so its recommendation-to-mention ratio is lower. Wording was positive or neutral throughout, with no negative mentions. First-place placements form a modest share of its recommendations. Its recorded counts and rate were lower than October, but differing monthly samples prevent reading that as a change in standing.

Kosas

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Kosas mentions, recommendations and placement?

Kosas ranks 4 by recommendation count. Mentions: 122 (42.66%); recommendations: 80 (27.97%). Top 3 placements: 28 (9.79%); first-place placements: 17 (5.94%).

Wording about the company: 81 positive, 41 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 65.6%. The net framing score was 0.66 (defined in Methodology).

42 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 35.00% were Top 3 and 21.25% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Kosas' mention count fell from 243 to 122, while its recommendation count fell from 211 to 80. The recommendation rate was 33.71% and 27.97% respectively.

Kosas sits mid-table on recommendation count but shows one of the stronger recommendation-to-mention ratios, meaning a relatively high share of its mentions also carried endorsement. Wording was positive or neutral with no negatives. Top-three and first-place placements are comparatively modest within its recommendations. Its recorded counts and rate were lower than the prior month, with causes unestablished.

ILIA Beauty

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about ILIA Beauty mentions, recommendations and placement?

ILIA Beauty ranks 5 by recommendation count. Mentions: 115 (40.21%); recommendations: 77 (26.92%). Top 3 placements: 43 (15.03%); first-place placements: 32 (11.19%).

Wording about the company: 81 positive, 34 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 67.0%. The net framing score was 0.70 (defined in Methodology).

38 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 55.84% were Top 3 and 41.56% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, ILIA Beauty's mention count fell from 244 to 115, while its recommendation count fell from 221 to 77. The recommendation rate was 35.30% and 26.92% respectively.

ILIA Beauty ranks fifth on recommendations but stands out for placement: a large share of its recommendations were top-three and first-place, the highest such proportions among the tracked companies. Its recommendation-to-mention ratio is also strong, and its net framing score is the highest printed. Counts and rate were lower than October, a comparison limited by differing samples.

Milk Makeup

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Milk Makeup mentions, recommendations and placement?

Milk Makeup ranks 6 by recommendation count. Mentions: 100 (34.97%); recommendations: 50 (17.48%). Top 3 placements: 23 (8.04%); first-place placements: 11 (3.85%).

Wording about the company: 56 positive, 44 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 50.0%. The net framing score was 0.56 (defined in Methodology).

50 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 46.00% were Top 3 and 22.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Milk Makeup's mention count fell from 207 to 100, while its recommendation count fell from 177 to 50. The recommendation rate was 28.27% and 17.48% respectively.

Milk Makeup holds sixth place, with about half of its mentions also carrying a recommendation. Wording was positive or neutral and never negative, though neutral mentions form a large share. First-place placements are a smaller portion of its recommendations. Its recorded counts and rate were lower than the prior month, and the samples differ, so no cause is inferred.

Tarte Cosmetics

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Tarte Cosmetics mentions, recommendations and placement?

Tarte Cosmetics ranks 7 by recommendation count. Mentions: 61 (21.33%); recommendations: 33 (11.54%). Top 3 placements: 15 (5.24%); first-place placements: 6 (2.10%).

Wording about the company: 36 positive, 25 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 54.1%. The net framing score was 0.59 (defined in Methodology).

28 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 45.45% were Top 3 and 18.18% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Tarte Cosmetics' mention count fell from 109 to 61, while its recommendation count fell from 71 to 33. The recommendation rate was 11.34% and 11.54% respectively.

Tarte Cosmetics ranks seventh by recommendation count, with a recommendation-to-mention ratio near the middle of the field. Wording was positive or neutral with no negatives. First-place placements are a modest share of its recommendations. Its recommendation rate was close to the prior month even as counts fell, a recorded comparison that does not by itself show stability or change in standing.

Thrive Causemetics

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Thrive Causemetics mentions, recommendations and placement?

Thrive Causemetics ranks 8 by recommendation count. Mentions: 66 (23.08%); recommendations: 31 (10.84%). Top 3 placements: 14 (4.90%); first-place placements: 10 (3.50%).

Wording about the company: 31 positive, 35 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 47.0%. The net framing score was 0.47 (defined in Methodology).

35 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 45.16% were Top 3 and 32.26% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Thrive Causemetics' mention count fell from 125 to 66, while its recommendation count fell from 114 to 31. The recommendation rate was 18.21% and 10.84% respectively.

Thrive Causemetics ranks eighth on recommendations, and its recommendation-to-mention ratio is among the lower ones printed. Neutral wording slightly outnumbers positive wording, with no negatives. A relatively large share of its recommendations were first-place placements. Its recorded counts and rate were lower than October, a comparison whose cause is not established.

Glossier

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Glossier mentions, recommendations and placement?

Glossier ranks 9 by recommendation count. Mentions: 74 (25.87%); recommendations: 27 (9.44%). Top 3 placements: 15 (5.24%); first-place placements: 9 (3.15%).

Wording about the company: 34 positive, 40 neutral, 0 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 36.5%. The net framing score was 0.46 (defined in Methodology).

47 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 55.56% were Top 3 and 33.33% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Glossier's mention count fell from 163 to 74, while its recommendation count fell from 106 to 27. The recommendation rate was 16.93% and 9.44% respectively.

Glossier ranks ninth by recommendation count despite appearing in more answers than several companies above it, giving it the lowest recommendation-to-mention ratio in the field. Neutral wording outnumbers positive, with no negatives. Among its recommendations, a majority were top-three placements. Its recorded counts and rate were lower than the prior month, with causes unestablished.

Beautycounter

Questions This Section Answers

• What do the November 2026 AI answer results show about Beautycounter mentions, recommendations and placement?

Beautycounter ranks 10 by recommendation count. Mentions: 20 (6.99%); recommendations: 8 (2.80%). Top 3 placements: 0 (0.00%); first-place placements: 0 (0.00%).

Wording about the company: 8 positive, 11 neutral, 1 negative mentions. The proportion of mentions that also included a recommendation was 40.0%. The net framing score was 0.35 (defined in Methodology).

12 mentions had no recorded recommendation. Of recorded recommendations, 0.00% were Top 3 and 0.00% were first-place.

From October 2026 to November 2026, Beautycounter's mention count fell from 26 to 20, while its recommendation count fell from 22 to 8. The recommendation rate was 3.51% and 2.80% respectively.

Beautycounter ranks last, with few mentions and fewer recommendations, and it is the only company recording a negative mention alongside mostly neutral wording. Its recommendation-to-mention ratio rests on a small base and should be read cautiously. It recorded no top-three or first-place placements, a valid measured zero rather than a missing observation. Counts and rate were lower than October.

Earlier ranking snapshot context

Questions This Section Answers

• How do the available Clean Makeup Brands snapshots from July 2026 to November 2026 differ in recommendation coverage and measurement scope?

Only months with verified results are shown. Monthly sample coverage is listed in Methodology.

Each month is a separate sample of AI answers, and the November sample is smaller than earlier months. Counts, rates and ranks are therefore not directly comparable across months, and a changed rank does not demonstrate a shift in standing. The table shows recorded results only; it does not establish why any count or rate moved.

What the November Rankings Show

These sections answer different questions. Mentions show how often a company appeared; recommendations show affirmative endorsement; placements show where endorsed companies sat within an answer; framing describes the wording around mentions. A company can be widely mentioned yet rarely recommended, or recommended often but placed lower. Reading the measures together gives a fuller picture than the ranking alone, while none of them establishes why answers endorsed a company or how customers behave.

Methodology

Questions This Section Answers

• How were the November 2026 Clean Makeup Brands AI visibility measures counted, and what do they not establish?

This benchmark has partial coverage: 2 of 3 planned question categories contributed usable observations; 1 contributed none. This describes question-category coverage, not demonstrated platform outages. Findings apply to the available answer set.

The month in the title is the reporting period. The exact dates when the original AI answers were collected have not been verified.

Each company is counted at most once in each answer that meets the benchmark rules. A recommendation requires both an affirmative endorsement and positive wording. Mention, recommendation, Top 3 and first-place rates use the full benchmark answer total. Top 3 and first-place results are included within recommendations, not added to them.

The recommendation-to-mention ratio divides recommendations by mentions. It describes AI answer wording, not customer conversion. Net framing is positive minus negative mentions, divided by all mentions, on a scale from -1 to +1. It does not measure customer satisfaction or company quality.

Market: US; 10 tracked companies. AI services represented: ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Google AI Mode, Google AI Overviews, Perplexity.

Research screening totals (answer observations can include repeated questions):

The source does not provide a reader-facing definition of “reserved”; that screening label is reported without inferring a reason for exclusion. Only the included benchmark answers form the rate denominator.

One answer can mention or recommend several companies. Adding company totals would therefore count some answers more than once. The results describe the AI answers reviewed, not independently verified facts about the companies or their products.

Monthly sample coverage:

The answer samples differ between months. These comparisons show how the recorded results changed; they do not establish why they changed.

Coverage is partial: only some planned question categories contributed usable answers, and the month label reflects the reporting period rather than verified collection dates. Each company counts at most once per answer, and placement results sit inside recommendations rather than beside them. Recommendation-to-mention ratios and framing scores describe answer wording, not customers, sales or company quality. Monthly samples differ, so comparisons show recorded change without explaining it.