AI Beauty Radar #4 · October 2026 · 150 prompts

Christmas gift sets 2026: what ChatGPT and Gemini recommend

Fourth issue of the AI Beauty Radar: 150 prompts on Christmas 2026 gift sets, tested on ChatGPT and Gemini across five shopping universes (115 ranked prompts, 28 advice prompts analysed separately, 7 brand-review prompts), with more recent models than issue #1.

Analysis by MYA, Global Search agency (SEO + GEO) · V.M.R. methodology (Visible, Mentioned, Recommended) · Google AI Overviews since March 2025

150

prompts tested per AI: 115 ranked, 28 advice, 7 reviews

5

shopping universes, on ChatGPT and Gemini

51%

of ChatGPT's shopping answers name a retailer (2% in sun care)

80%

of Gemini's shopping answers name Sephora (31% for ChatGPT)

Tests run on 1 October 2026 on ChatGPT (GPT-5.6 Luna) and Gemini (Gemini 3.6 Flash), using French-language prompts, with a new conversation for each prompt and only the first answer analysed. Presence rate measures the share of prompts in which a brand is mentioned or recommended. Beauty and pharmacy retailers, as well as non-beauty brands, are excluded from the rankings; retailers’ own brands are still counted as brands. 150 prompts were tested per AI, including 115 used in the rankings. “First mention” is the share of answers in which the brand is named first. Results provide an order-of-magnitude view of brand visibility at the test date.

Each Radar is a snapshot of brand visibility in AI at its test date. As models evolve regularly, results are not strictly comparable from one issue to the next.

Ranking: Beauty gift set

Base: 26 product-choice or problem prompts ranked, 3 advice prompts analysed separately.

How users search. Prompts start from a person, a budget and a constraint: “which beauty gift set for a friend at Christmas, 30-euro budget?”, “my sister is new to make-up”, “my mother has sensitive skin”, “my girlfriend prefers natural cosmetics”. Almost all are choice requests: users want a ready-to-buy answer, often “already gift-wrapped”.

Bar and first figure: presence rate (Mentioned). Light part of the bar and greyed figure: first mention (recommendation signal).

ChatGPT
  1. 1Sephora Collection50%11.5%
  2. 2Rituals38.5%15.4%
  3. 3Yves Rocher38.5%3.8%
  4. 4Caudalie34.6%7.7%
  5. 5L'Occitane30.8%7.7%
  6. 6Nuxe23.1%0%
  7. 7Avril19.2%0%
  8. 8Avène15.4%11.5%
  9. 9Dior11.5%3.8%
  10. 10Mademoiselle Bio11.5%3.8%
Gemini
  1. 1Caudalie42.3%3.8%
  2. 2Nuxe42.3%0%
  3. 3L'Occitane34.6%3.8%
  4. 4Rituals30.8%19.2%
  5. 5Rare Beauty26.9%3.8%
  6. 6Mademoiselle Bio23.1%0%
  7. 7Clarins19.2%7.7%
  8. 8Charlotte Tilbury19.2%0%
  9. 9Sephora Collection19.2%0%
  10. 10Sephora Favorites19.2%0%

ChatGPT pushes Sephora's own brand: Sephora Collection is named in 50% of its answers, ahead of Rituals (38.5%, named first in 15%), Yves Rocher (38.5%), Caudalie (35%) and L'Occitane (31%). It names a retailer in 62% of its answers. Gemini puts Caudalie and Nuxe on top (42%), then L'Occitane (35%) and Rituals (31%, named first in 19% of answers), brings in make-up (Rare Beauty 27%, Charlotte Tilbury 19%) and names a retailer in 100% of its answers.On beauty gift sets, Rituals is the brand with the most first mentions on both AIs.

What it means for a brand. A gift set is chosen by recipient and budget. Brands that publish “which set for whom, at what price” pages, with consistent product pages at Sephora, Nocibé and Marionnaud, answer the question directly. Caudalie and Nuxe are very present on Gemini but rarely first: their challenge is the first mention, a signal of the Recommended level.

Ranking: Top gift sets

Base: 22 product-choice or problem prompts ranked, 7 advice prompts analysed separately.

How users search. These are “best” and “luxury” queries: “which luxury gift set really makes an impression?”, “the best facial care gift sets for Christmas 2026”, “which advent calendar offers the best value?”. Add the doubts of savvy shoppers: is the stated value of gift sets real, is a calendar or a big set better, where to find a set delivered in time.

Bar and first figure: presence rate (Mentioned). Light part of the bar and greyed figure: first mention (recommendation signal).

ChatGPT
  1. 1Avène27.3%22.7%
  2. 2Sephora Collection27.3%13.6%
  3. 3Rituals27.3%9.1%
  4. 4La Roche-Posay27.3%0%
  5. 5Bioderma18.2%0%
  6. 6L'Occitane18.2%0%
  7. 7Nuxe18.2%0%
  8. 8Yves Rocher18.2%0%
  9. 9Catrice13.6%0%
  10. 10Caudalie13.6%0%
Gemini
  1. 1Caudalie45.5%18.2%
  2. 2Rare Beauty40.9%9.1%
  3. 3Charlotte Tilbury36.4%0%
  4. 4Clarins31.8%4.5%
  5. 5Nuxe31.8%0%
  6. 6Guerlain27.3%9.1%
  7. 7Avène22.7%9.1%
  8. 8Benefit22.7%4.5%
  9. 9Rituals22.7%4.5%
  10. 10Dior22.7%0%

ChatGPT is the most hesitant of the Radar: no brand exceeds 27% presence, and 14% of its shopping answers name no brand at all. Avène (27%, named first in 23% of answers) and Sephora Collection (27%, 14%) lead. Gemini answers with trends: Caudalie (45.5%, named first in 18%), Rare Beauty (41%), Charlotte Tilbury (36%), Clarins and Nuxe (32%), Guerlain (27%), with a retailer in 100% of its answers.On “best gift sets”, ChatGPT has no ranking: the reference spot is up for grabs.

What it means for a brand. “Best gift set” and “real value” queries call for transparency content (exact contents, product value, sizes) and a presence in the press and selections AIs read. A trending make-up brand wins Gemini; a skincare brand has to convince ChatGPT with proof.

Ranking: Pharmacy gift set

Base: 22 product-choice or problem prompts ranked, 7 advice prompts analysed separately.

How users search. Prompts start from the skin of the person receiving the gift: sensitive and reactive, atopic, eczema-prone, very dry in winter, a teenager with spots, a mother who cannot stand fragranced products. Budgets are tight (“secret santa at 15–20 euros”, “under 30 euros”) and the question of full sizes comes up often.

Bar and first figure: presence rate (Mentioned). Light part of the bar and greyed figure: first mention (recommendation signal).

ChatGPT
  1. 1Avène90.9%27.3%
  2. 2La Roche-Posay77.3%22.7%
  3. 3Bioderma68.2%4.5%
  4. 4Uriage40.9%0%
  5. 5Nuxe31.8%22.7%
  6. 6SVR27.3%0%
  7. 7CeraVe18.2%4.5%
  8. 8Caudalie18.2%0%
  9. 9La Rosée13.6%4.5%
  10. 10L'Occitane9.1%4.5%
Gemini
  1. 1Avène81.8%4.5%
  2. 2La Roche-Posay68.2%27.3%
  3. 3Nuxe59.1%18.2%
  4. 4SVR59.1%9.1%
  5. 5Caudalie50%18.2%
  6. 6Bioderma45.5%0%
  7. 7A-Derma27.3%0%
  8. 8CeraVe22.7%0%
  9. 9Garancia13.6%0%
  10. 10Roger & Gallet13.6%0%

The most concentrated universe. ChatGPT names Avène in 91% of its answers (named first in 27%), La Roche-Posay in 77% (23%) and Bioderma in 68%, and puts Nuxe first in 23% of cases. It names online pharmacies in 41% of its answers (Cocooncenter, Easypara). Gemini also names Avène in 82% of answers but almost never first (4.5%): it prefers La Roche-Posay (27%), Nuxe and Caudalie (18%), and names a retailer in 86% of its answers (Atida, Santé Discount, E.Leclerc, Citypharma).In pharmacy, Avène is the brand most named by both AIs, but Gemini almost never names it first.

What it means for a brand. A pharmacy gift set sells on tolerance and usefulness. Gift-set pages by skin type (atopic, reactive, very dry), with detailed contents and sizes, and up-to-date product pages at the online pharmacies AIs name, are the levers to move from presence to first mention.

Ranking: Gift set for a 65-year-old woman

Base: 24 product-choice or problem prompts ranked, 6 advice prompts analysed separately.

How users search. These are children and grandchildren buying without knowing the routine: “I don't know her beauty routine, what to give my 65-year-old mother?”, “my mother doesn't like complicated products”, “a small comforting set for grandma under 30 euros”. Recurring words are mature skin, gentle anti-ageing, cocooning, practical and not too strongly scented.

Bar and first figure: presence rate (Mentioned). Light part of the bar and greyed figure: first mention (recommendation signal).

ChatGPT
  1. 1Avène66.7%29.2%
  2. 2Nuxe50%16.7%
  3. 3La Roche-Posay50%0%
  4. 4L'Occitane45.8%8.3%
  5. 5Caudalie41.7%4.2%
  6. 6Yves Rocher41.7%4.2%
  7. 7Rituals33.3%4.2%
  8. 8Bioderma20.8%4.2%
  9. 9Neutrogena20.8%0%
  10. 10Eucerin16.7%0%
Gemini
  1. 1Nuxe70.8%25%
  2. 2Caudalie70.8%8.3%
  3. 3L'Occitane66.7%8.3%
  4. 4Clarins62.5%25%
  5. 5Avène37.5%8.3%
  6. 6Rituals33.3%0%
  7. 7Yves Rocher29.2%0%
  8. 8Guerlain20.8%8.3%
  9. 9Durance16.7%0%
  10. 10Beurer12.5%0%

ChatGPT puts pharmacy forward: Avène is named in 67% of its answers and first in 29%, ahead of Nuxe (50%, 17%) and La Roche-Posay (50%, never first). Gemini puts gift brands forward: Nuxe and Caudalie (71%), L'Occitane (67%) and Clarins (62.5%), with Nuxe and Clarins each named first in 25% of answers. Clarins is very strong on Gemini but little present on ChatGPT.For a 65-year-old woman, ChatGPT thinks pharmacy skincare and Gemini thinks gift brands: Nuxe is the only brand regularly named first by both.

What it means for a brand. This is a reassurance universe for the buyer, who does not know the recipient's skin. Brands that explain “which skincare to give without knowing the routine”, with simple sets that are not too strongly scented, answer exactly the question asked.

Ranking: Fragrance gift set

Base: 21 product-choice or problem prompts ranked, 5 advice prompts analysed separately.

How users search. Fragrance is bought with a budget and a fear of getting it wrong: “an inexpensive fragrance set that doesn't look like a cut-price gift”, “I don't know her taste”, “an elegant men's fragrance set under 50 euros”. There are also refillable sets, counterfeits and last-minute questions about in-store stock.

Bar and first figure: presence rate (Mentioned). Light part of the bar and greyed figure: first mention (recommendation signal).

ChatGPT
  1. 1Adopt38.1%14.3%
  2. 2Yves Rocher38.1%14.3%
  3. 3Dior33.3%4.8%
  4. 4Chanel33.3%0%
  5. 5Rituals28.6%0%
  6. 6Guerlain23.8%0%
  7. 7Chloé19%4.8%
  8. 8Yves Saint Laurent19%4.8%
  9. 9Azzaro19%0%
  10. 10Lancôme19%0%
Gemini
  1. 1Guerlain57.1%9.5%
  2. 2Nuxe57.1%0%
  3. 3Dior47.6%4.8%
  4. 4Lancôme42.9%14.3%
  5. 5Caudalie33.3%4.8%
  6. 6Adopt28.6%9.5%
  7. 7Sol de Janeiro28.6%4.8%
  8. 8Yves Saint Laurent28.6%4.8%
  9. 9Chanel28.6%0%
  10. 10Rituals23.8%0%

ChatGPT is the most budget-minded: Adopt and Yves Rocher lead (38%, each named first in 14% of answers), ahead of Dior and Chanel (33%). It names a retailer in 71% of its answers (Sephora, Nocibé, Marionnaud). Gemini goes back to luxury and gifting: Guerlain and Nuxe (57%), Dior (48%), Lancôme (43%, named first in 14% of answers), with a retailer in 100% of its answers.On fragrance, ChatGPT first names affordable brands, Gemini the big houses.

What it means for a brand. The big houses dominate Gemini but leave ChatGPT's top spot to low-price brands. Content that answers the real constraints (budget, “I don't know their taste”, size, refillable) and a consistent presence at the three big retailers are what wins the top spot.

Presence is not preference

The presence rate measures the Mentioned level of the V.M.R. methodology. First mention, the share of answers in which the brand is the first one named, is a recommendation signal: stronger than simple presence, it does not mean the AI explicitly claims to recommend the brand. Across the 115 ranked prompts, the gap between the two is the real measure of the work to be done.

BrandChatGPT presenceChatGPT first mentionGemini presenceGemini first mention
Avène40%18%30%5%
Nuxe25%8%52%9%
Caudalie23%3%49%10%
La Roche-Posay33%4%20%5%
L'Occitane24%4%29%3%
Rituals27%6%24%5%
Yves Rocher28%4%14%0%
Clarins6%0%24%8%
Sephora Collection19%6%10%1%

Avène is the most present brand on ChatGPT and the one most often named first (40% and 18%). Caudalie and Nuxe are the most present on Gemini (49% and 52%) but are named first in only 10% and 9% of its answers. Clarins goes from 6% on ChatGPT to 24% on Gemini, Yves Rocher from 28% to 14%.

Advice or purchase: two AIs, two logics

At Christmas, purchase takes over: 115 prompts out of 143 are choice requests. On these prompts, ChatGPT names a retailer in 51% of answers (Sephora 31%, Nocibé 30%, Marionnaud 23%), a level never seen in sun care (2%) or hair care (2%). Gemini names one in 97% of answers (Sephora 80%, Nocibé 74%, Marionnaud 67%). On the 28 advice questions (real value of gift sets, miniatures, delivery before Christmas), ChatGPT names no brand in 57% of cases, while Gemini always does.

Share of answersShopping (115 prompts) ChatGPTShopping GeminiAdvice (28 prompts) ChatGPTAdvice Gemini
No brand at all7%0%57%0%
At least one retailer51%97%50%93%

The 7 review questions, left out of the ranking

Seven prompts asked for an opinion on a specific gift set (Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse, Caudalie, Dior facial care, Rituals, Guerlain Abeille Royale, Sephora advent calendar, Typology versus Oh My Cream). ChatGPT stays on the brand asked about in 6 answers out of 7 and names a retailer in 5 out of 7. Gemini brings competitors in 4 answers out of 7 (13 brands for the Sephora calendar) and names a retailer in all 7.

Key takeaway. At Christmas, even ChatGPT points to retailers: it names one in 51% of its shopping answers, against 2% in sun care, and Gemini in 97%, with Sephora in 80% of its answers. ChatGPT puts pharmacy brands on top (Avène 40%, named first in 18% of answers), Gemini gift brands (Nuxe 52%, Caudalie 49%). Caudalie is named in 49% of Gemini's answers but first in only 3% of ChatGPT's.

What the Radar measures, what the diagnostic explains

The Radar shows which brands AIs mention and put forward, at sector level. The AI Brand Echo diagnostic explains why, on your brand's own queries, and MYA continues the same method all the way to activation.

Public barometer, at sector level

AI Beauty Radar

  • MentionedPresence rate: share of answers in which the brand appears.
  • Recommendation signalFirst mention: share of answers in which the brand is the first one named.
  • What it does not showThe sources, content and signals behind these results.

Audit built on your brand's queries

AI Brand Echo diagnostic

  • VisibleThe content, pages, media, reviews and signals that make the brand known and understood by AIs.
  • MentionedThe queries on which the brand really enters the conversation.
  • RecommendedThe queries on which the brand becomes a preferred choice.

MYA's three-step method

Step 1

Diagnose

V.M.R. score on your key queries, AI by AI, with what the public Radar does not show: sources used, semantic territory and competitor benchmark.

Step 2

Prioritise

Building a panel of priority queries tailored to your brand, its uses and its competitors, spotting vacant territories and gaps between AIs, content roadmap.

Step 3

Activate

Recommendation pages by profile and use, structured FAQs, structured data and llms.txt, AI-friendly press content, reviews and forums, V.M.R. tracking over time.

What the Radar reveals, what MYA activates for your brand

  • Shoppers starting from a person and a budget, not a brandRecommendation pages by recipient and budget, structured FAQs
  • Two AIs sending users to retailers, led by SephoraConsistent retailer product pages, reviews, structured data
  • ChatGPT without a ranking on “best gift sets”Transparency content, press selections and AI-friendly content
  • Brands widely named but rarely firstProof, reviews and V.M.R. tracking AI by AI, over time

The Radar shows what is happening. AI Brand Echo explains why. MYA acts to change it.

See the three-step method

What about your brand?

The Radar shows which brands AIs put forward. The AI Brand Echo diagnostic explains why, on your brand's own queries.

Request my V.M.R. diagnostic
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