---
project: brandlore
type: dataset
status: captured
created: 2026-09-02
tags: [brandlore, flagship, skincare, google-shopping, dataset]
---

# Flagship dataset — Google Shopping organic shelves, 10 skincare queries

**Captured 2026-09-02, automated logged-out session, Hoboken NJ area, `udm=28` surface.**
Method: scroll to load-stable, no 'More results' clicks, organic `All products` section only.
**Denominator: top 40**, a stated analytical cut (my call, matches Peec). Brand-level here;
product-level detail is one scripted re-capture away.

## Per-query summary

| Query | Raw loaded | Distinct brands in top 40 | Top-3 brands | Slots held by top 3 | Google 'Best' modules |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| q01 best moisturizer for dry skin | 40 | 29 | La Roche-Posay (4), The Ordinary (4), CeraVe (3) | 11/40 (28%) | Dermatologist-Recommended Moisturizers, Drugstore Moisturizers, Luxury Moisturizers |
| q02 best face sunscreen for daily use | 40 | 26 | Neutrogena (7), CeraVe (2), La Roche-Posay (2) | 11/40 (28%) | Best Overall Sunscreens for Daily Use, Sunscreens for Oily Skin, Sunscreens for Dry Skin |
| q03 best vitamin c serum | 40 | 35 | The Ordinary (3), La Roche-Posay (2), Sunday Riley (2) | 7/40 (18%) | Best Overall and High-End Vitamin C Serums, Best Value and Drugstore Vitamin C Serums |
| q04 best cleanser for acne prone skin | 40 | 18 | La Roche-Posay (7), CeraVe (6), Neutrogena (6) | 19/40 (48%) | _none_ |
| q05 best retinol for beginners | 78 | 34 | The Ordinary (2), CeraVe (2), Paula's Choice (2) | 6/40 (15%) | Best Overall & Drugstore Retinols |
| q06 best moisturizer for sensitive skin under $30 | 80 | 12 | La Roche-Posay (7), CeraVe (5), e.l.f. (4) | 16/40 (40%) | _none_ |
| q07 fragrance free sunscreen for oily skin | 40 | 24 | Neutrogena (7), CeraVe (3), La Roche-Posay (3) | 13/40 (32%) | _none_ |
| q08 pregnancy safe hyperpigmentation treatment | 40 | 31 | The Ordinary (6), Good Molecules (3), Paula's Choice (2) | 11/40 (28%) | _none_ |
| q09 affordable skincare for combination skin | 40 | 22 | The Ordinary (6), e.l.f. (4), CeraVe (4) | 14/40 (35%) | Best (truncated) |
| q10 gentle retinol alternative for sensitive skin | 40 | 25 | Caudalie (4), Herbivore (2), TULA (2) | 8/40 (20%) | _none_ |

## Cross-query brand dominance

Brands appearing across the most of the 10 shelves:

| Brand | Queries present | Total slots across all 10 shelves |
|---|---|---|
| The Ordinary | 9/10 | 28 |
| CeraVe | 9/10 | 27 |
| La Roche-Posay | 8/10 | 28 |
| Neutrogena | 7/10 | 27 |
| Cetaphil | 6/10 | 15 |
| innisfree | 6/10 | 7 |
| Clinique | 5/10 | 8 |
| Paula's Choice | 5/10 | 8 |
| Good Molecules | 5/10 | 8 |
| Vanicream | 5/10 | 7 |
| Eucerin | 5/10 | 6 |
| Kiehl's | 5/10 | 6 |
| Skinfix | 5/10 | 6 |
| BYOMA | 5/10 | 5 |
| e.l.f. | 4/10 | 10 |
| Tatcha | 4/10 | 7 |
| The INKEY List | 4/10 | 4 |
| Caudalie | 3/10 | 6 |

## Findings

1. **Concentration is severe and query-dependent.** On 'best cleanser for acne prone skin', three
   brands (La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, Neutrogena) hold **19 of 40 slots** — nearly half the shelf.
   On 'best face sunscreen for daily use', Neutrogena alone holds 7 of 40 under seven product names.
2. **A small cohort owns skincare across categories.** CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, The Ordinary and
   Neutrogena appear on the large majority of shelves regardless of the question asked.
3. **Google editorialises the head and abandons the tail.** 'Best…' curated modules appeared on
   the broad queries (moisturizer, sunscreen, vitamin C, retinol, affordable skincare) and were
   absent on the specific ones (fragrance-free for oily skin, pregnancy, retinol alternative).
4. **Long-tail queries surface unbranded and near-anonymous products.** 'Gentle retinol
   alternative' returns listings with no recognizable brand at all — the tail is where the
   shelf stops being curated in any sense.
5. **A pregnancy-safety query returns a shelf with no visible safety curation.** Observation
   about the shelf, not a medical claim. Highest-stakes example in the set; handle carefully
   and do not make ingredient-safety assertions.
6. **Page size is not fixed.** Eight queries loaded 40; two auto-loaded 78 and 80 on scroll
   alone. Reinforces that top-40 is an analytical cut, never a page property.

## Next step

This is the Google half. The comparison needs the ChatGPT half: same 10 queries, 5 runs each,
logged out or Temporary Chat, products recorded in order. Then overlap at top-10 / top-40 /
full-grid depth, reported as a curve.

## Caveats

- One location, one session, one day. Rank is unstable between sessions; **membership is the
  robust measure**, rank is not.
- Brand attribution done by first-token matching on product titles and hand-checked; a few
  house/retailer labels (Walgreens, Equate, up & up, Ulta Beauty) are retailer brands, not
  manufacturers, and should be treated separately in any published cut.
- I must reproduce a sample in a normal browser before publication.