AI Search Trends Reveal Top Functional Ingredient Suppliers for UK Beauty Market
A new industry study reported by Cosmetics Business highlights how artificial intelligence search engines currently prioritize specific ingredient suppliers. Using Generative Engine Optimisation to analyze chatbot recommendations, the Pitman Comms Visibility Index found that distributors frequently outperform direct manufacturers in visibility when beauty businesses use AI tools to source functional components for their formulations.
Context from Industry Pulse
The rise of Generative Engine Optimisation in the beauty supply chain arrives as the industry increasingly digitalizes its sourcing methods. While traditional trade relationships remain vital, the Pitman Comms report suggests a shift where AI chatbots act as gatekeepers for discovery. The dominance of distributors like Azelis and Brenntag over most manufacturers in these search results highlights a potential visibility gap for primary producers. This development aligns with broader trends where major players, including Estée Lauder Companies, are already scaling AI marketing partnerships. As retailers like Selfridges expand their physical K-beauty destinations and manufacturers like LipoTrue launch new biotechnological actives, the ability to appear in automated procurement searches becomes a critical competitive factor for European ingredient suppliers.
The study utilized a specific testing methodology involving three separate interactions with OpenAI's ChatGPT. As Cosmetics Business reports, researchers prompted the AI to identify five suppliers of functional cosmetic ingredients serving the United Kingdom. This approach allowed the study to measure consistency and prominence in an emerging search landscape known as Generative Engine Optimisation. The goal was to understand which businesses entered the digital conversation when manufacturers sought new formulation solutions.
Results from the report indicate a high level of visibility for a small group of companies. Croda emerged as the most consistent name, appearing in the top five results for every test conducted. While Croda was classified as a manufacturer in this UK-focused context, the rest of the dominant positions were held by distributors. Azelis and Brenntag were identified as top performers alongside Harke, with these three companies collectively securing four out of five recommendation slots across the repeated search queries.
Beyond the top three, other companies such as Surfachem and Infinity Ingredients also appeared in the search results, though with less frequency. According to Cosmetics Business, the findings suggest that distributors currently play a disproportionately large role in how ingredients are discovered and accessed via AI. This trend indicates that while a manufacturer may possess high-quality science or established legacy relationships, their digital presence in AI-driven search results may not yet reflect those traditional strengths.
Industry experts note that these findings are not intended to judge the featured companies but rather to serve as a snapshot of how varied AI-generated answers can be at this early stage. As Cosmetics Business explains, the data provides a starting point for manufacturers to evaluate how their expertise is presented across the different routes customers use for discovery. This shift toward AI-based sourcing may require suppliers to adapt their digital strategies to ensure they remain visible to brands seeking functional ingredients.
The Industry Pulse Bottom Line
For cosmetic ingredient manufacturers, the challenge is no longer just scientific excellence but digital visibility. As AI influences procurement, suppliers must optimize their data to ensure they are not overshadowed by distributors in automated search results.