AI Index

BeautyGEO · Methodology

How the index is measured

Every number on the dashboard can be traced to a raw AI answer. This page explains what we ask, how we count and what the numbers can and cannot tell you.

1. What we ask

For each of 8 segments of the beauty industry we use 5 fixed buyer prompts written the way a real buyer asks — 40 prompts in total, in English, for beautygeo.com. (beautygeo.cn uses a separate set of 40 Chinese prompts.) Prompts are never edited after publication, so later editions are comparable.

OEM/ODM manufacturing

  1. Recommend 5 reliable skincare OEM/ODM manufacturers for a new private-label brand. Include company names and websites.
  2. Which cosmetics contract manufacturers in China offer a low MOQ for private-label skincare? Include company names and websites.
  3. What are the best ODM factories for color cosmetics such as lipstick and foundation with GMPC or ISO 22716 certification? Include company names and websites.
  4. I need a private-label manufacturer for haircare and body care products. Who should I contact? Include company names and websites.
  5. Who are the top cosmetics OEM suppliers in Asia for a European indie beauty brand? Include company names and websites.

Packaging

  1. Recommend 5 cosmetic packaging suppliers for airless bottles and pumps with a low MOQ. Include company names and websites.
  2. What are the best custom cosmetic packaging manufacturers in China for an indie skincare brand? Include company names and websites.
  3. Who makes sustainable or PCR plastic cosmetic packaging such as jars and tubes at wholesale prices? Include company names and websites.
  4. Recommend lipstick tube and compact case manufacturers for a makeup brand. Include company names and websites.
  5. Who are the top glass dropper bottle suppliers for serums? Include company names and websites.

Ingredients

  1. Recommend 5 cosmetic ingredient suppliers for active ingredients like niacinamide and peptides. Include company names and websites.
  2. What are the best suppliers of plant extracts for skincare formulations in China? Include company names and websites.
  3. Who supplies hyaluronic acid in bulk for cosmetics manufacturers? Include company names and websites.
  4. Recommend cosmetic raw material distributors for emulsifiers and preservatives for a small formulation lab. Include company names and websites.
  5. Who are the top natural cosmetic ingredient manufacturers for clean beauty brands? Include company names and websites.

Fragrance

  1. Recommend 5 fragrance houses that create custom fragrances for cosmetics and body care brands. Include company names and websites.
  2. What are the best fragrance oil suppliers for perfumes with a low MOQ? Include company names and websites.
  3. Which companies supply fragrance compounds for shampoo and skincare products in China? Include company names and websites.
  4. Recommend perfume manufacturers for a private-label fine fragrance line. Include company names and websites.
  5. Who are the top flavor and fragrance suppliers in Asia for personal care products? Include company names and websites.

Equipment & cleanrooms

  1. Recommend 5 manufacturers of cosmetic cream mixing and emulsifying machines. Include company names and websites.
  2. What are the best suppliers of filling and capping machines for cosmetic tubes and bottles? Include company names and websites.
  3. Who builds GMP cleanrooms for cosmetics factories in China? Include company names and websites.
  4. Recommend turnkey cosmetic production line suppliers for a new skincare factory. Include company names and websites.
  5. Who are the top vacuum homogenizer mixer manufacturers for lotion production? Include company names and websites.

Testing & certification

  1. Recommend 5 labs that do cosmetic safety and stability testing for EU and US compliance. Include company names and websites.
  2. What are the best third-party testing labs in China for cosmetics registration with NMPA? Include company names and websites.
  3. Who can do SPF testing and dermatological clinical testing for a skincare brand? Include company names and websites.
  4. Recommend companies that help with EU cosmetic product notification and CPSR safety reports. Include company names and websites.
  5. Who are the top certification bodies for ISO 22716 / GMPC audits of cosmetic factories? Include company names and websites.

Brands · Skincare

  1. Recommend 5 skincare brands for sensitive skin. Include brand names and websites.
  2. What are the best Chinese skincare brands worth trying? Include brand names and websites.
  3. Which serum brands are best for hyperpigmentation? Include brand names and websites.
  4. Recommend affordable skincare brands with clean ingredients. Include brand names and websites.
  5. What are the top K-beauty and C-beauty moisturizer brands? Include brand names and websites.

Brands · Makeup

  1. Recommend 5 long-lasting foundation brands for oily skin. Include brand names and websites.
  2. What are the best Chinese makeup brands right now? Include brand names and websites.
  3. Which lipstick brands have the best quality for the price? Include brand names and websites.
  4. Recommend vegan and cruelty-free makeup brands. Include brand names and websites.
  5. What are the top makeup brands for beginners? Include brand names and websites.

2. Which AI engines

  • ChatGPT — gpt-5.4-mini-2026-03-17
  • Perplexity — sonar

Each prompt is sent once per engine through the official model APIs via DataForSEO, with web search switched on, between 2026-10-16 21:41 and 2026-10-16 21:43 (UTC+8). That gives n = 80 answers. We publish every answer unedited. Gemini and Claude were not included in this baseline to keep it within budget; they are part of the live check at /radar/.

3. From answers to companies

Recommended companies are extracted from the list items and tables of each answer. Every extracted name was then reviewed: headings and tips (“Best for low MOQ”) were removed, spelling variants were merged into one canonical name (e.g. five Eurofins variants), marketplaces were excluded from company counts, and each company’s home country was set only where it could be identified with reasonable confidence — otherwise “unknown”. A company is counted once per answer.

4. Metrics

  • Mentions — company names across all answers of the segment (once per answer).
  • Top-5 share — mentions held by the five most-named companies ÷ all mentions. Low = AI spreads its recommendations widely.
  • China share — China-based companies ÷ named companies whose country is known.
  • Official-site citation rate — citations pointing to the website of a company that was recommended in this dataset ÷ all citations. Other citations are split into B2B platforms/directories and media/blogs/other.
  • Named by both engines — companies named by ChatGPT and Perplexity in the same segment.

5. The AI Opportunity Index (0–100)

AI Opportunity = 100 × ( 0.45 × (1 − Top-5 share) + 0.35 × Official-site citation rate + 0.20 × China share )

Why these three: an open field (low concentration) means new companies can still get in; a high official-site citation rate means AI reads companies’ own websites, so improving yours pays off directly; a high China share shows that AI already recommends China-based companies in that segment. The score describes the segment, not any single company, and it is not a ranking promise.

6. Demand data

Monthly Google search volume (United States) for three buyer keywords per segment, from Google Ads data via DataForSEO, captured 2026-10-16.

7. Cadence

This is the October 2026 baseline. From Phase 2 the same prompts are re-asked every Monday and the dashboard shows week-over-week change. Each panel states its own date and sample size.

8. Limits

  • AI answers vary between runs; one run per prompt is a snapshot, not a permanent fact.
  • API answers can differ from what a logged-in user sees in an app.
  • Country and source classification are reviewed but can contain errors — tell us and we will correct and log it.
  • BeautyGEO has commercial relationships with some beauty companies (e.g. Yanse Cosmetics, Vella, BESTCLEAN). They receive no special treatment: their mentions are counted exactly like any other company’s.

9. Reuse

Data: CC BY 4.0. Cite as “BeautyGEO Beauty Industry AI Index, October 2026 baseline. https://beautygeo.com/omniindex/”. Downloads: CSV · JSON · raw answers.

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