Brand profileBeauty & Personal Care
The Inkey List
Skincare ingredients and product brand
Best rank
Best placed #6 in Beauty & Personal Care.
What the AIs say
#6 best · 3 of 4 agree“perplexity ranks The Inkey List highest (avg #19.8 over 6 mentions); ChatGPT is the most sceptical (#20.8).”
synthesised · the AI panel
What the press says
Positive · 8 stories · 30d“The Inkey List receives predominantly positive coverage centered on its US expansion via Ulta and strong product performance, though past quality issues with its oat cleanser remain a notable criticis”
synthesised · 8 articles via Google News · Beauty Independent, Cosmetics Business +6
The brief
The brand in a paragraph.
The Inkey List began in London. Mark Curry founded it. They make skincare in bottles. Niacinamide serum became their calling card. The brand speaks plainly about ingredients. Percentages matter more than promises. Today they operate across Europe and North America. Their products sit in Sephora stores. Among six thousand tracked beauty brands, they rank eighth. They built something durable on transparency and science. No pretense. Just formulas that work.
Act one
What the machines think.
Three AI models read the whole category and rank The Inkey List's products — model by model, list by list, over time.
Model by model?
How each AI sees it.
perplexity ranks The Inkey List highest (avg #19.8 over 6 mentions); ChatGPT is the most sceptical (#20.8).
perplexity
#19.8
avg over 6 mentions · best #6
Gemini
#20.4
avg over 9 mentions · best #8
ChatGPT
#20.8
avg over 6 mentions · best #12
Wins & misses?
Where it leads, where it lags.
2 top-10 wins versus 7 lag spots where The Inkey List finishes below #20.
Top wins
Rank trajectory?
Weeks of movement.
Across 8 weeks of tracking: 0 intents steady, 1 climbed, 5 slipped. Biggest move: slipped 19 ranks in Best Peptide Serums (now #23).
Act two · ★ new
What the people say.
The same lineup, judged by the owners who bought and filmed it — and the press that covers them.
In the press?
What the world is saying.
What’s being written about The Inkey List lately — and the mood of it. 8 pieces in the last 30 days, coverage skews positive.
BBeauty IndependentBeauty Independent·Critical
After Years Of Complaints, The Inkey List Thinks It Finally Fixed Its Oat Cleanser
CCosmetics BusinessCosmetics Business·Positive
Inside The Inkey List’s 2026 gameplan to dominate the US and invest in its ‘superpowers’
SSouth China Morning PostSouth China Morning Post·Neutral
What caffeine in skincare really does for dark circles and puffiness
RRefinery29
FForbes
WWho What WearWho What Wear·Positive
I'm Scared of Retinol, But This Serum Has Redesigned My Skin in 4 Weeks
PPR NewswirePR Newswire·Neutral
The INKEY List Announces Launch into Ulta Beauty.png)
TThe IndependentThe Independent·Positive
This Inkey List product is the ‘best budget serum I’ve ever tried’ - and it’s on sale nowas of June 5 · 8 stories?
Act three · ★ new
Do they agree?
Put the two verdicts side by side — every product with its AI rank and its reviewer score — and see where the machines and the buyers line up, and where they don't.
The lineup, reconciled?
Every product — both verdicts.
Salicylic Acid Cleanser is The Inkey List's most-recommended product, ranking across 3 buyer questions, with 15% Vitamin C and EGF Serum close behind.
Traits?
The words the panel uses.
AI most often praises The Inkey List for being "affordable" (8 mentions) and "budget" (6).
- affordable8
- budget6
- lightweight4
- hydrating3
- beginner-friendly2
- hydration2
- exfoliating2
- ceramides2
- effective2
- budget-friendly2
- firming2
- minimal formula2
Rivals?
Who it competes against.
Kiehl's has the edge over The Inkey List — winning more of the 12 shared questions the AI panel ranks them both in.
- Kiehl's
Beauty & Personal Care
Kiehl's leads 8–3
Across 12 shared questions · 1 tied
- Drunk Elephant
Beauty & Personal Care
Drunk Elephant leads 7–3
Across 11 shared questions · 1 tied
- Neutrogena
Beauty & Personal Care
Neutrogena leads 10–1
Across 11 shared questions
- La Roche-Posay
Beauty & Personal Care
La Roche-Posay leads 10–1
Across 11 shared questions
- CeraVe
Beauty & Personal Care
CeraVe leads 11–0
Across 11 shared questions
- Naturium
Beauty & Personal Care
Naturium leads 7–3
Across 10 shared questions
- Murad
Beauty & Personal Care
Murad leads 8–2
Across 10 shared questions
The recap
Where it stands today.
- FootprintStrongest in Beauty & Personal Care (best #6), across 13 buying intents.
- AI verdictperplexity ranks The Inkey List highest (avg #19.8); ChatGPT most sceptical (#20.8).
- TraitsMost often associated with “affordable” (8 mentions) and “budget” (6).
- Top productSalicylic Acid Cleanser is the most-mentioned The Inkey List product this snapshot.
- Closest rivalKiehl's (3–8 across 12 shared intents).
browse The Inkey List in these categories