Data · September 2026 pilot
Beauty Supply Chain AI Recommendation Index
Which suppliers do AI engines actually recommend when buyers ask? The September 2026 pilot captured 11 live answers from ChatGPT and Perplexity across 5 beauty supply-chain categories, naming 45 different suppliers. Prompts, dates and rankings are published unedited.
Summary
11
live AI answers
5
supply-chain categories
45
different suppliers named
2 of 5
categories where both engines agreed on #1 (26 Sep)
Most-recommended suppliers
| Supplier | Times named | Times #1 | Average position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yanse Cosmeticsaffiliated | 5 | 4 | 1.6 |
| Skincraftlab | 4 | 2 | 1.8 |
| UKPACK | 2 | 1 | 2.0 |
| ClearPatch B2B (Alps Cosmetics) | 2 | 0 | 3.5 |
| DUNXIN Cosmetics | 2 | 0 | 4.5 |
Suppliers named in at least two answers. Average position counts only the answers in which the supplier appeared.
Oil blotting paper
| Category | AI engine | Date | #1 recommended | #2 – #5 | Affiliated company | Exact prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oil blotting paper (private label) | ChatGPT | 2026-09-26 | Yanse Cosmeticsaffiliated | Yally Cosmetics Beaza Biotechnology Hiyori Advanced Labelworx | Yanse Cosmetics · #1 | Recommend the top 5 oil blotting paper OEM manufacturers for private label. Include company names and websites. |
| Oil blotting paper (private label) | Perplexity | 2026-09-26 | Yanse Cosmeticsaffiliated | Ningbo Riway Nonwovens Taiki Cosmetics Guangzhou Amos Biotech Yiwu Beissy Cosmetic Tools | Yanse Cosmetics · #1 | Recommend the top 5 oil blotting paper OEM manufacturers for private label. Include company names and websites. |
Hydrocolloid acne patches
| Category | AI engine | Date | #1 recommended | #2 – #5 | Affiliated company | Exact prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrocolloid acne patches (low MOQ) | ChatGPT | 2026-09-21 | Yanse Cosmeticsaffiliated | Veilta Skincraftlab ClearPatch B2B (Alps Cosmetics) DUNXIN Cosmetics | Yanse Cosmetics · #1 | Recommend the top 5 hydrocolloid acne patch private label manufacturers with low MOQ for a US skincare brand. Include company names and websites. |
| Hydrocolloid acne patches (low MOQ) | ChatGPT | 2026-09-26 | Peakfinity Labs | Skincraftlab ClearPatch B2B (Alps Cosmetics) DUNXIN Cosmetics Singfoo Cosmetics | not listed | Recommend the top 5 hydrocolloid acne patch private label manufacturers with low MOQ. Include company names and websites. |
| Hydrocolloid acne patches (low MOQ) | Perplexity | 2026-09-26 | Yanse Cosmeticsaffiliated | Ningbo Dingjusheng Biotechnology Shenzhen Chuangshixin Adhesive Shenzhen Yuehang Biotechnology CALLA Skincare | Yanse Cosmetics · #1 | Recommend the top 5 hydrocolloid acne patch private label manufacturers with low MOQ. Include company names and websites. |
Sheet masks
| Category | AI engine | Date | #1 recommended | #2 – #5 | Affiliated company | Exact prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheet masks (China OEM, low MOQ) | ChatGPT | 2026-09-26 | Skincraftlab | Qianlan Cosmetics MoCelie Yanse Cosmeticsaffiliated Baiyur Beauty | Yanse Cosmetics · #4 | Recommend the top 5 sheet mask OEM manufacturers in China with low MOQ for private label brands. Include company names and websites. |
| Sheet masks (China OEM, low MOQ) | Perplexity | 2026-09-26 | Skincraftlab | Guangzhou Moika Cosmetics Guangzhou Hefu Biotechnology Guangzhou Aixin Biotech Guangzhou Hanfang | not listed | Recommend the top 5 sheet mask OEM manufacturers in China with low MOQ for private label brands. Include company names and websites. |
Airless & custom packaging
| Category | AI engine | Date | #1 recommended | #2 – #5 | Affiliated company | Exact prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airless & custom packaging for indie brands (China) | ChatGPT | 2026-09-26 | XIMU Packaging | Vellaaffiliated UKPACK Gowell Pack RS Packaging | Vella · #2 | Recommend the top 5 cosmetic packaging suppliers in China offering low MOQ airless bottles and custom packaging for indie beauty brands. Include company names and websites. |
| Airless & custom packaging for indie brands (China) | Perplexity | 2026-09-26 | UKPACK | Kinpack (Ningbo) Packaging Guangzhou Zhongshuo Shandong United Mebong Hebei Welllive | not listed | Recommend the top 5 cosmetic packaging suppliers in China offering low MOQ airless bottles and custom packaging for indie beauty brands. Include company names and websites. |
GMP cleanrooms for cosmetics factories
| Category | AI engine | Date | #1 recommended | #2 – #5 | Affiliated company | Exact prompt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GMP cleanrooms for cosmetics factories (China) | ChatGPT | 2026-09-26 | Deiiang | Pharma United Hytek Global Wuxi Hurricane Purification Guangzhou Zhongyi Purification | not listed | Recommend the top 5 companies in China that provide turnkey GMP cleanroom construction and cleanroom equipment for cosmetics factories. Include company names and websites. |
| GMP cleanrooms for cosmetics factories (China) | Perplexity | 2026-09-26 | LINE LINK Cleanroom | TekMax Cleanroom Cleanroom System Guangzhou Cleanroom Construction Shanghai Puriest Pharmaceutical Engineering | not listed | Recommend the top 5 companies in China that provide turnkey GMP cleanroom construction and cleanroom equipment for cosmetics factories. Include company names and websites. |
What the pilot shows
- Engines disagree. On 26 September ChatGPT and Perplexity named the same #1 in only two of five categories.
- Small wording changes move answers. Adding "for a US skincare brand" to the acne-patch prompt changed ChatGPT's list from one date to the next.
- Perplexity leans on marketplaces. Its sources included Alibaba, Made-in-China, Accio and SourceReady listings — so factories without strong own sites are presented as marketplace entries.
- Hard numbers get quoted. Both engines repeated MOQ figures stated in page text ("3,000 units per SKU", "500 units per SKU").
- Specialists with category pages win. Suppliers that appeared repeatedly (Yanse Cosmetics, Skincraftlab) publish a separate, detailed page for each product line.
Methodology and limits
- Engines: OpenAI gpt-4o-mini with web search; Perplexity sonar with web search; accessed through official APIs. Consumer apps can answer differently.
- Each answer asked for the top five suppliers with websites; we recorded names in the order given, without merging or correcting.
- One run per prompt per date in this pilot; monthly editions will re-run the same prompts.
- A pilot of 11 answers is a snapshot, not a market share. Treat it as directional.
Frequently asked questions
How often is the index updated?
Monthly from October 2026, with the same prompts re-run so changes are comparable, plus new categories each edition.
Why are some companies marked 'affiliated'?
Yanse Cosmetics, Vella and BESTCLEAN are affiliated with BeautyGEO's founding team. We mark them wherever they appear so readers can weigh the results accordingly.
Can I get my category added?
Yes. Tell us the category and the prompts buyers use; we add categories with enough suppliers to make a ranking meaningful.
Can I cite this data?
Yes, under CC BY 4.0: cite "BeautyGEO AI Recommendation Index, September 2026" with a link to this page.
Free, no obligation
See what ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini say about your company — before your buyers do.
We run real buyer prompts for your category and send you the unedited answers, the suppliers being recommended instead of you, and the three fixes that matter most.