ChatGPT Optimization for Beauty Brands: A Citation Analysis of 56,000 Answers

More consumers are asking ChatGPT beauty questions about topics such as creams for their skin type, the effects of ingredients, and the order in which to use products. To find out which sites ChatGPT chooses as sources when answering these questions, Anymorph analyzed 56,860 ChatGPT answers collected for beauty brand measurement projects from October 17–23, 2026. The analysis covered only general beauty questions that did not include brand names, and compared answers in Korea (Korean) and the United States (English).

Research findings at a glance

Methodology

Scope of measurement

The questions covered topics consumers ask about before choosing products, such as recommendations by skin type, ingredient effects, solutions for skin concerns, and the order of use. All figures combine multiple projects; results for individual brands are not included.

Measurement approach

We counted sources in ChatGPT answers in two ways:

• Inline citations: Sources linked next to statements in the answer. Unless otherwise specified, the citation figures in this article refer to inline citations.
• Source list: All pages shown in the source list below the answer. This includes inline citations.

Of the pages in the source lists, 19.6% in Korean and 19.3% in English were also cited inline. Appearing in the source list alone does not mean a brand or product was used as evidence in the answer text, so we focused on inline citations.

We manually classified about 540 domains with high numbers of inline citations. These domains accounted for 88.4% of Korean inline citations and 94.3% of English inline citations. The rest were left unclassified. Page formats (such as comparison and recommendation articles or product pages) were classified automatically based on URL and title.

The types of sites cited differed by language

Korean answers

In Korean answers, blogs and independent information sites, along with review and ranking platforms, accounted for 42.2% of inline citations. Of citations to blogs and independent information sites, 88.3% were to pages in formats such as comparison and recommendation lists, guides, and articles. Official brand sites ranked second, at 17.8%.

Among blogs, Tistory received 2,642 inline citations (2.9% of Korean inline citations). Naver Blog appeared in source lists 86 times and received 4 inline citations.

English answers

In English answers, citations clustered around retail product pages and media articles. Product pages accounted for 97.4% of retail citations, while articles and recommendation pieces accounted for 98.2% of media citations. Media had the broadest reach, appearing at least once in 64.5% of English answers.

Medical and academic sources were the most likely to become inline citations

Medical and academic pages had the highest rate of becoming inline citations after appearing in the source list: 38.3% in Korean and 35.8% in English. These rates were about twice the overall averages (19.6% in Korean and 19.3% in English). When ChatGPT included sources from associations, hospitals, and research papers in the source list, it also frequently used them as evidence in the answer text. In Korean answers, PubMed and PMC papers received 1,702 inline citations.

Communities and video appeared in source lists but were rarely cited inline

Reddit and YouTube often appeared in source lists, but their rate of use as evidence in beauty answers was far below average. In this dataset, most inline citations in ChatGPT beauty answers came from text-based web pages.

What page formats were cited?

Comparison and recommendation lists were the most common format in Korean answers, at 40.5%, while product pages were the most common in English answers, at 48.3%. Most citations to official brand sites were also to product pages (82.7% in Korean and 88.5% in English). Comparison articles and guides on official sites received 15.8% of citations in Korean and 11.4% in English.

43.8% of Korean-language questions were searched using English only

Search language

During the study period, ChatGPT used roughly one search query per answer. Of the 23,230 Korean answers, 13,055 (56.2%) used Korean search queries, while 10,164 (43.8%) used English search queries only.

The language of the search query changed which pages were cited

For answers searched in Korean, 90.5% of cited pages had Korean titles. For answers searched only in English, the figure was just 7.5%. Even when answering a Korean-language question, if the search was conducted in English, English pages took the citation slots. Across all inline citations in Korean answers, 47.8% were to pages with Korean titles.

What beauty brands can do

For Korean answers: Publish your own comparison and recommendation articles

In Korean answers, comparison and recommendation lists and guides accounted for nearly half of citations. Rather than relying only on blogs and review platforms, publish comparison and recommendation articles on your official site organized by skin type and concern.

• Lead with the conclusion. Put a sentence that can be quoted in an answer, such as “For dry skin, we recommend A, B, and C,” in the first paragraph.
• Show comparison criteria in a table. Compare ingredients, skin types, formulations, and price ranges using the same criteria.
• Explain the basis for your recommendations. Cite evidence such as ingredient concentrations, clinical results, and dermatology resources.

For English answers: Focus on retail product pages and media coverage

Retail product pages and media articles accounted for 64.7% of citations in English answers.

• Fill in product descriptions, full ingredient lists, directions for use, and skin type information on retail product pages where your products are sold.
• Prepare product information and supporting evidence to help secure a place in recommendation articles in beauty magazines and health publications.
• Include the same information in text on your official product pages. Product pages accounted for 88.5% of citations to official sites.

Brands in the Korean market also need English-language pages

43.8% of Korean-language questions were searched using English only, and 92.5% of pages cited in those answers did not have Korean titles. Brands targeting Korean consumers can also create opportunities to be cited in these answers by providing English-language pages explaining their key products and ingredients.

Connect supporting evidence to your pages

Medical and academic sources were about twice as likely as average to become inline citations once they appeared in the source list. When explaining ingredient effects, link to research papers, association materials, and clinical results so that ChatGPT can easily use the page as evidence.

Prioritize text-based pages

Reddit and YouTube often appeared in source lists, but their inline citation rates were 0.6–10.7%. If you run a video channel or community, also publish web pages that present the same information in text. Korean blogs also varied widely by platform. During this period, Tistory received 2,642 inline citations, while Naver Blog received 4.

Limitations

• This is an observation of one week, October 17–23, 2026. Results may change if ChatGPT's model or search method changes.
• The questions are general questions Anymorph measures for beauty brands. They do not fully represent the distribution of questions across the entire market.
• People classified domains with high numbers of inline citations by site type. A total of 11.6% of Korean inline citations and 5.7% of English inline citations were unclassified.
• Page formats were classified automatically based on URL and title, so some pages may not match their actual format.
• A citation means that a source was used in an answer. This study did not determine whether it led to a click or purchase.
• Differences by type reflect observed distributions; they do not show results from experiments testing what causes a particular type to receive citations.

Conclusion

1. Citation channels differ by language. In Korean, blogs and independent information sites, along with review and ranking platforms, received the most citations. In English, retail and media received the most.
2. English pages matter even for Korean-language questions. 43.8% of Korean-language questions were searched using English only, and the cited pages in these cases were mostly in English.
3. Evidence and text-based pages became inline citations. Medical and academic sources had the highest inline citation rates, while communities and video had low rates.

Beauty brands should place their content in channels that receive citations in each market. After changing pages, they should measure the same questions repeatedly to check whether citations actually increase.

Appendix: Research data