# Forest Essentials vs Minimalist · AI search India
> Who do ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode recommend more for d2c skincare in India: Forest Essentials or Minimalist? Minimalist leads with 80.6% citation…

Canonical URL: https://cite.solutions/state-of-ai-india/skincare/compare/forest-essentials-vs-minimalist
Source: Cite Solutions (cite.solutions)
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[← D2C Skincare · India](/state-of-ai-india/skincare)Head-to-head · 21 Jul

D2C Skincare · India · AI search head-to-head

# Forest Essentials vs Minimalist in AI search

As of 21 July 2026, Minimalist is recommended more often than Forest Essentials for d2c skincare in India: Minimalist appears in 80.6% of AI answers versus Forest Essentials's 18.6%, a 62.0 percentage point gap across ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode.

[Forest Essentials](https://forestessentialsindia.com "Visit Forest Essentials")

18.6% · rank #7

[Minimalist](https://beminimalist.co "Visit Minimalist")

80.6% · rank #1

D2C Skincare · 21 July 2026

### Forest Essentials vs Minimalist: side-by-side AI citation metrics

How ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode treat Forest Essentials and Minimalist for d2c skincare buyer questions in India, as of 21 July 2026.

__Forest Essentials vs Minimalist: side-by-side AI citation metrics__
| Metric                       | Forest Essentials      | Minimalist       |
| ---------------------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------- |
| MetricOverall citation share | Forest Essentials18.6% | Minimalist80.6%  |
| MetricOverall rank           | Forest Essentials#7    | Minimalist#1     |
| MetricChatGPT share          | Forest Essentials0%    | Minimalist0%     |
| MetricGemini share           | Forest Essentials0%    | Minimalist0%     |
| MetricGoogle AI Mode share   | Forest Essentials0%    | Minimalist0%     |
| MetricDay-over-day change    | Forest Essentials+0.6% | Minimalist\-2.1% |
| MetricPositive sentiment     | Forest Essentials42%   | Minimalist56%    |

## Per-engine verdict

ChatGPT

Tied

Forest Essentials 0% · Minimalist 0%

Gemini

Tied

Forest Essentials 0% · Minimalist 0%

AI Mode

Tied

Forest Essentials 0% · Minimalist 0%

## Common questions

### Who appears more in AI search for d2c skincare in India, Forest Essentials or Minimalist?

Minimalist, with 80.6% citation share versus Forest Essentials's 18.6% as of 21 July 2026.

### Does ChatGPT recommend Forest Essentials or Minimalist more?

On ChatGPT the two are tied, each around 0%.

### Is Forest Essentials gaining or losing ground against Minimalist in AI answers?

Over the CITE Index tracking window, Forest Essentials moved from 16.7% to 18.6% citation share and Minimalist moved from 73.3% to 80.6%.

### How is this Forest Essentials vs Minimalist comparison measured?

Cite Solutions runs 50 unaided buyer prompts for d2c skincare every night against ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google AI Mode, then measures how often each brand is named. This page reflects the reading from 21 July 2026.

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Source: The CITE Index · India, reading of 21 July 2026. [See the full D2C Skincare dashboard →](/state-of-ai-india/skincare)CC BY 4.0