Is cough medicine for adults profitable to sell on Amazon United States?

The niche generates $7.1M/yr across 25 tracked products. 2 of 2 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -31.4%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (53/100).

How competitive is the cough medicine for adults niche?

9 brands and 624 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 59% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 95% of demand.

What do buyers complain about in cough medicine for adults?

Top complaints mined from reviews: Cough Relief, Taste-Overall, Functionality-Overall. The return rate is 0.1%.

When does demand for cough medicine for adults peak?

Demand peaks in Jan–Feb–Dec; the busiest month runs 2.8× the quietest.

What does it cost to enter the cough medicine for adults niche?

Listings span $4.47–$31.41; the average listing price is $13.75 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 3,754 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.

cough medicine for adults

Worth a look

Shows low returns (0.1%), but soft demand (-31.4% this quarter) keeps it on the watch list.

Returns

Incredible0.1%

return rate — above 5% kills the launch gate

Market size

Incredible$7.1M

$7.1M/yr · 3.7M searches

Conversion

Incredible13.9%

search→purchase rate — share of searches ending in a sale

Avg price

Good$13.75

avg listing price — sweet spot $15–$100

Price range

Good$4.47–$31.41

cheapest to priciest tracked listing — scored on the share inside $15–$100

Competition

Okay59%

top-5 click share — leaders hold, buyers still browse

Review moat

Okay3,754.16

avg incumbent reviews — the moat a new listing must climb

Quality gap

Bad4.7★

avg incumbent rating — lower means beatable quality

Brand share

Bad95%

top-5 brand share — brand-locked demand

Growth

Bad-31.4%

90-day search growth — must beat 0% to launch

According to Flapen's Amazon United States niche tracking, cough medicine for adults is a $7.1M/yr Amazon United States market (3.7M searches/yr). The top 5 brands hold 95% of demand. Demand peaks in Jan–Feb–Dec. Verdict: Worth a look — 53/100.

Data updated Jul 11, 2026 · scored weekly · How we score niches

cough medicine for adults market data

Units sold / yr: 500K–600K; avg 15,000–20,000/product
Revenue / yr: $6.9M–$8.3M; units × avg price
Conversion rate: 13.9%
Avg BSR: #88
Page quality: 0%
Prime: 100%
Sponsored: 72%
Out of stock: 0.2%
Avg brand age: 89 months
Avg seller age: 144 days

Competition & brand share

The top 5 products take 59% of clicks — established leaders, but buyers still shop beyond them.

Brands

9 falling

Sellers

624

Top-5 brand share

95%

Top 20: 100%

Top-5 click share

59%

Top 20: 95%

Open market

Robitussin37%
Delsym26%
Amazon Basic Care26%
Mucinex5%
Beekeeper's Naturals2%
GoodMeds2%
Open — no brand owns it (3 brands, 3%)

Demand & seasonality

Weekly Amazon search volume, last 104 weeks — -31.4% search growth over the last 90 days.

Peak months: Jan, Feb, Dec · busiest ÷ quietest = 2.8×

Open Trend

Top cough medicine for adults search terms

cough medicine for adults559K/yr -37.1%10.8% conv.
cough syrup487K/yr -30.8%10.9% conv.
cough medicine445K/yr -32.3%8.7% conv.
robitussin416K/yr -40.3%13.2% conv.
robitussin dm maximum strength cough285K/yr -34.5%21.2% conv.
delsym 12 hour cough relief adult189K/yr -23.9%21.7% conv.
cough suppressant for adults233K/yr -32.9%10.7% conv.
delsym192K/yr -40.8%15.1% conv.
cough syrup for adults151K/yr -28.8%10.6% conv.
cough136K/yr -18.5%2.8% conv.

All search terms

Top cough medicine for adults products on Amazon

Each bubble is one product — market share against review moat; bubble size tracks estimated sales, color grades how beatable the incumbent looks.

Beatable (≤4.3★) Contested Strong incumbent (>4.7★)

All 24 tracked products in this niche — three views at once, no toggling.

Top sellers

by 90-day click share

Robitussin Adult Maximum Strength Cough + Chest Congestion DM Max (8 fl. oz. Bottle) Cough Suppressant & Expectorant Raspberry Flavor

Robitussin$12.494.7★8,875 rev

Delsym 12 Hour Cough Medicine for Adults Powerful Relief for 12 Hours Cough Suppressant Liquid with Extended-Release Dextromethorphan Orange Flavor Liquid Cough Syrup 5 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)

Delsym$14.694.7★4,191 rev

Amazon Basic Care Tussin DM MAX Maximum Strength Cough and Chest Congestion Medicine Non-Drowsy Alcohol Free Expectorant Raspberry Menthol Flavor 8 fl oz (Pack of 1)

Amazon Basic Care$5.944.7★5,526 rev

Delsym 12 Hour Cough Medicine for Adults Powerful Relief for 12 Hours Cough Suppressant Liquid with Extended-Release Dextromethorphan Grape Flavor Liquid Cough Syrup 5 Fl Oz (Pack of 1)

Delsym$14.314.7★4,191 rev

Amazon Basic Care Tussin Cough Plus Chest Congestion DM Syrup Non-Drowsy Expectorant Mucus Relief Raspberry Flavor 8 fl oz (Pack of 1)

Amazon Basic Care$4.474.7★2,121 rev

Newest

by launch date

GoodMeds Cough Relief for Adults Softgels Dextromethorphan HBr (DXM) 15mg 8Hour Non-Drowsy Long-Lasting Bronchial Suppressant for Dry Cough and Chest Congestion (120 Count)

GoodMeds$13.82716 rev

9mo ago

Robitussin Honey DM Max Cough Plus Chest Congestion and Robitussin Maximum Strength Honey Nighttime Cough DM Adult Formulas - 2 x 8 Fl Oz Bottles

Robitussin$24.20106 rev

11mo ago

Robitussin Maximum Strength CF Max Severe Multi-Symptom Daytime and Nighttime Relief from Cough Cold and Flu Adult Formula 8 fl oz

Robitussin$12.48403 rev

1y ago

Robitussin DM Max Cough Plus Chest Congestion and Robitussin Maximum Strength Nighttime Cough DM Adult Formulas - 2 x 8 Fl Oz Bottles

Robitussin$24.331,822 rev

3y ago

Safetussin DM Cough & Chest Congestion 8 oz Expectorant Mucus Relief Cough Relief Syrup Safe for Adults with High Blood Pressure & Diabetes

Safetussin$10.182,690 rev

3y ago

What buyers say about cough medicine for adults

What buyers praise and complain about, mined from review topics.

What buyers love

Cough Relief30%

“Calms my cough”

Value For Money10%

“Great deal”

Efficiency10%

“Effective and it Works”

Quality-Overall7%

“Best quality”

Advertised Vs Actual Product6%

“As Described”

Taste-Overall6%

“Tastes is smooth”

Cold Relief5%

“Great for cold”

Sleep Quality2%

“helps you sleep”

Flavor2%

“Flavor is good”

Ease Of Use1%

“Very Convenient”

What buyers complain about

Cough Relief22%

“Still coughing”

Taste-Overall13%

“Horrible taste”

Functionality-Overall11%

“This hardly works at all”

Value For Money3%

“Too expensive”

Ease Of Use3%

“cannot use them”

Size-Overall2%

“Small bottles”

Dosage2%

“This medicine sucks”

Strength2%

“Ineffective”

Sleep Quality2%

“Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep if taken too close to bedtime”

Allergies1%

“there's an ingredient in it that I must be allergic to”

Top return reasons

Functionality-Overall17%

Value For Money10%

Advertised Vs Actual Product9%

Dosage9%

Ease Of Chewing/Swallowing8%

Size-Overall7%

Cough Relief7%

Joint Pain5%

Heart Health4%

Blood Pressure3%

Common questions

Is cough medicine for adults profitable to sell on Amazon United States?: The niche generates $7.1M/yr across 25 tracked products. 2 of 2 products launched in the last 360 days are still selling. 90-day search growth is -31.4%. Flapen's verdict: Worth a look (53/100).
How competitive is the cough medicine for adults niche?: 9 brands and 624 sellers compete. The top 5 products take 59% of clicks and top 5 brands hold 95% of demand.
What do buyers complain about in cough medicine for adults?: Top complaints mined from reviews: Cough Relief, Taste-Overall, Functionality-Overall. The return rate is 0.1%.
When does demand for cough medicine for adults peak?: Demand peaks in Jan–Feb–Dec; the busiest month runs 2.8× the quietest.
What does it cost to enter the cough medicine for adults niche?: Listings span $4.47–$31.41; the average listing price is $13.75 (sweet spot $15–$100). The average incumbent carries 3,754 reviews — the moat a new listing must climb.