Brands Are Flooding Reddit With Fake Reviews So AI Chatbots Pick Them Up. Moderators Are Fighting Back.

Key points

• Reddit was the single most-cited domain by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's Gemini in May 2026, ahead of every news publisher and Wikipedia, according to data from Semrush.
• Marketers are planting subtle promotional comments on Reddit specifically so AI chatbots repeat the brand mentions to shoppers.
• Google says its systems keep search results 99% spam-free and that Reddit receives no special ranking preference.
• Moderators on r/SkincareAddiction, a skincare community with more than 1 million weekly visitors, now automatically filter posts mentioning brands caught running covert campaigns.
• A new marketing tactic called AEO (answer engine optimisation, the practice of shaping what AI assistants say) is driving the surge in Reddit spam.

Earlier this year, a Reddit user asked members of a skincare community whether anyone had tried a particular hypochlorous acid spray, a mild antiseptic solution often used to calm acne. Dozens of replies came in. One, from an account called Primary-Taro4254, looked ordinary at first glance.

The commenter said they hadn't tried the original brand, but had been using a spray from a company called Honeydew Labs. They shared their experience, praised the formula's concentration, and noted the product carried a National Eczema Association seal of acceptance.

Then someone looked at the account's history.

Primary-Taro4254 had been singing Honeydew Labs' praises across multiple unrelated threads, in multiple skincare communities, with the same helpful-stranger tone. A member of r/SkincareAddiction flagged the pattern publicly. A moderator banned the account and set up an automatic filter so every future Honeydew Labs post would be held for review before anyone could see it. (Honeydew Labs did not respond to a request for comment. Neither did Primary-Taro4254.)

Why does Reddit matter so much to brands right now?

Reddit has become the most-cited website in AI search answers. That single fact explains almost everything that follows.

For years, people added the word "reddit" to Google searches because it reliably surfaced real human opinions rather than SEO-polished marketing copy. Google took notice and started ranking Reddit threads more prominently. Then AI chatbots, which are trained to find authentic, conversational answers, began pulling from Reddit constantly.

Semrush, a search analytics company owned by Adobe, compiled data for The Verge showing Reddit topped every other domain in May 2026 for citations by ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini, and Google's AI Mode search feature. More than news sites. More than academic databases. More than Wikipedia.

The same data showed Google is now inserting AI-generated answer boxes far more often into shopping searches than it did a year ago, pushing AI-cited sources directly into the path of people comparing products before they buy.

For a brand, getting a Reddit mention picked up by an AI answer is now arguably more valuable than a traditional backlink, the old-school currency of search rankings. Some SEO specialists say a simple mention is enough; no link required.

What does the new spam actually look like?

It is subtler than the old kind, and deliberately so.

Maya Adivi, a moderator on r/SkincareAddiction who also has a marketing background, says posts now often mimic the open-ended, curious tone of someone typing a question into an AI chatbot. "How does everyone keep track of their skincare routine?" A wave of replies will then name specific apps or brands. Other posts adopt a slightly self-deprecating format: "I thought this product would be too harsh, but it turned out to be really gentle."

One marketing agency reportedly claimed it had "hijacked" r/SkincareAddiction to promote a Korean beauty brand and boost its Google presence. Adivi found the thread, removed it, and added the brand to the community's blocked-keyword list.

"It's a lot more subtle, but we've become more sophisticated as well," Adivi says.

The practice driving all of this has two names in marketing circles: AEO (answer engine optimisation) and GEO (generative engine optimisation). Both describe the same goal: shaping what AI assistants say about your brand. Nobody has quite cracked the formula yet, which means brands are trying everything.

Should shoppers worry about what AI tells them?

Be sceptical when an AI answer recommends a specific product, especially a smaller or unfamiliar brand.

Google spokesperson Jennifer Kutz told The Verge the company's systems are built to detect low-quality user-generated content and that Reddit receives no special preference in its rankings. "We have strong protections against manipulation across Search, including our AI features, and we've kept results 99% spam-free for years," Kutz said.

That is reassuring, though 1% of billions of searches is still a large number. The safest habit is to treat an AI product recommendation the same way you would treat advice from a stranger online: a starting point, not a verdict.

Common questions

What is AEO and why does it matter to me as a shopper?

AEO stands for answer engine optimisation, a marketing technique aimed at making an AI chatbot mention or recommend a specific brand when someone asks it a question. If it works, you might receive what sounds like neutral advice that is actually a paid or covert promotion.

Are Reddit moderators paid to police this?

No. Moderators on most subreddits, including r/SkincareAddiction, are unpaid volunteers. They set the rules, review flagged posts, and ban accounts in their spare time, with no compensation from Reddit.

How can I spot a fake recommendation on Reddit?

Check the posting history of any account that enthusiastically recommends a specific brand. If the same account praises the same product across unrelated threads or multiple communities, treat the recommendation with caution.