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Oct-2026
Sales
Trend
6-Month
Product Count
SKUs
Avg Price
YoY Sales Change
YoY Price Change
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(the) Essence is stocked at 554 licensed dispensaries across Illinois, New Jersey, and 9 other states, 134 of them in Illinois, with the deepest coverage in Chicago, Normal, Quincy, Springfield, and Metropolis. Search by ZIP code or city below to find the closest one, or filter by product type if you are after a specific format.
Market Insights Snapshot
In October 2026, (the) Essence concentrated nearly half of sales in Flower at 48.68% share with a 33.54% month-over-month increase despite a 52.14% year-over-year decline, while Vapor Pens held 35.31% share with a 12.65% MoM drop and a 58.86% YoY decline. Pre-Roll represented 11.97% share, rising 5.55% MoM but falling 82.27% YoY, and Concentrates, at 3.88% share, grew 19.65% MoM and 2.59% YoY. The blend of a Flower rebound alongside Vapor Pens contraction suggests the portfolio is pivoting volume back to inhalables that can be price-flexed, reinforced by a 5.68% YoY decline in average price and anchored by a Vapor Pens category position at rank 24 in Illinois, implying a tactical emphasis on regaining share through mix and price rather than new categories.
The shift toward Flower (up 33.54% MoM) and Concentrates (up 19.65% MoM) while Vapor Pens contracted (down 12.65% MoM) and Pre-Roll only inched up (5.55% MoM) implies (the) Essence is leaning into higher-ticket inhalables to offset a 61.64% YoY brand sales decline and a 5.68% YoY price reduction. With Vapor Pens still at 35.31% share and ranked 24 in Illinois, the brand’s positioning tilts toward stabilizing core penetration in two inhalable formats rather than breadth, signaling that near-term share gains will rely on deepening Flower availability and selective price moves in Vapor Pens rather than expanding Pre-Roll exposure.
Competitive Landscape
(the) Essence sits at rank #24 in IL Vapor Pens for October 2026, down 16 positions year over year from #8 but also down 10 spots from July 2026’s #14, while its historical peak was #4 in February 2025; in contrast, Select advanced to #1 with a 2-position YoY climb and 16.1% YoY sales growth, and Fernway rose to #2 with a 10-position YoY jump alongside a 222.0% YoY sales increase. The combination of a double-digit YoY rank drop (-16) and a quarter-on-quarter slide (-10) against competitors gaining rank implies (the) Essence is ceding share to faster-accelerating leaders and must address relative velocity to prevent further displacement.
Notable Products
(the) Essence spreads sales widely in October 2026: 10 top items account for 17.9% from a 411‑product lineup, and the leading SKU holds 2.8%. That breadth pairs with a modest price stance at 0.6% below similar products overall, so most of its sales come from a large tail rather than a few hero products.
Peer avg: average price of the same product type and package size in the same states that month.
Top Selling Cannabis Brands
Data for this report comes from real-time sales reporting by participating cannabis retailers via their point-of-sale systems, which are linked up with Headset’s business intelligence software. Headset’s data is very reliable, as it comes digitally direct from our partner retailers. However, the potential does exist for misreporting in the instance of duplicates, incorrectly classified products, inaccurate entry of products into point-of-sale systems, or even simple human error at the point of purchase. Thus, there is a slight margin of error to consider. Brands listed on this page are ranked in the top twenty within the market and product category by total retail sales volume.
