The Colgate-Palmolive Story: Oral Care to Global Brand
Founded in 1806 as a soap and candle company, Colgate-Palmolive grew into a $20 billion consumer goods giant. The full history of how toothpaste became the cornerstone of a global empire.
If you have brushed your teeth today, there is a reasonable probability that the toothpaste you used was made by a company founded in 1806 to sell soap and candles on the streets of New York. Colgate-Palmolive Company is one of the oldest continuously operating consumer goods companies in the United States, and the Colgate brand it carries remains one of the most recognized household names in more than 200 countries.
Understanding Colgate-Palmolive requires understanding two separate company histories that merged in 1928 and have operated as a single entity ever since. One thread begins with a candle maker in New York; the other with a soap maker in Milwaukee. Together they built a consumer goods operation that generates approximately $20 billion in annual revenue and holds the leading position in the global toothpaste market.
The Colgate Origins: From Candles to Toothpaste
William Colgate arrived in New York City from England in 1804 with a background in soap-making and a small amount of capital. In 1806, he opened a starch, soap, and candle factory on Dutch Street in Lower Manhattan. The company he founded, originally trading as William Colgate and Company, sold its products door-to-door throughout New York and gradually expanded distribution across the eastern United States.
By the time of Colgate's death in 1857, the company had grown into a successful regional soap and candle business. His son Samuel Colgate took over and shifted the company's strategic focus toward personal care products. In 1866, the company launched its first perfumed soaps and began selling scented toiletries. The product that would define the company's future arrived in 1873, when Colgate introduced the first mass-market aromatic toothpaste in a jar.
The company had been selling tooth powder since the 1850s, but the 1873 toothpaste product represented a significant commercial innovation. At the time, most Americans cleaned their teeth with salt, soot, chalk, or homemade preparations. Colgate's product offered a convenient, pleasantly flavored alternative and quickly found an audience among urban middle-class consumers.
In 1896, Colgate introduced toothpaste in a collapsible tin tube, borrowed from the practice of packaging paint. This packaging innovation made the product significantly more convenient and hygienic. The tube format became the industry standard and remains so today. In 1906, the company began packaging toothpaste with a distinctive red and white design that has evolved but remained broadly consistent for more than a century.
By the turn of the 20th century, Colgate had become a national brand with distribution across the United States and growing export business. The company incorporated in New Jersey in 1901 and began international expansion in earnest. By 1914, Colgate operated a manufacturing facility in Canada. By 1920, the company had established production in Europe, Australia, and Asia.
The Palmolive Story: From Milwaukee to Global Soap
Separately, in 1864, B.J. Johnson founded a soap company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Johnson's company experimented with soap formulations and in 1898 introduced a soap made from palm and olive oil, which it named Palmolive. The product's formula, based on natural vegetable oils rather than animal fats, was marketed as a gentler, purer alternative to existing soaps.
The Palmolive soap proved extremely popular. By the early 1900s, Palmolive was one of the best-selling soaps in the United States, and the B.J. Johnson Company renamed itself the Palmolive Company to capitalize on the brand's recognition. In 1916, the Palmolive Company merged with a competing soap manufacturer, Peet Brothers, to form Palmolive-Peet Company.
In 1928, Palmolive-Peet merged with Colgate Company to form Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, later shortened to Colgate-Palmolive in 1953. The merger brought together two of the most recognizable consumer goods brands in the United States under a single corporate structure.
Building the Modern Company: 1928 to 1980
Following the merger, Colgate-Palmolive entered a period of significant international expansion. The company opened manufacturing facilities across Latin America, Europe, and Asia throughout the 1930s and 1940s. By the time of World War II, Colgate-Palmolive had established operations in more than 30 countries.
The postwar period accelerated international growth. The company introduced Palmolive dishwashing liquid in 1966, anchoring a franchise in household cleaning products that would remain significant. In 1967, Colgate-Palmolive acquired Kendall Company, a healthcare and consumer products manufacturer that gave the company a foothold in the medical supplies category.
The 1970s brought competitive pressure in the US oral care market. Procter and Gamble's Crest brand, backed by the first toothpaste endorsement from the American Dental Association in 1960, had captured the US market leadership from Colgate. Colgate-Palmolive responded by investing in product innovation and by shifting its strategic emphasis toward international markets, where the company held stronger competitive positions.
Acquisitions and Divestitures: The 1980s to 2000s
From the 1980s onward, Colgate-Palmolive pursued a series of acquisitions and divestitures that refined its focus on oral care, personal care, and pet nutrition.
In 1976, Colgate-Palmolive acquired Hill's Pet Nutrition, then a small manufacturer of prescription pet foods primarily sold through veterinarians. This acquisition, completed for approximately $20 million, would prove to be one of the most valuable in the company's history. Hill's Pet Nutrition, which sells Science Diet and Prescription Diet brands, has grown into a business generating approximately $3.5 billion in annual revenue and representing roughly 18 percent of total company sales.
In 1987, Colgate-Palmolive sold its hospital supply and healthcare businesses to focus on consumer goods. In 1992, the company acquired Murphy-Phoenix Company, maker of Murphy Oil Soap, expanding its household cleaning portfolio. In 1995, Colgate-Palmolive acquired Kolynos do Brasil, a major oral care brand in South America, for approximately $1.04 billion, significantly strengthening its Latin American market position.
In 2006, Colgate-Palmolive acquired Tom's of Maine, a natural personal care brand with significant brand equity among consumers seeking alternatives to mass-market products, for approximately $100 million. In 2010, the company acquired Sanex, a personal care brand with strong positions in the UK and Spain, from Unilever for approximately $1 billion.
In 2022, Colgate-Palmolive completed the acquisition of Hello Products, a digitally native oral care brand, reinforcing its position in premium and natural oral care as consumer preferences evolved.
The Oral Care Leadership
Despite its diversification into pet nutrition, household cleaning, and personal care, oral care remains the defining category for Colgate-Palmolive. The Colgate brand holds the leading position in the global toothpaste market, with an estimated worldwide market share of approximately 40 percent as of 2025.
This global dominance is particularly pronounced in emerging markets. Colgate holds toothpaste market shares exceeding 50 percent in several Latin American, African, and Asian markets. In countries where Colgate entered before its main competitors, the brand name has become synonymous with toothpaste itself, functioning as a generic term for the product category.
The oral care portfolio includes Colgate Total, Colgate Optic White, Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief, and premium offerings such as Colgate Renewal. The company also markets the Pepsodent brand in certain international markets.
Financial Performance and Current Position
As of 2025, Colgate-Palmolive reported net sales of approximately $20 billion. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker CL and is a component of the S&P 500. The company has paid consecutive quarterly dividends since 1895.
Colgate-Palmolive organizes its business into three reporting segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care, which encompasses global oral care, personal care, and household cleaning; Hill's Pet Nutrition, which operates as a standalone business unit; and a Corporate segment.
The company operates manufacturing facilities in approximately 40 countries and sells products in more than 200 countries and territories. Emerging markets account for a significant proportion of net sales growth, with Latin America, Asia Pacific, and Africa contributing meaningfully to overall performance.
What This Means for Consumers
For consumers, Colgate-Palmolive's history illustrates how a single brand can become so deeply embedded in a product category that it shapes consumer behavior across generations and geographies. The Colgate brand's sustained global presence over more than 180 years represents a case study in brand longevity through consistent quality positioning and aggressive international distribution.
The company's diverse portfolio, from toothpaste to prescription pet food, demonstrates the consumer goods industry's approach to risk diversification: anchoring growth in a dominant core category while building adjacent businesses that can offset cyclical or competitive pressures in any single market.
Want to explore more about who owns your everyday consumer products? Browse the full Colgate brand profile or explore the complete Colgate-Palmolive company page in our database.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Colgate-Palmolive? Colgate-Palmolive is a publicly traded corporation listed on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker CL. The company is majority-owned by institutional investors including major index funds and asset managers. No single entity holds a controlling interest. The company is incorporated in Delaware and headquartered in New York City.
When did Colgate and Palmolive merge? The Colgate Company and Palmolive-Peet Company merged in 1928 to form Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company. The company was renamed Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1953 and has operated under that name since.
Does Colgate-Palmolive make pet food? Yes. Colgate-Palmolive owns Hill's Pet Nutrition, the maker of Science Diet and Prescription Diet pet food brands. Hill's was acquired in 1976 and has grown into one of the largest pet nutrition businesses in the United States, generating approximately $3.5 billion in annual revenue.
What is Colgate's market share in toothpaste? As of 2025, Colgate-Palmolive holds an estimated global toothpaste market share of approximately 40 percent, making it the market leader in most countries worldwide. In some emerging markets, including parts of Latin America and Africa, the company's share exceeds 50 percent.
Is Palmolive still made by Colgate-Palmolive? Yes. Palmolive is an active brand within the Colgate-Palmolive portfolio, primarily sold as dishwashing liquid and soap in markets across Europe, Latin America, and Asia.
Explore Related Brands
- Colgate - Toothpaste, owned by Colgate-Palmolive since 1806
- Palmolive - Soap and dishwashing liquid, merged with Colgate in 1928
- Crest - Oral care brand owned by Procter and Gamble, Colgate's primary rival
- Oral-B - Toothbrush brand owned by Procter and Gamble
Browse all beauty and personal care brands
Sources
- Colgate-Palmolive Company Investor Relations, 2024 Annual Report -- https://www.colgatepalmolive.com/en-us/core-values/investors
- New York Stock Exchange: CL Listing -- https://www.nyse.com/quote/XNYS:CL
- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Colgate-Palmolive 10-K -- https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=CL&type=10-K
- Wikidata: Colgate-Palmolive Company -- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q254893
- Reuters: "Colgate buys Tom's of Maine for $100 million" -- https://www.reuters.com/article/colgate-toms/
All brand ownership data verified through WhoBrands.com's proprietary research methodology. Last updated: March 2026.
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Brands & Companies Mentioned
Colgate
Owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company
American oral care brand known for its toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash products, maintaining global leadership in dental hygiene.
Palmolive
Owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company
Household cleaning and personal care brand founded in 1898, best known for its dishwashing liquid. Owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company since the 1928 merger.
Colgate-Palmolive Company
American multinational consumer products company specializing in oral care, personal care, home care, and pet nutrition products.
8 brands in portfolio