The Clorox Company

What does The Clorox Company own?
The Clorox Company owns a portfolio of consumer brands including Clorox bleach and cleaning products, Purell hand sanitizer, Glad trash bags, Pine-Sol cleaner, Burt's Bees personal care, Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, Kingsford charcoal, Brita water filtration, Fresh Step cat litter, and Liquid-Plumr drain cleaner. The company also markets professional products under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brands.

Is The Clorox Company publicly traded?
Yes, The Clorox Company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol CLX. The company has been publicly traded since 1928 and is a component of the S&P 500. Ownership is distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group and BlackRock.

Who founded The Clorox Company?
The Clorox Company was founded in 1913 in Oakland, California by five entrepreneurs: Archibald Taft, Edward Hughes, Charles Husband, William Hussey, and Rufus Myers. They established the Electro-Alkaline Company to produce bleach using electrolysis of brine from San Francisco Bay.

Where is The Clorox Company headquartered?
The Clorox Company is headquartered in Oakland, California, USA. The company has maintained its headquarters in Oakland since its founding in 1913, making it one of the oldest companies still based in the city.

How many brands does The Clorox Company own?
The Clorox Company owns approximately 15 primary brands across cleaning, household, lifestyle, and personal care categories. The company's portfolio expanded in April 2026 with the acquisition of GOJO Industries, adding the Purell brand.

Who owns The Clorox Company?
The Clorox Company is an independent publicly traded corporation with no controlling shareholder or parent organization. Shares are widely held by institutional investors, mutual funds, and individual shareholders. Major institutional holders include Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street.

What is The Clorox Company's annual revenue?
For fiscal year 2026, which ended June 30, 2026, The Clorox Company reported net sales of $6.72 billion, a 5% decrease from FY2025 net sales of $7.1 billion. The decline was primarily driven by ERP transition-related inventory drawdowns. The company projects FY2027 net sales growth of 13% to 14%.

Has The Clorox Company made major acquisitions recently?
In January 2026, Clorox announced the acquisition of GOJO Industries, maker of Purell hand sanitizer, for $2.25 billion in cash. The deal closed on April 1, 2026. GOJO has approximately $800 million in annual sales and expands Clorox's health and hygiene portfolio to more than half of total net sales.

Five entrepreneurs founded The Clorox Company in Oakland, California in 1913. Archibald Taft, Edward Hughes, Charles Husband, William Hussey, and Rufus Myers established the Electro-Alkaline Company to produce bleach using electrolysis of brine from San Francisco Bay. The founders each invested $100. The company's first product was liquid bleach, sold in bulk to industrial customers and laundries in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In 1914, the company adopted the Clorox brand name, derived from "chlorine" and "sodium hydroxide," the two chemicals used in bleach production. The company introduced a less concentrated household bleach formula in 1916, targeting consumers rather than industrial buyers. This shift proved decisive. Household bleach became the company's signature product and the foundation for decades of brand extension.

Clorox went public in 1928, listing on the San Francisco Stock Exchange. The company remained a single-product business for most of its first four decades. In the 1950s, Clorox began diversifying through acquisitions, purchasing Old English furniture polish in 1955 and Liquid-Plumr drain opener in 1969.

Procter and Gamble acquired Clorox in 1957, but the Federal Trade Commission ordered P&G to divest Clorox in 1969 on antitrust grounds, ruling that the acquisition had reduced competition in the household bleach market. Clorox became an independent publicly listed company following the divestiture.

The 1970s marked a period of significant expansion. Clorox acquired Hidden Valley Ranch in 1972, Kingsford charcoal in 1973, and the Pine-Sol brand in 1974. These acquisitions transformed Clorox from a bleach company into a multi-brand consumer products manufacturer. The company also entered the cat litter category with Fresh Step.

In 1990, Clorox acquired the Pine-Sol brand from American Cyanamid, consolidating its position in household cleaning. The company purchased Brita water filtration products in 1998 from the German company Brita GmbH, gaining North American distribution rights. In 2007, Clorox acquired Burt's Bees for approximately $925 million, entering the natural personal care market.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, demand for Clorox disinfecting products surged. Clorox disinfecting wipes and sprays were among the most sought-after products in the United States, leading to widespread shortages. The pandemic-driven demand boost was followed by a normalization period as consumers worked through stockpiles.

In August 2023, Clorox suffered a significant cyberattack that disrupted operations and caused product shortages. The company estimated the cyberattack cost approximately $356 million in lost sales in fiscal year 2024. Clorox reported cyberattack insurance recoveries in FY2025 that partially offset prior-year losses.

In 2024, Clorox divested its Better Health Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (VMS) business and its Argentina business to sharpen its focus on core categories.

In January 2026, Clorox announced the acquisition of GOJO Industries, maker of Purell hand sanitizer, for $2.25 billion in cash, including approximately $330 million in anticipated tax benefits for a net purchase price of $1.92 billion. The deal closed on April 1, 2026. GOJO has nearly $800 million in annual sales and has averaged 5% growth over the past three years. The acquisition expanded Clorox's health and hygiene portfolio, which now represents more than half of net sales.

Clorox completed its U.S. ERP system implementation in FY2026, the final phase of a five-year digital transformation that cost approximately $570 to $580 million. The implementation caused temporary inventory drawdowns as retailers adjusted ordering patterns, reducing FY2026 net sales by approximately 7.5 percentage points.

Clorox publishes an annual integrated report covering environmental, social, and governance performance. The company's 2025 Sustainability and Social Impact Strategy focuses on driving social impact, helping millions of homes, and preserving the environment.

Clorox has committed to net zero carbon emissions across operations by 2040, aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative and the Paris Agreement. The company has set interim targets for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reductions. These commitments are independently verified through the SBTi process.

In packaging, Clorox has made progress toward recyclable packaging goals. The company aims for 100% recyclable, reusable, or compostable packaging. As of FY2025, the company reported progress but has not yet reached this target. Clorox was the first major consumer packaged goods company to voluntarily disclose ingredients in U.S. retail and professional cleaning products.

Clorox is not a Certified B Corporation. The company's Burt's Bees brand has committed to a carbon neutral goal and uses post-consumer recycled materials in packaging, but these brand-level commitments do not extend to the parent company.

The company has faced scrutiny over the environmental impact of its plastic packaging, particularly for cleaning products. Clorox has responded with recyclable tube innovations and reduced virgin plastic usage in select product lines.

Clorox has received recognition for its sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts. The company was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for multiple consecutive years. Clorox has also been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Employers for Diversity and appears on the Forbes Global 2000 list.

The company has received the EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year award multiple times for its commitment to formulating products with safer chemical ingredients. Clorox has also been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index for LGBTQ+ workplace policies.

In marketing, Clorox has won Effie Awards for advertising effectiveness and Cannes Lions for creative campaigns supporting its core brands.

In August 2023, Clorox disclosed a significant cybersecurity attack that disrupted portions of its IT infrastructure and operations. The attack caused delays in order processing and product fulfillment. The company incurred approximately $60 million in costs related to the incident. Clorox recovered insurance proceeds in FY2025 that partially offset these losses. The company has since invested in enhanced cybersecurity measures.

Clorox has faced regulatory scrutiny over environmental claims for certain products. In 2015, the company settled a complaint with the FTC regarding antimicrobial claims for its bleach products, agreeing to modify advertising language. The company has also faced class action lawsuits related to "natural" claims on Burt's Bees products, with some cases resulting in settlements or revised labeling.

The company's divestiture of its Argentina business in FY2024 followed years of currency controls and economic instability in the Argentine market. Clorox took losses on the divestiture that affected FY2024 earnings.

Clorox has faced criticism from environmental groups over its use of plastic packaging and the presence of certain chemicals in its cleaning products. The company has responded by increasing transparency in ingredient disclosure and investing in recyclable packaging innovation.