Colgate-Palmolive Company

What does Colgate-Palmolive own?
Colgate-Palmolive owns a portfolio of consumer brands across four categories: oral care (Colgate, elmex), personal care (Palmolive, Softsoap, Irish Spring, Speed Stick), home care (Ajax, Fabuloso, Murphy Oil Soap), and pet nutrition (Hill's Science Diet, Hill's Prescription Diet, Prime100). The Colgate brand holds the number one global market share in toothpaste.

Is Colgate-Palmolive publicly traded?
Yes, Colgate-Palmolive Company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol CL. The company has no controlling shareholder, with ownership distributed among institutional investors including Vanguard Group and BlackRock. As of January 31, 2026, there were approximately 801.5 million shares outstanding.

What is Colgate-Palmolive's annual revenue?
For FY2025, Colgate-Palmolive reported net sales of $20,382 million ($20.4 billion), up 1.4% from $20,101 million in FY2024. Organic sales also grew 1.4%. Oral care accounted for 44% of net sales, personal care 17%, home care 16%, and pet nutrition approximately 23%.

Who is Colgate-Palmolive's CEO?
Noel Wallace serves as Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. He became CEO in 2019 and Chairman in 2020. He joined the company in 1987 and has led Colgate-Palmolive through a period of pricing-driven growth followed by volume-led growth.

Who founded Colgate-Palmolive?
The Colgate business was founded by William Colgate in 1806 in New York City as a starch, soap, and candle manufacturer. The modern Colgate-Palmolive Company was formed through the 1928 merger of Colgate Company and Palmolive-Peet Company.

What is Hill's Pet Nutrition?
Hill's Pet Nutrition is a Colgate-Palmolive subsidiary that markets premium science-based pet food under the Hill's Science Diet and Hill's Prescription Diet brands. Acquired by Colgate-Palmolive in 1976, Hill's pioneered the concept of veterinary-channel pet food and accounts for approximately 23% of total company revenue. In 2025, the company exited the private label pet food business and acquired Prime100 in Australia.

How many people does Colgate-Palmolive employ?
As of December 31, 2025, Colgate-Palmolive employed approximately 33,600 people across over 100 countries. Over 84% of employees are located outside the United States, with approximately 33% in Asia Pacific, 31% in Latin America, 17% in North America, 15% in Europe, and 4% in Africa/Eurasia.

Does Colgate-Palmolive pay dividends?
Yes. Colgate-Palmolive has paid dividends for 131 consecutive years and increased dividends for 63 consecutive years, making it one of the longest-paying dividend growth stocks in the S&P 500. In FY2025, the company returned $2.9 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

The company's origins trace to 1806, when William Colgate founded a starch, soap, and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City. Colgate was a British-born entrepreneur who had immigrated to the United States and built a successful soap and candle manufacturing business. The company grew steadily through the 19th century as demand for manufactured soap and personal care products expanded alongside urbanization.

In 1873, Colgate introduced its first toothpaste, sold in a jar. In 1896, the company introduced toothpaste in a collapsible tube, a packaging innovation that became the industry standard and remains the dominant format for toothpaste globally. By the early 20th century, Colgate had become one of the leading toothpaste brands in the United States.

The Palmolive Company, founded in 1898 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, developed the Palmolive soap brand using palm and olive oils, which gave the brand its name. Palmolive merged with Peet Brothers, a soap manufacturer, in 1926 to form Palmolive-Peet Company. In 1928, Colgate Company merged with Palmolive-Peet to create Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, which was later shortened to Colgate-Palmolive Company.

The combined company expanded aggressively internationally through the mid-20th century, establishing manufacturing and distribution operations across Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Colgate's international expansion was particularly successful in emerging markets, where the company built strong brand positions in countries including Brazil, Mexico, India, China, and across sub-Saharan Africa.

In 1976, Colgate-Palmolive acquired Hill's Pet Nutrition, a Kansas-based company that had developed science-based pet food formulations in collaboration with veterinarians. Hill's had pioneered the concept of prescription pet food, sold through veterinary clinics rather than retail channels. The acquisition proved to be one of the most valuable in the company's history, as the premium pet food market grew substantially over subsequent decades.

The company made several significant acquisitions in the 1990s, including the purchase of Kolynos, a leading oral care brand in Latin America, from American Home Products in 1995 for approximately $1 billion. The Kolynos acquisition strengthened Colgate's position in Brazil and other Latin American markets.

Noel Wallace became President and CEO in 2019 and Chairman in 2020, succeeding Ian Cook. Wallace has led the company through a period of pricing-driven revenue growth in 2022 and 2023 as commodity cost inflation required price increases across the product portfolio, followed by a return to volume-led growth in 2024 and 2025.

In 2025, Colgate-Palmolive completed its 2025 strategic plan, which added $5 billion in net sales over its duration, and introduced its 2030 strategy. The company exited the non-strategic private label pet food business and acquired Prime100, an Australian premium pet food brand. The company also recorded goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges related to its skin health business, which reduced GAAP EPS for the year.

Colgate-Palmolive has committed to science-based emissions reduction targets through the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The company has committed to net zero carbon emissions across operations by 2040, aligning with the Paris Agreement. Colgate-Palmolive is not a Certified B Corporation.

The company's 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy focused on three ambitions: Driving Social Impact, Helping Millions of Homes, and Preserving Our Environment. In 2025, the company launched its 2030 strategy, building on progress from the 2025 plan.

Sustainable packaging progress includes achieving 93% of packaging being recyclable, reusable, or compostable as of December 2024, up from 89.5% the previous year. The company has transitioned approximately 75% of toothpaste SKUs globally and about 95% of toothpaste tubes in North America to recyclable tubes. The recyclable tube is now available in over 70 countries. In 2025, the company began introducing recyclable paper-based packaging for manual toothbrushes to reduce virgin plastic usage.

Renewable energy commitments include a long-term virtual power purchase agreement for a wind farm in Europe, expected to cover approximately 60% of Europe-based operational electricity needs. The company continues to invest in renewable energy and energy efficiency across its global operations.

Social responsibility programs focus on oral health education, community empowerment, and inclusive culture initiatives. The company maintains community engagement programs across its global operations, with a particular emphasis on oral health education in schools and underserved communities.

Colgate-Palmolive reports annually on its sustainability performance through its Sustainability & Social Impact Report, which aligns with GRI standards. The company also participates in CDP climate disclosure.

Colgate-Palmolive has received recognition for sustainability leadership, corporate responsibility, and workplace excellence:

• 14th Successive Sustainability Award: Recognition for the company's commitment to its 2025 Sustainability & Social Impact Strategy and ongoing leadership in environmental and social responsibility
• Chairman's Global You Can Make a Difference (YCMAD) Award: Since 1986, Colgate-Palmolive's highest recognition of individual and team excellence
• ESG Leadership Awards: Recognition for comprehensive ESG reporting, transparency in sustainability disclosures, and progress toward science-based climate targets
• Workplace Excellence Awards: Recognition for workplace culture, diversity and inclusion programs, and employee satisfaction
• Innovation Recognition: Awards for sustainable packaging innovation, including the recyclable toothpaste tube technology and paper-based packaging initiatives
• Corporate Responsibility Awards: Recognition for social impact programs, community engagement, and ethical business practices
• Environmental Leadership: Awards for water conservation, waste reduction, and renewable energy adoption in manufacturing operations

Colgate-Palmolive operates under regulatory scrutiny related to environmental practices, supply chain ethics, consumer product safety, and marketing claims.

Skin Health Business Impairment: In FY2025, Colgate-Palmolive recorded goodwill and intangible asset impairment charges related to its skin health business, resulting in a 25% decline in GAAP EPS. The skin health business, which includes brands acquired in recent years, has underperformed expectations. This raises questions about the company's acquisition strategy and the competitive dynamics of the premium skin care market.

Private Label Pet Food Exit: The company's decision to exit the private label pet food business in FY2025 reduced reported volume by 0.7%. While strategically justified as a focus on higher-margin premium brands, the exit reduced short-term revenue and raised questions about the opportunity cost of the decision.

Environmental Compliance: The company faces scrutiny regarding plastic waste management, packaging sustainability, and environmental impact across global operations. Toothpaste tubes, historically made of non-recyclable laminate materials, have been a particular focus. The company's progress on recyclable tubes addresses this concern but has not fully eliminated it.

Supply Chain Ethics: Colgate-Palmolive must ensure ethical labor practices, environmental compliance, and responsible sourcing throughout its global supply chain, which spans over 100 countries. The company faces ongoing questions about supplier labor practices, particularly in emerging markets.

Consumer Product Safety: The company is subject to oversight from agencies including the FDA regarding product formulations, labeling requirements, and health claims for oral care, personal care, and pet nutrition products. The company must maintain strict quality control across its diverse product portfolio.

Marketing and Advertising Claims: Colgate-Palmolive faces scrutiny regarding product claims, especially in oral care categories where health benefit claims are regulated. The company must ensure compliance with advertising standards and consumer protection regulations across different markets.

Animal Testing: The company has faced questions from animal welfare organizations regarding testing practices for personal care products. While Colgate-Palmolive has implemented alternatives to animal testing where possible, regulatory requirements in some markets may necessitate certain testing.

Currency Exposure: With approximately two-thirds of revenue generated outside the United States, Colgate-Palmolive faces significant currency translation risk. Foreign exchange was a 0.3% headwind to net sales growth in FY2025. Currency volatility can materially impact reported financial results.