Colgate

Colgate in brief

• Rank: #42 of 100 in America's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026; #3 of 13 in Consumer & FMCG.
• WCRC Power Score: 73.79 out of 100.
• Founded: 1806, by William Colgate.
• Owner: Colgate-Palmolive Company, New York, New York.
• Leadership: Noel Wallace, Chairman, President and CEO.
• Latest revenue: $20.4bn revenue (FY2025, +1.4%), as per company filings.

What makes Colgate powerful

Colgate is a fixture of bathroom shelves around the world. In the first nine months of 2026, Colgate held 41.4% of the global toothpaste market and 33.1% of the global manual toothbrush market. The brand has sold toothpaste since 1873, when it offered aromatic toothpaste in jars, and it put toothpaste in a collapsible tube in 1896.

That long record gives Colgate a rare kind of trust. Parents buy it for their children because their own parents bought it for them. The brand sits inside a wider company that also owns Palmolive, Mennen and Hill's Pet Nutrition, which grew organic sales 5.7% in the third quarter of 2026. Scale lets Colgate spend heavily on advertising and science while keeping its products on shelves in nearly every market.

William Colgate started a soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City in 1806, and the company began selling toothpaste in jars in 1873.

Why Colgate ranks #42

Colgate ranks #42 with a WCRC Power Score of 73.79, a fraction behind Uber and Airbnb, and just ahead of Monster and UPS. Its strength is trust and recall. Few brands are used every day by so many households. It does not match the digital pull or growth story of the platform brands above it. But its steady record on consumer trust and its broad global footprint keep it ahead of Monster, a younger brand with a narrower audience.

The Achilles' heel

Colgate's weak point is slow demand in its home market. In the third quarter of 2026, North America organic sales fell 1.6% and volume dropped 3.7%, even as the company grew worldwide, and the region's operating profit fell 11%. When shoppers feel squeezed, cheaper store brands and promotions become a real threat to a premium toothpaste name, and Colgate has to keep spending on advertising to defend its place.

The 2026 story

Colgate's 2026 has been a story of recovery. On October 30, 2026, it reported third-quarter organic sales growth of 3.6% and its fourth straight quarter of better volume trends. Advertising rose by a double-digit percentage. The company raised its full-year guidance for gross margin and earnings, and said it is exiting the private label pet food business. Noel Wallace called it "another strong quarter of broad-based top- and bottom-line growth." The results came as Colgate pushed ahead with its 2030 strategy and its Strategic Growth and Productivity Program.

Pillar profile

Colgate's full 50-parameter profile is published on its World's Most Powerful 100 Brands 2026 page.

Versus its nearest rivals

Questions people ask

Also featured in

• Most powerful Consumer & FMCG brands
• America's 50 Most Valuable Brands
• Iconic American Heritage Brands
• American Global Powerhouses
• Most powerful brands in New York

Key facts

Sources

• Annual report (Form 10-K) and financial results of Colgate-Palmolive Company filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission
• Company website, official announcements and press releases
• Published interviews and statements by the leadership
• WCRC Business Intelligence Unit research: consumer sentiment, ratings and reviews, search demand, media and social data