Colgate Palmolive's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Colgate Palmolive (CL) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Colgate Palmolive vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 21,284M vs 227,518M combined for its competitors (8.6% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is holding steady (+0.9% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+4.4%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Colgate Palmolive generated 4.6% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2026, vs 6.4% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 14.0% net margin compares with 9.8% for the peer group.
- Scale: Colgate Palmolive ranks #4 of 28 companies by market capitalization in the Personal & Household Products industry, holding 9.9% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Colgate Palmolive accounted for 8.3% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, down from 8.4% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.63M compares with $0.63M for the peer group (1.0x).
- Structure: Colgate Palmolive operates in the following segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care, Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
CL Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Colgate Palmolive reported revenue growth of 4.64 % year on year in Q3 2026, below its competitors' combined revenue growth of 6.43 %.
With a net margin of 13.99 %, Colgate Palmolive achieved higher profitability than its competitors (9.83 %).
Colgate Palmolive generated 8.29 % of the combined sales of its peer group, down from 8.42 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
Colgate Palmolive vs. its Competitors, Q3 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in Colgate Palmolive reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Colgate Palmolive and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (5) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (4) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Colgate Palmolive's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Personal & Household Products industry grew revenue 0.7% year over year, combined, vs 4.6% for Colgate Palmolive. Colgate Palmolive's share of combined industry revenue moved from 2.72% to 2.82%, a gain of 0.11 percentage points.
Colgate Palmolive's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (18) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (8) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (8) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 75.00 % (6 of 8) | 62.50 % (5 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
CL Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
CL Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
CL Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
CL Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Horizon Kinetics Holding Corporation | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Sealed Air Corp | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 3 | Newell Brands Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 4 | The Honest Company Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 5 | Johnson and Johnson | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Colgate Palmolive's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Colgate Palmolive's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Colgate palmolive Company
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 Colgate palmolive Company |
77,219.03 | 21,284.00 |
 Johnson and Johnson |
676,352.29 | 99,335.00 |
 Procter and Gamble Co |
398,150.88 | 87,922.00 |
 Ecolab Inc |
84,821.83 | 17,679.70 |
 Church and Dwight Co Inc |
26,097.07 | 6,245.30 |
 The Clorox Company |
12,197.82 | 7,196.00 |
| SUBTOTAL | 1,293,558.82 | 322,533.26 |
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Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Colgate palmolive Company versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Colgate Palmolive's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from Colgate Palmolive reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Grove Collaborative Holdings Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Freshpet Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Wal-Mart, Inc. | Company report | 85% |
| Bark Inc | Company report | 85% |
| The Hain Celestial Group Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Helen Of Troy Limited | Company report | 85% |
| Interparfums Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Unilever Plc | Company report | 85% |
| The Honest Company Inc | Company report | 85% |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Company report | 85% |
| Prestige Consumer Healthcare Inc | Company report | 85% |
| The Clorox Company | Company report | 85% |
| Johnson and Johnson | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Colgate Palmolive's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Colgate Palmolive's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | Oral, Personal and Home Care 77.56 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | Oncology 29.93 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Fabric & Home Care 35.25 % |
| Ecolab Inc | Water Services 51.14 % |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | Consumer Domestic 76.47 % |
| The Clorox Company | Health and Wellness 48.19 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
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Colgate Palmolive's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | 77,219 | 633,452 | 63,899 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 676,352 | 705,504 | 114,311 |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 398,151 | 845,404 | 154,750 |
| Ecolab Inc | 84,822 | 368,327 | 43,650 |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | 26,097 | 1,125,279 | 139,604 |
| The Clorox Company | 12,198 | 817,727 | 78,295 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 1,216,340 | 631,357 | 100,418 |
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Colgate Palmolive's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent report. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Johnson and Johnson | United States 58.90 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Non-US 52.05 % |
| Sealed Air Corp | Americas 64.01 % |
| Wd 40 Company | Non-US 65.69 % |
| Newell Brands Inc | North America 66.36 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
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Colgate Palmolive's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 25 companies in Colgate Palmolive's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Colgate Palmolive ranks #4 of 25 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 9.86 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 2,996, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Procter and Gamble Co | 400,681 | 51.03 % |
| 2 | Ecolab Inc | 84,852 | 10.81 % |
| 3 | Haleon Plc | 84,125 | 10.71 % |
| 4 | Colgate palmolive Company | 77,422 | 9.86 % |
| 5 | Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Kenvue Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Church and Dwight Co Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | The Clorox Company | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | E l f Beauty Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | Interparfums Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Colgate Palmolive's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-11-06.
Colgate Palmolive's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Procter and Gamble Co | 400,681 | 11.79 % |
| 2 | Ecolab Inc | 84,852 | 15.57 % |
| 3 | Haleon Plc | 84,125 | -4.30 % |
| 4 | Colgate palmolive Company | 77,422 | 24.95 % |
| 5 | Est e Lauder Companies Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 6 | Kenvue Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Church and Dwight Co Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 8 | The Clorox Company | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 9 | E l f Beauty Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Colgate Palmolive's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-11-06. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Colgate Palmolive's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Personal & Household Products industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (54 companies). See the full Personal & Household Products industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 60.61 % | 37.69 % (avg) | +22.9 pp |
| Operating Margin | 14.84 % | industry median | +0.0 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 17.85 % | 6.77 % (avg) | +11.1 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 2.71 % | 3.23 % (avg) | -0.5 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Colgate Palmolive's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Personal & Household Products industry average (54 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Personal & Household Products industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 35.4x | 33.5x | +1.9x |
| EV / EBITDA | 20.8x | 17.2x | +3.6x |
| P/B | 140.8x | 4.4x | +136.4x |
| Return on Equity | 417.50 % | industry aggregate | 388.98 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 28.16 % | -0.02 % (avg) | 28.18 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Colgate Palmolive's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 0.58 % | 0.96 % | 4.96 % | 5.77 % | 3.13 % | 8.29 % | 3.31 % | 1.40 % |
| Operating Margin | 23.76 % | 22.65 % | 23.59 % | 19.13 % | 16.10 % | 20.48 % | 21.23 % | 16.22 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 40.04 % | 33.60 % | 31.95 % | 26.25 % | 22.79 % | 31.81 % | 35.68 % | 28.89 % |
| P/E | 22.5x | 24.9x | 26.6x | 31.6x | 36.1x | 27.0x | 27.1x | 29.9x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Colgate Palmolive's Strategic Group Map
Colgate Palmolive is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
Colgate Palmolive's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 5.9% and operating margin of 14.8% compares with an average of 4.2% growth and 15.4% margin across its 8 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- Colgate Palmolive sits above that peer average on growth and below it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Colgate Palmolive's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
See Methodology: BCG Growth-Share Matrix for how relative share and growth are calculated and thresholded.
Colgate Palmolive falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.19x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 1.7% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution. A caveat worth reading alongside this chart: Procter and Gamble Co alone holds 51% of this industry's market cap. In an industry this dominated by one leader, the framework will place nearly every OTHER company in "Dog" or "Question Mark" purely because relative share is measured against that leader, regardless of how strong those other companies actually are on their own fundamentals. Check the Profitability, Valuation and Financial Strength sections above before treating this quadrant label as a verdict.
Colgate Palmolive's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 2,996 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | Lower than typical for the industry | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 2.71 % vs industry average 3.23 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on Colgate Palmolive's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
Colgate Palmolive's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
Colgate Palmolive falls in the Medium attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Colgate Palmolive's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Return on equity 389.0 points above the industry aggregate.
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.19x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Procter and Gamble Co, holding 51.03 % of industry market cap.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
Colgate Palmolive's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | 0.22 | 0.96 | 15.33 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 0.36 | 1.04 | 0.60 |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 0.26 | 0.71 | 0.71 |
| Ecolab Inc | 0.29 | 1.26 | 1.72 |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | 0.27 | 1.09 | 0.55 |
| The Clorox Company | 0.16 | 0.74 | 29.06 |
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Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Colgate Palmolive's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | Q3 2026 | +4.6 % | -2.0 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | Q3 2026 | +5.9 % | -95.9 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Q3 2026 | +4.0 % | -1.0 % |
| Ecolab Inc | Q3 2026 | +16.4 % | -6.5 % |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | Q3 2026 | +1.1 % | +16.5 % |
| The Clorox Company | Q3 2026 | +33.3 % | +107.3 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +3.5 % | -3.7 % |
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Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Colgate Palmolive's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | Q3 2026 | +2.6 % | -13.5 % |
| Johnson and Johnson | Q3 2026 | +10.9 % | +17.7 % |
| Procter and Gamble Co | Q3 2026 | +7.3 % | +13.8 % |
| Ecolab Inc | Q3 2026 | +14.2 % | +19.8 % |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | Q3 2026 | -2.1 % | +5.7 % |
| The Clorox Company | Q3 2026 | +36.3 % | +5.6 % |
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Colgate Palmolive's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | 12.92% | 20.06% | 417.50% |
| Johnson and Johnson | 8.06% | 10.53% | 19.55% |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 12.54% | 17.47% | 29.71% |
| Ecolab Inc | 7.57% | 7.61% | 20.76% |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | 8.52% | 9.23% | 18.21% |
| The Clorox Company | 9.98% | 15.07% | 551.20% |
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ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Colgate Palmolive's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Colgate palmolive Company | 37.79 | 3.63 |
| Johnson and Johnson | 41.79 | 6.81 |
| Procter and Gamble Co | 25.02 | 4.53 |
| Ecolab Inc | 41.02 | 4.80 |
| Church and Dwight Co Inc | 33.74 | 4.18 |
| The Clorox Company | 18.11 | 1.70 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 25.84 | 4.01 |
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P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.