Colgate-Palmolive Company

Consumer Packaged Goods & Household ProductsFounded 1806- HQ today: New York, New York

Founders

Who Founded Colgate-Palmolive?

William Colgate · Founded 1806 · HQ today: New York, New York

Who founded Colgate-Palmolive?

Colgate-Palmolive was founded by William Colgate in 1806. It is now led by Noel Wallace.

Founders: William Colgate
Founded: 1806
Headquarters: New York, New York
Number of founders: 1
Current CEO: Noel Wallace (since 2019)

Where was Colgate-Palmolive founded?: Colgate-Palmolive was founded in New York City, New York in 1806.
When was Colgate-Palmolive founded?: Colgate-Palmolive was founded in 1806.
Who started Colgate-Palmolive?: Colgate-Palmolive was founded by William Colgate.
How old is Colgate-Palmolive?: Colgate-Palmolive is 220 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

In 1806, 23-year-old William Colgate opened a starch, soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City. After his death in 1857 his son Samuel led the renamed Colgate & Company, which sold its first toothpaste in jars in 1873 and launched Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream in a collapsible tube in 1896. In 1928 it merged with Palmolive-Peet, maker of the palm and olive oil Palmolive soap, and the company took the name Colgate-Palmolive in 1953.

William Colgate

Co-founder 1806

Background

William Colgate (1783-1857) was an English-born soap and candle maker who opened a starch, soap and candle factory on Dutch Street in New York City in 1806. He was a devout Baptist and philanthropist whose family later supported the school renamed Colgate University in 1890.

Role at Colgate-Palmolive Company

William Colgate founded the business in 1806 in New York City, making starch, soap and candles. After his death in 1857, his son Samuel Colgate led Colgate & Company, which introduced toothpaste in jars in 1873 and Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream in a collapsible tube in 1896. A separate lineage began with the B.J. Johnson Soap Company in Milwaukee (1864), which created Palmolive soap from palm and olive oils in 1898, became The Palmolive Company, and merged with Peet Brothers in 1926. Colgate & Company and Palmolive-Peet merged in 1928, and the combined company adopted the Colgate-Palmolive name in 1953. William Colgate was born in 1783.

Colgate-Palmolive Company: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Noel Wallace

Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer

2019 – Present

A Colgate employee since 1987, Wallace became CEO in April 2019 and chairman in 2020. He led the Filorga acquisition, added hello and capacity at Hill's, and pushed premium innovation and higher advertising funded by productivity.

Ian Cook

Former Chairman and CEO

2007 – 2019

He maintained industry-leading operating margins during severe currency devaluations in Latin America by systematically pushing price increases across the portfolio.

Reuben Mark

Former Chairman and CEO

1984 – 2007

During his 23-year tenure as CEO, he transformed Colgate into the dominant global toothpaste market leader, consistently delivering highly predictable double-digit EPS growth.

Compare Colgate-Palmolive Company Leadership With Competitors

Colgate-Palmolive Company vs The Procter & Gamble Company Leadership →Overview

Keep researching Colgate-Palmolive

Who Founded Colgate-Palmolive? FAQ

Who was William Colgate and how did he found the company in 1806?

William Colgate (1783 to 1857) was an English-born American industrialist who founded William Colgate & Company in 1806 on Dutch Street in New York City. The business initially manufactured starch, candles, and kettle-rendered soaps, establishing a reputation for uncompromising product quality.

How did William Colgate's sons expand the company after his death?

Following William Colgate's death in 1857, his son Samuel Colgate took leadership of the reorganized Colgate & Company. Samuel expanded industrial production and introduced Colgate's first aromatic perfumed toothpaste sold in glass jars in 1873.

When did Colgate invent the modern collapsible toothpaste tube?

In 1896, Colgate & Company transformed oral hygiene by introducing 'Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream' packaged in a collapsible squeeze tube (invented by dentist Dr. Washington Sheffield), replacing unsanitary communal jars and establishing the modern toothpaste packaging format.

Who founded the B.J. Johnson Soap Company and what was the origin of Palmolive?

In 1864, Burdette J. Johnson founded the B.J. Johnson Soap Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In 1898, the company formulated a major green floating soap made entirely of palm and olive oils called 'Palmolive', which became the world's best-selling soap and prompted the company to rename itself The Palmolive Company in 1917.

Who founded the Peet Brothers Company and how did the three companies merge?

William, Robert, and James Peet founded Peet Brothers in Kansas City in 1872. In 1926, Palmolive merged with Peet Brothers to form Palmolive-Peet. In 1928, Palmolive-Peet merged with Colgate & Company to create the consumer giant Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Company, renamed Colgate-Palmolive Company in 1953.

Who was Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. and how did he create Hill's Pet Nutrition?

Dr. Mark L. Morris Sr. was a pioneering veterinarian who founded Hill's Pet Nutrition in the late 1930s. In 1939, Dr. Morris formulated 'Rare Diet Number 2' (later Hill's Prescription Diet k/d) to treat kidney failure in a guide dog named Buddy, creating the clinical clinical veterinary pet nutrition industry.

What values of founder William Colgate remain core to the company today?

William Colgate was celebrated for integrity, philanthropic generosity (donating heavily to educational institutions, including Colgate University), and treating employees fairly, establishing corporate values of 'Caring, Inclusive, and Courageous' that guide Colgate-Palmolive today.

How was Colgate University named in honor of the Colgate family?

Originally founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York, the institution was renamed Colgate University in 1890 to honor the lifelong financial patronage and leadership of founder William Colgate and his sons Samuel and James Colgate.

Who founded Colgate?

It was founded by William Colgate, an English immigrant who opened a starch, soap, and candle factory on Dutch Street in New York City in 1806, long before the company ever invented toothpaste in a tube.

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