Colgate Weighs Sale of Personal Care Brands for Over $1 Billion

Colgate-Palmolive is reportedly exploring the sale of several personal care brands, including Softsoap and Irish Spring, in a deal that could fetch over $1 billion. The company is working with investment bank Goldman Sachs on the potential divestiture.

The move comes as Colgate reshapes its portfolio and expands a productivity program expected to generate $200 million to $300 million in annualized pre-tax savings by 2028. This program includes efforts to optimize the global supply chain, align organizational structure with strategy, and invest in innovation, data analytics, artificial intelligence, and omnichannel demand generation.

Colgate's personal care portfolio accounted for 17% of its worldwide net sales in 2025, down from 18% in 2024. The company does not separately disclose revenue for individual brands within this category.

The potential brand sales come as Colgate works to improve its North American business, where competition is intensifying. In its second-quarter 2026 results, the company reported net sales growth of 4.9% and organic sales growth of 2.4%, while North American net sales and organic sales each declined 3% year over year.