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Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Mar. 31, 2019 shares
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000021665
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Small Business	false
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2019
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false
Trading Symbol	CL
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	858,514,915

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Income Statement [Abstract]
Net sales	$ 3,884	$ 4,002
Cost of sales	1,597	1,594
Gross profit	2,287	2,408
Selling, general and administrative expenses	1,365	1,392
Other (income) expense, net	43	33
Operating profit	879	983
Non-service related postretirement costs	25	24
Interest (income) expense, net	40	35
Income before income taxes	814	924
Provision for income taxes	214	246
Net income including noncontrolling interests	600	678
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	40	44
Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company	$ 560	$ 634
Earnings per common share, basic (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.72
Earnings per common share, diluted (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.72

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Net income including noncontrolling interests	$ 600	$ 678
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax:
Cumulative translation adjustments	26	108
Retirement plans and other retiree benefit adjustments	12	14
Gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	(5)
Gains (losses) on cash flow hedges		(1)
Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	33	121
Total Comprehensive income including noncontrolling interests	633	799
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	40	44
Less: Cumulative translation adjustments attributable to noncontrolling interests	5	3
Total Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	45	47
Total Comprehensive income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company	$ 588	$ 752

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 843	$ 726
Receivables (net of allowances of $84 and $82, respectively)	1,547	1,400
Inventories	1,278	1,250
Other current assets	465	417
Total current assets	4,133	3,793
Property, plant and equipment:
Cost	8,398	8,336
Less: Accumulated depreciation	(4,577)	(4,455)
Property, plant and equipment, net	3,821	3,881
Goodwill	2,517	2,530
Other intangible assets, net	1,612	1,637
Deferred income taxes	164	152
Other assets	636	168
Total assets	12,883	12,161
Current Liabilities
Notes and loans payable	5	12
Current portion of long-term debt	1	0
Accounts payable	1,215	1,222
Accrued income taxes	400	411
Other accruals	2,244	1,696
Total current liabilities	3,865	3,341
Long-term debt	6,655	6,354
Deferred income taxes	306	235
Other liabilities	2,267	2,034
Total liabilities	13,093	11,964
Shareholders’ Equity
Common stock	1,466	1,466
Additional paid-in capital	2,241	2,204
Retained earnings	21,436	21,615
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(4,160)	(4,188)
Unearned compensation	(3)	(3)
Treasury stock, at cost	(21,532)	(21,196)
Total Colgate-Palmolive Company shareholders’ equity	(552)	(102)
Noncontrolling interests	342	299
Total equity	(210)	197
Total liabilities and equity	$ 12,883	$ 12,161

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 84	$ 82

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Operating Activities
Net income including noncontrolling interests	$ 600	$ 678
Adjustments to reconcile net income including noncontrolling interests to net cash provided by operations:
Depreciation and amortization	128	129
Restructuring and termination benefits, net of cash	5	(25)
Stock-based compensation expense	17	28
Deferred income taxes	53	13
Voluntary benefit plan contributions	(102)	0
Cash effects of changes in:
Receivables	(145)	(211)
Inventories	(32)	(33)
Accounts payable and other accruals	44	33
Other non-current assets and liabilities	37	4
Net cash provided by operations	605	616
Investing Activities
Capital expenditures	(71)	(118)
Purchases of marketable securities and investments	(27)	(38)
Payment for acquisitions, net of cash acquired	0	(727)
Other	0	2
Net cash used in investing activities	(98)	(881)
Financing Activities
Principal payments on debt	(1,774)	(2,079)
Proceeds from issuance of debt	2,076	2,226
Dividends paid	(366)	(352)
Purchases of treasury shares	(399)	(351)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	71	119
Net cash used in financing activities	(392)	(437)
Effect of exchange rate changes on Cash and cash equivalents	2	18
Net increase (decrease) in Cash and cash equivalents	117	(684)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the period	726	1,535
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the period	843	851
Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Income taxes paid	$ 149	$ 163

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY - USD ($)
$ in Millions

Total

Common Stock

Additional Paid-in Capital

Unearned Compensation

Treasury Stock

Retained Earnings

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

^[1]

Noncontrolling Interests

Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017

$ 1,466

$ 1,984

$ (5)

$ (20,181)

$ 20,531

$ (3,855)

$ 303

Changes in Shareholders' Equity [Roll Forward]

Net income

$ 678

634

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

121

118

Dividends

^[2]

(718)

Stock-based compensation expense

Shares issued for stock options

Shares issued for restricted stock units

(12)

Treasury stock acquired

351

Other

(1)

134

(163)

^[3]

Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2018

1,466

2,047

(2)

(20,441)

20,581

(3,900)

350

Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018

197

1,466

2,204

(3)

(21,196)

21,615

(4,188)

299

Changes in Shareholders' Equity [Roll Forward]

Net income

600

560

Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

Dividends

(734)

^[2]

(2)

Stock-based compensation expense

Shares issued for stock options

Shares issued for restricted stock units

(13)

Treasury stock acquired

(399)

Other

(5)

Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2019

$ (210)

$ 1,466

$ 2,241

$ (3)

$ (21,532)

$ 21,436

$ (4,160)

$ 342

[1]	Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) includes cumulative translation losses of $3,134 at March 31, 2019 ($2,832 at March 31, 2018) and $3,155 at December 31, 2018 ($2,927 at December 31, 2017), respectively, and unrecognized retirement plan and other retiree benefits costs of $1,026 at March 31, 2019 ($1,062 at March 31, 2018) and $1,038 at December 31, 2018 ($923 at December 31, 2017), respectively.
[2]	Two dividends were declared in each of the first quarters of 2019 and 2018.
[3]	As a result of the early adoption of ASU 2018-02, the Company reclassified the stranded tax effects in Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) resulting from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA” or “U.S. tax reform”) to Retained earnings. See Note 2, Summary of Accounting Policies in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018 for additional information.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (Parenthetical) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) Dividend $ / shares	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($) Dividend $ / shares	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2017 USD ($)
Statement of Stockholders' Equity [Abstract]
Dividends declared per common share (in dollars per share) \| $ / shares	$ 0.85	$ 0.82
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), cumulative translation losses	$ (3,134)	$ (2,832)	$ (3,155)	$ (2,927)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), unrecognized retirement plan and other retiree benefit costs	$ 1,026	$ 1,062	$ 1,038	$ 923
Number of dividends declared per quarter (in dividends) \| Dividend	2	2

Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Mar. 31, 2019
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all normal recurring adjustments which, in management’s opinion, are necessary for a fair statement of the results for interim periods. Results of operations for interim periods may not be representative of results to be expected for a full year. Colgate-Palmolive Company (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company” or “Colgate”) reclassifies certain prior year amounts, as applicable, to conform to the current year presentation. For a complete set of financial statement notes, including the Company’s significant accounting policies, refer to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Use of Estimates	3 Months Ended
Use of Estimates	Mar. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Use of Estimates	Use of Estimates Provisions for certain expenses, including income taxes, advertising and consumer promotion, are based on full year assumptions and are included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in proportion with estimated annual tax rates, the passage of time or estimated annual sales, as applicable.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements	3 Months Ended
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Mar. 31, 2019
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	Recent Accounting Pronouncements In October 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-16, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Inclusion of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) Overnight Index Swap (“OIS”) Rate as Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes.” The new guidance permits the use of the OIS rate based on the SOFR as a U.S. benchmark interest rate for hedge accounting purposes under Topic 815. The new guidance was effective for the Company on a prospective basis beginning on January 1, 2019, concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2017-12 and did not have an impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Topic 350): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract.” This new guidance aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. This new guidance is effective for the Company on a prospective or retrospective basis beginning on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to adopt this guidance early, beginning on January 1, 2019 on a prospective basis. The new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Topic 715): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans.” This new guidance removes certain disclosures that are not considered cost beneficial, clarifies certain required disclosures and requires certain additional disclosures. This new guidance is effective for the Company on a retrospective basis beginning in the year ending December 31, 2020, with early adoption permitted. While the Company is currently assessing the impact of the new guidance, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.” This new guidance removes certain disclosure requirements related to the fair value hierarchy, modifies existing disclosure requirements related to measurement uncertainty and adds new disclosure requirements. The new disclosure requirements include disclosing the changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements held at the end of the reporting period and the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements. This new guidance is effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. Certain disclosure requirements in the new guidance will need to be applied on a retrospective basis and others on a prospective basis. While the Company is currently assessing the impact of the new guidance, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities,” amending the eligibility criteria for hedged items and transactions to expand an entity’s ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components. The new guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and present hedge ineffectiveness and aligns the presentation of hedge gains and losses with the underlying hedge item. The new guidance also simplifies the hedge documentation and hedge effectiveness assessment requirements. The amended presentation and disclosure requirements must be adopted on a prospective basis, while any amendments to cash flow and net investment hedge relationships that exist on the date of adoption must be applied on a “modified retrospective” basis, meaning a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption. The new guidance was effective for the Company on January 1, 2019 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles–Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” eliminating the requirement to calculate implied fair value, essentially eliminating step two from the goodwill impairment test. The new standard requires goodwill impairment to be based upon the results of step one of the impairment test, which is defined as the excess of the carrying value of a reporting unit over its fair value. The impairment charge will be limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The standard is effective for the Company on a prospective basis beginning on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. This new guidance is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued its final standard on lease accounting, ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which superseded Topic 840, “Leases,” which was further modified in ASU No. 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases,” ASU No. 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842) Targeted Improvements” and ASU No. 2019-01 “Leases (Topic 842) Codification Improvements” to clarify the implementation guidance. The new accounting standard was effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2019 and required the recognition on the balance sheet of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for all long-term leases, including operating leases, on the balance sheet. The Company elected the optional transition method and adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2019 on a modified retrospective basis with no restatement of prior period amounts. As allowed under the new accounting standard, the Company elected to apply practical expedients to carry forward the original lease determinations, lease classifications and accounting of initial direct costs for all asset classes at the time of adoption. The Company also elected not to separate lease components from non-lease components and to exclude short-term leases from its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company’s adoption of the new standard resulted in the recognition of right-of-use assets of $458 and liabilities of $574, with no material cumulative effect adjustment to equity as of the date of adoption. In connection with the adoption of this guidance, as required, the Company reclassified certain restructuring reserves incurred in connection with the Global Growth and Efficiency Program (see Note 4, Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges for additional information) and deferred rent liabilities as reductions to lease assets. Adoption of the new standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income or Cash Flows. See Note 13, Leases for additional information.

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges

In the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company commenced a restructuring program (the “Global Growth and Efficiency Program”). The program was expanded in 2014 and expanded and extended in each of 2015 and 2017. The program runs through December 31, 2019.

Initiatives under the Global Growth and Efficiency Program continue to fit within the program’s three focus areas of expanding commercial hubs, extending shared business services and streamlining global functions and optimizing the global supply chain and facilities.

Cumulative pretax charges resulting from the Global Growth and Efficiency Program, once all phases are approved and implemented, are estimated to be in the range of $1,820 to $1,870 ($1,350 to $1,380 aftertax). The Company anticipates that pretax charges for 2019 will approximate $100 to $150 ($70 to $100 aftertax). It is expected that substantially all charges resulting from the Global Growth and Efficiency Program will be incurred by December 31, 2019.

The pretax charges resulting from the Global Growth and Efficiency Program are estimated to be comprised of the following categories: Employee-Related Costs, including severance, pension and other termination benefits (40%); asset-related costs, primarily Incremental Depreciation and Asset Impairments (10%); and Other charges, which include contract termination costs, consisting primarily of related implementation charges resulting directly from exit activities (30%) and the implementation of new strategies (20%). Over the course of the Global Growth and Efficiency Program, it is estimated that approximately 75% of the charges will result in cash expenditures.

The Company expects that the cumulative pretax charges, once all projects are approved and implemented, will relate to initiatives undertaken in North America (15%), Europe (20%), Latin America (5%), Asia Pacific (5%), Africa/Eurasia (5%), Hill’s Pet Nutrition (10%) and Corporate (40%), which includes substantially all of the costs related to the implementation of new strategies, noted above, on a global basis. The Company expects that, when it has been fully implemented, the Global Growth and Efficiency Program will have contributed a net reduction of approximately 4,000 to 4,400 positions from the Company’s global employee workforce.

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, restructuring and related implementation charges are reflected in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019		2018
Cost of sales	$	11	$	6
Selling, general and administrative expenses	4		5
Other (income) expense, net	13		13
Non-service related postretirement costs	1		4
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$	29	$	28

Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, aftertax	$	22	$	20

Restructuring and related implementation charges in the preceding table are recorded in the Corporate segment as these initiatives are predominantly centrally directed and controlled and are not included in internal measures of segment operating performance.

Total charges incurred for the Global Growth and Efficiency Program relate to initiatives undertaken by the following reportable operating segments:



	Three Months Ended				Program-to-date
	March 31,				Accumulated Charges
	2019		2018
North America	8	%	37	%	18	%
Latin America	40	%	12	%	5	%
Europe	8	%	2	%	19	%
Asia Pacific	6	%	18	%	4	%
Africa/Eurasia	—	%	2	%	6	%
Hill’s Pet Nutrition	12	%	19	%	8	%
Corporate	26	%	10	%	40	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%

Since the inception of the Global Growth and Efficiency Program in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company has incurred cumulative pretax charges of $1,751 ($1,300 aftertax) in connection with the implementation of various projects as follows:



	Cumulative Charges
	as of March 31, 2019
Employee-Related Costs	$	691
Incremental Depreciation	97
Asset Impairments	58
Other	905
Total	$	1,751

The majority of costs incurred since inception relate to the following projects: the implementation of the Company’s overall hubbing strategy; the extension of shared business services and streamlining of global functions; the consolidation of facilities; the closing of the Morristown, New Jersey personal care facility; the simplification and streamlining of the Company’s research and development capabilities and oral care supply chain, both in Europe; redesigning the European commercial organization; restructuring how the Company will provide future retirement benefits to substantially all of the U.S.-based employees participating in the Company’s defined benefit retirement plan by shifting them to the Company’s defined contribution plan; and the implementation of a Corporate efficiencies program.

The following table summarizes the activity for the restructuring and related implementation charges discussed above and the related accruals:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	Employee-Related Costs			Incremental Depreciation			Asset Impairments			Other			Total
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	60		$	—		$	—		$	142		$	202
Charges	10			5			6			8			29
Cash payments	(16		)	—			—			(8		)	(24		)
Charges against assets	(1		)	(5		)	(6		)	—			(12		)
Foreign exchange	(1		)	—			—			—			(1		)
Other	—			—			—			(48		)	(48		)
Balance at March 31, 2019	$	52		$	—		$	—		$	94		$	146

Employee-Related Costs primarily include severance and other termination benefits and are calculated based on long-standing benefit practices, local statutory requirements and, in certain cases, voluntary termination arrangements. Employee-Related Costs also include pension and other retiree benefit enhancements amounting to $1 for the three months ended March 31, 2019, which are reflected as Charges against assets within Employee-Related Costs in the preceding table as the corresponding balance sheet amounts are reflected as a reduction of pension assets or an increase in pension and other retiree benefit liabilities. See Note 8, Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits for additional information.

Incremental Depreciation is recorded to reflect changes in useful lives and estimated residual values for long-lived assets that will be taken out of service prior to the end of their normal service period. Asset Impairments are recorded to write down inventories and assets held for sale or disposal to their fair value based on amounts expected to be realized. Charges against assets within Asset Impairments are net of cash proceeds pertaining to the sale of certain assets.

Other charges consist primarily of charges resulting directly from exit activities and the implementation of new strategies as a result of the Global Growth and Efficiency Program. These charges for the three months ended March 31, 2019 include third-party incremental costs related to the development and implementation of new business and strategic initiatives of $5, and contract termination costs and charges resulting directly from exit activities of $3. These charges were expensed as incurred.

Other decreases to the restructuring accruals reflects the reclassification of restructuring accruals to lease assets as a result of the Company’s adoption of ASU No. 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases,” on January 1, 2019. See Note 3, Recent Accounting Pronouncements and Note 13, Leases for additional information.

Inventories

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Inventory, Net, Items Net of Reserve Alternative [Abstract]

Inventories

Inventories by major class are as follows:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Raw materials and supplies	$	242	$	253
Work-in-process	43		37
Finished goods	993		960
Total Inventories	$	1,278	$	1,250

Earnings Per Share

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, earnings per share were as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2019					March 31, 2018
	Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company		Shares (millions)	Per Share		Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company		Shares (millions)	Per Share
Basic EPS	$	560	862.0	$	0.65	$	634	875.4	$	0.72
Stock options and restricted stock units			1.2					4.5
Diluted EPS	$	560	863.2	$	0.65	$	634	879.9	$	0.72

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the average number of stock options and restricted stock units that were anti-dilutive and not included in diluted earnings per share calculations were 21,980,033 and 16,287,263, respectively.

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Additions to and reclassifications out of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:



	2019						2018
	Pretax			Net of Tax			Pretax			Net of Tax

Cumulative translation adjustments	$	27		$	21		$	96		$	105
Retirement plans and other retiree benefits:
Net actuarial gain (loss) and prior service costs arising during the period	(1		)	(1		)	—			—
Amortization of net actuarial loss, transition and prior service costs ⁽¹⁾	17			13			18			14
Retirement plans and other retiree benefits adjustments	16			12			18			14
Cash flow hedges:
Unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	(2		)	(2		)	(8		)	(6		)
Reclassification of (gains) losses into net earnings on cash flow hedges ⁽²⁾	(4		)	(3		)	6			5
Gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	(6		)	(5		)	(2		)	(1		)
Total Other comprehensive income (loss)	$	37		$	28		$	112		$	118

⁽¹⁾These components of Other comprehensive income (loss) are included in the computation of total pension cost. See Note 8, Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits for additional details.

⁽²⁾These (gains) losses are reclassified into Cost of sales. See Note 12, Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments for additional details.

There were no tax impacts on Other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to Noncontrolling interests.

Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits

Components of Net periodic benefit cost for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:



	Pension Benefits												Other Retiree Benefits
	United States						International
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018			2019			2018			2019			2018
Service cost	$	—		$	—		$	4		$	4		$	4		$	4
Interest cost	23			21			5			6			11			10
Expected return on plan assets	(26		)	(29		)	(5		)	(6		)	(1		)	—
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	13			12			2			2			2			4
Net periodic benefit cost	$	10		$	4		$	6		$	6		$	16		$	18

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, the Company made voluntary contributions to its U.S. postretirement plans of $102 and $0, respectively.

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Mar. 31, 2019
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	Income Taxes On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “TCJA” or “U.S. tax reform”) was enacted, which, among other things, lowered the U.S. corporate income tax rate to 21% from 35% and established a modified territorial system requiring a mandatory deemed repatriation tax on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries. Beginning in 2018, the TCJA also requires a minimum tax on certain earnings generated by foreign subsidiaries while providing for tax-free repatriation of such earnings through a 100% dividends-received deduction. The Company’s effective income tax rate in 2017 included a provisional charge of $275, recorded in the fourth quarter of 2017, based on its initial analysis of the TCJA. During 2018, the Company finalized its assessment of the impact of the TCJA and recognized an additional tax expense of $80 reflecting the impact of transition tax guidance issued by the U.S. Treasury and the update of certain estimates and calculations based on information available through the end of 2018. The impact, if any, of further transitional tax guidance that may be issued by the U.S. Treasury would be reflected in the Company’s provision for income tax in the period such guidance is effective.

Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Loss Contingency [Abstract]

Contingencies

As a global company serving consumers in more than 200 countries and territories, the Company is routinely subject to a wide variety of legal proceedings. These include disputes relating to intellectual property, contracts, product liability, marketing, advertising, foreign exchange controls, antitrust and trade regulation, as well as labor and employment, pension, data privacy and security, environmental and tax matters and consumer class actions. Management proactively reviews and monitors the Company’s exposure to, and the impact of, environmental matters. The Company is party to various environmental matters and, as such, may be responsible for all or a portion of the cleanup, restoration and post-closure monitoring of several sites.

The Company establishes accruals for loss contingencies when it has determined that a loss is probable and that the amount of loss, or range of loss, can be reasonably estimated. Any such accruals are adjusted thereafter as appropriate to reflect changes in circumstances.

The Company also determines estimates of reasonably possible losses or ranges of reasonably possible losses in excess of related accrued liabilities, if any, when it has determined that a loss is reasonably possible and it is able to determine such estimates. For those matters disclosed below for which the amount of any potential losses can be reasonably estimated, the Company currently estimates that the aggregate range of reasonably possible losses in excess of any accrued liabilities is $0 to approximately $225 (based on current exchange rates). The estimates included in this amount are based on the Company’s analysis of currently available information and, as new information is obtained, these estimates may change. Due to the inherent subjectivity of the assessments and the unpredictability of outcomes of legal proceedings, any amounts accrued or included in this aggregate amount may not represent the ultimate loss to the Company. Thus, the Company’s exposure and ultimate losses may be higher or lower, and possibly significantly so, than the amounts accrued or the range disclosed above.

Based on current knowledge, management does not believe that the ultimate resolution of loss contingencies arising from the matters discussed herein will have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position or its ongoing results of operations or cash flows. However, in light of the inherent uncertainties noted above, an adverse outcome in one or more matters could be material to the Company’s results of operations or cash flows for any particular quarter or year.

Brazilian Matters

There are certain tax and civil proceedings outstanding, as described below, related to the Company’s 1995 acquisition of the Kolynos oral care business from Wyeth (the “Seller”).

The Brazilian internal revenue authority has disallowed interest deductions and foreign exchange losses taken by the Company’s Brazilian subsidiary for certain years in connection with the financing of the Kolynos acquisition. The tax assessments with interest, penalties and any court-mandated fees, at the current exchange rate, are approximately $151. This amount includes additional assessments received from the Brazilian internal revenue authority in April 2016 relating to net operating loss carryforwards used by the Company’s Brazilian subsidiary to offset taxable income that had also been deducted from the authority’s original assessments. The Company has been disputing the disallowances by appealing the assessments since October 2001. Appeals are currently pending at the administrative level. In the event the Company is ultimately unsuccessful in its administrative appeals, further appeals are available within the Brazilian federal courts.

In September 2015, the Company lost one of its appeals at the administrative level and filed a lawsuit in Brazilian federal court. In February 2017, the Company lost an additional administrative appeal and filed a lawsuit in Brazilian federal court. Although there can be no assurances, management believes, based on the opinion of its Brazilian legal counsel, that the disallowances are without merit and that the Company should ultimately prevail. The Company is challenging these disallowances vigorously.

In July 2002, the Brazilian Federal Public Attorney filed a civil action against the federal government of Brazil, Laboratorios Wyeth-Whitehall Ltda. (the Brazilian subsidiary of the Seller) and the Company, as represented by its Brazilian subsidiary, in the 6th. Lower Federal Court in the City of São Paulo, seeking to annul an April 2000 decision by the Brazilian Board of Tax Appeals that found in favor of the Seller’s Brazilian subsidiary on the issue of whether it had incurred taxable capital gains as a result of the divestiture of Kolynos. The action seeks to make the Company’s Brazilian subsidiary jointly and severally liable for any tax due from the Seller’s Brazilian subsidiary. The case has been pending since 2002, and the Lower Federal Court has not issued a decision. Although there can be no assurances, management believes, based on the opinion of its Brazilian legal counsel, that the Company should ultimately prevail in this action. The Company is challenging this action vigorously.

In December 2005, the Brazilian internal revenue authority issued to the Company’s Brazilian subsidiary a tax assessment with interest, penalties and any court-mandated fees of approximately $64, at the current exchange rate, based on a claim that certain purchases of U.S. Treasury bills by the subsidiary and their subsequent disposition during the period 2000 to 2001 were subject to a tax on foreign exchange transactions. The Company had been disputing the assessment within the internal revenue authority’s administrative appeals process. However, in November 2015, the Superior Chamber of Administrative Tax Appeals denied the Company’s final administrative appeal, and the Company has filed a lawsuit in the Brazilian federal court. In the event the Company is unsuccessful in this lawsuit, further appeals are available within the Brazilian federal courts. Although there can be no assurances, management believes, based on the opinion of its Brazilian legal counsel, that the tax assessment is without merit and that the Company should ultimately prevail. The Company is challenging this assessment vigorously.

Competition Matters

Certain of the Company’s subsidiaries have historically been subject to investigations, and, in some cases, fines, by governmental authorities in a number of countries related to alleged competition law violations. Substantially all of these matters also involved other consumer goods companies and/or retail customers. The Company’s policy is to comply with antitrust and competition laws and, if a violation of any such laws is found, to take appropriate remedial action and to cooperate fully with any related governmental inquiry. The status of pending competition law matters as of March 31, 2019 is set forth below.

▪

In December 2014, the French competition law authority found that 13 consumer goods companies, including the Company’s French subsidiary, exchanged competitively sensitive information related to the French home care and personal care sectors, for which the Company’s French subsidiary was fined $57. In addition, as a result of the Company’s acquisition of the Sanex personal care business in 2011 from Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC (together with Unilever N.V., “Unilever,”), pursuant to a Business and Share Sale and Purchase Agreement (the “Sale and Purchase Agreement”), the French competition law authority found that the Company’s French subsidiary, along with Hillshire Brands Company (formerly Sara Lee Corporation (“Sara Lee”)), were jointly and severally liable for fines of $25 assessed against Sara Lee’s French subsidiary. The Company is indemnified for these fines by Unilever pursuant to the Sale and Purchase Agreement. The fines were confirmed by the Court of Appeal in October 2016. The Company appealed the decision of the Court of Appeal on behalf of the Company and Sara Lee in the French Supreme Court. In March 2019, the French Supreme Court denied the Company’s appeal.


▪	In July 2014, the Greek competition law authority issued a statement of objections alleging a restriction of parallel imports into Greece. The Company responded to this statement of objections. In July 2017, the Company received the decision from the Greek competition law authority in which the Company was fined $11. The Company is appealing the decision to the Greek courts.

Talcum Powder Matters

The Company has been named as a defendant in civil actions alleging that certain talcum powder products that were sold prior to 1996 were contaminated with asbestos. Most of these actions involve a number of co-defendants from a variety of different industries, including suppliers of asbestos and manufacturers of products that, unlike the Company’s products, were designed to contain asbestos. As of March 31, 2019, there were 229 individual cases pending against the Company in state and federal courts throughout the United States, as compared to 239 cases as of December 31, 2018. During the three months ended March 31, 2019, 37 new cases were filed and 47 cases were resolved by voluntary dismissal or settlement. The value of settlements was not material, either individually or in the aggregate, to the Company’s results of operations for the quarter ended March 31, 2019.

The Company believes that a significant portion of its costs incurred in defending and resolving these claims will be covered by insurance policies issued by several primary, excess and umbrella insurance carriers, subject to deductibles, exclusions, retentions and policy limits.

While the Company and its legal counsel believe that these cases are without merit and intend to challenge them vigorously, there can be no assurances regarding the ultimate resolution of these matters. Since the amount of any potential losses from these cases currently cannot be reasonably estimated, the range of reasonably possible losses in excess of accrued liabilities disclosed above does not include any amount relating to these cases.

ERISA Matter

In June 2016, a putative class action claiming that residual annuity payments made to certain participants in the Colgate-Palmolive Company Employees’ Retirement Income Plan (the “Plan”) did not comply with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act was filed against the Plan, the Company and certain individuals in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. This action has been certified as a class action. The relief sought includes recalculation of benefits, pre- and post-judgment interest and attorneys’ fees. The Company is contesting this action vigorously. Since the amount of any potential loss from this case currently cannot be reasonably estimated, the range of reasonably possible losses in excess of accrued liabilities disclosed above does not include any amount relating to the case.

Segment Information

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment Information

The Company operates in two product segments: Oral, Personal and Home Care; and Pet Nutrition.

The operations of the Oral, Personal and Home Care product segment are managed geographically in five reportable operating segments: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa/Eurasia.

The Company evaluates segment performance based on several factors, including Operating profit. The Company uses Operating profit as a measure of operating segment performance because it excludes the impact of Corporate-driven decisions related to interest expense and income taxes.

The accounting policies of the operating segments are generally the same as those described in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Intercompany sales have been eliminated. Corporate operations include costs related to stock options and restricted stock units, research and development costs, Corporate overhead costs, restructuring and related implementation charges and gains and losses on sales of non-core product lines and assets. The Company reports these items within Corporate operations as they relate to Corporate-based responsibilities and decisions and are not included in the internal measures of segment operating performance used by the Company to measure the underlying performance of the operating segments.

Net sales by segment were as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019		2018
Net sales
Oral, Personal and Home Care
North America	$	853	$	827
Latin America	889		929
Europe	602		648
Asia Pacific	700		759
Africa/Eurasia	240		255
Total Oral, Personal and Home Care	3,284		3,418
Pet Nutrition	600		584
Total Net sales	$	3,884	$	4,002

Approximately 70% of the Company’s Net sales are generated from markets outside the U.S., with approximately 50% of the Company’s Net sales coming from emerging markets (which consist of Latin America, Asia (excluding Japan), Africa/Eurasia and Central Europe).

The Company’s Net sales of Oral, Personal and Home Care and Pet Nutrition products accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s Net sales:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019		2018
Net sales
Oral Care	48	%	49	%
Personal Care	19	%	19	%
Home Care	18	%	17	%
Pet Nutrition	15	%	15	%
Total Net sales	100	%	100	%

Operating profit by segment was as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019			2018
Operating profit
Oral, Personal and Home Care
North America	$	249		$	257
Latin America	232			273
Europe	151			162
Asia Pacific	189			226
Africa/Eurasia	46			50
Total Oral, Personal and Home Care	867			968
Pet Nutrition	164			164
Corporate	(152		)	(149		)
Total Operating profit	$	879		$	983

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, Corporate Operating profit (loss) included charges of $28 and $24, respectively, resulting from the Global Growth and Efficiency Program.

For further information regarding the Global Growth and Efficiency Program, refer to Note 4, Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges.

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments

The Company uses available market information and other valuation methodologies in assessing the fair value of financial instruments. Judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value and, accordingly, changes in assumptions or the estimation methodologies may affect the fair value estimates. The Company is exposed to the risk of credit loss in the event of nonperformance by counterparties to financial instrument contracts; however, nonperformance is considered unlikely and any nonperformance is unlikely to be material, as it is the Company’s policy to contract only with diverse, credit-worthy counterparties based upon both strong credit ratings and other credit considerations.

The Company is exposed to market risk from foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity price fluctuations. Volatility relating to these exposures is managed on a global basis by utilizing a number of techniques, including working capital management, sourcing strategies, selling price increases, selective borrowings in local currencies and entering into selective derivative instrument transactions, issued with standard features, in accordance with the Company’s treasury and risk management policies, which prohibit the use of derivatives for speculative purposes and leveraged derivatives for any purpose. It is the Company’s policy to enter into derivative instrument contracts with terms that match the underlying exposure being hedged.

The Company’s derivative instruments include interest rate swap contracts, foreign currency contracts and commodity contracts. The Company utilizes interest rate swap contracts to manage its targeted mix of fixed and floating rate debt, and these swaps are valued using observable benchmark rates (Level 2 valuation). The Company utilizes foreign currency contracts, including forward and swap contracts, option contracts, local currency deposits and local currency borrowings to hedge portions of its foreign currency purchases, assets and liabilities arising in the normal course of business and the net investment in certain foreign subsidiaries. These contracts are valued using observable market rates (Level 2 valuation). Commodity futures contracts are utilized to hedge the purchases of raw materials used in production. These contracts are measured using quoted commodity exchange prices (Level 1 valuation). The duration of foreign currency and commodity contracts generally does not exceed 12 months.

The company adopted ASU No. 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities,” beginning on January 1, 2019. Refer to Note 3, Recent Accounting Pronouncements.

The following table summarizes the fair value of the Company’s derivative instruments and other financial instruments which are carried at fair value in the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets at March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018:



	Assets					Liabilities
	Account	Fair Value				Account	Fair Value
Designated derivative instruments		3/31/19		12/31/18			3/31/19		12/31/18
Interest rate swap contracts	Other current assets	$	—	$	—	Other accruals	$	—	$	1
Interest rate swap contracts	Other assets	—		—		Other liabilities	4		8
Foreign currency contracts	Other current assets	14		20		Other accruals	13		8
Foreign currency contracts	Other assets	—		—		Other liabilities	15		21
Commodity contracts	Other current assets	—		—		Other accruals	1		—
Total designated		$	14	$	20		$	33	$	38

Other financial instruments
Marketable securities	Other current assets	$	37	$	10
Total other financial instruments		$	37	$	10

The carrying amount of cash, cash equivalents, accounts receivable and short-term debt approximated fair value as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018. The estimated fair value of the Company’s long-term debt, including the current portion, as of March 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, was $6,783 and $6,434, respectively, and the related carrying value was $6,656 and $6,354, respectively. The estimated fair value of long-term debt was derived principally from quoted prices on the Company’s outstanding fixed-term notes (Level 2 valuation).

The following amounts were recorded on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet related to cumulative basis adjustment for fair value hedges as of:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Long-term debt:
Carrying amount of hedged item	$	394	$	888
Cumulative hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount	4		10

The following table presents the notional values as of:



	March 31, 2019
	Foreign Currency Contracts		Foreign Currency Debt		Interest Rate Swaps		Commodity Contracts		Total
Fair Value Hedges	$	708	$	—	$	400	$	—	$	1,108
Cash Flow Hedges	791		—		—		12		803
Net Investment Hedges	490		2,212		—		—		2,702



	December 31, 2018
	Foreign Currency Contracts		Foreign Currency Debt		Interest Rate Swaps		Commodity Contracts		Total
Fair Value Hedges	$	327	$	—	$	900	$	—	$	1,227
Cash Flow Hedges	782		—		—		14		796
Net Investment Hedges	482		1,396		—		—		1,878

The following table presents the location and amount of gains (losses) recognized on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income:



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019								2018
	Cost of sales		Selling, general and administrative expenses			Interest (income) expense, net			Cost of sales			Selling, general and administrative expenses			Interest (income) expense, net
Gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income:
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges:
Derivative instrument	$	—	$	—		$	(3	)	$	—		$	—		$	(10	)
Hedged items	—		—			3			—			—			10
Foreign currency contracts designated as fair value hedges:
Derivative instrument	—		(1		)	—			—			(13		)	—
Hedged items	—		1			—			—			13			—
Foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Amount reclassified from OCI	3		—			—			(6		)	—			—
Commodity contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Amount reclassified from OCI	1		—			—			—			—			—
Total gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income	$	4	$	—		$	—		$	(6	)	$	—		$	—

The following table presents the location and amount of unrealized gains (losses) included in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI):



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019			2018
Foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	$	(3	)	$	(8	)
Commodity contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	1			—
Foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges:
Gain (loss) on instruments	6			(18		)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	(6		)	18
Foreign currency debt designated as net investment hedges:
Gain (loss) on instruments	29			(19		)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	(29		)	19
Total unrealized gain (loss) on hedges recognized in other comprehensive income (OCI)	$	(2	)	$	(8	)

Leases

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Leases

The Company adopted ASU No. 2016-02 “Leases (Topic 842)” on January 1, 2019, resulting in the recognition of right-of-use assets of $458 and liabilities of $574. The Company enters into leases for land, office space, warehouses and equipment. A number of the leases include one or more options to renew the lease terms, purchase the leased property or terminate the lease. The exercise of these options is at the Company’s discretion and is therefore recognized on the balance sheet when it is reasonably certain the Company will exercise such options.

Substantially all of the Company’s leases are considered operating leases. Finance leases were not material as of March 31, 2019 or for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

As of March 31, 2019, the Company’s right-of use assets and liabilities for operating leases were as follows:



Other assets	$	422

Other accruals	$	161
Other liabilities	369
Total operating lease liabilities	$	530

Lease commitments under noncancellable operating leases were as follows:



Years Ending December 31,	As of March 31, 2019				As of December 31, 2018
2019	$	137		*	$	193
2020	154				165
2021	119				123
2022	97				102
2023	45				51
Thereafter	21				32
Total lease commitments	$	573			$	666
Less: Interest	(43		)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	530

* As of March 31, 2019, $137 represents the lease commitments for the nine-months remaining until December 31, 2019.

The components of the Company’s operating lease cost for the three months ended March 31, 2019 were as follows:



Operating lease cost	$	45
Short-term lease cost	2
Variable lease cost	10
Sublease income	—
Total lease cost	$	57

Short-term lease cost represents the Company’s cost with respect to leases with a duration of 12 months or less and are not reflected on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets. Variable lease costs are comprised of costs such as the Company’s proportionate share of actual costs for utilities, common area maintenance, property taxes and insurance that are not included in the lease liability and are recognized in the period in which they are incurred.

Supplemental cash flow information related to operating leases for the three months ended March 31, 2019 was as follows:


▪	Payments against amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: $57


▪	Lease assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities: $22

The weighted-average remaining lease term for operating leases was 4 years. The weighted-average discount rate for operating leases was 4.0%.

There were no material operating leases that the Company had entered into and that were yet to commence as of March 31, 2019.

Use of Estimates (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Use of Estimates (Policies)	Mar. 31, 2019
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Use of Estimates	Provisions for certain expenses, including income taxes, advertising and consumer promotion, are based on full year assumptions and are included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in proportion with estimated annual tax rates, the passage of time or estimated annual sales, as applicable.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements	In October 2018, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2018-16, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Inclusion of the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) Overnight Index Swap (“OIS”) Rate as Benchmark Interest Rate for Hedge Accounting Purposes.” The new guidance permits the use of the OIS rate based on the SOFR as a U.S. benchmark interest rate for hedge accounting purposes under Topic 815. The new guidance was effective for the Company on a prospective basis beginning on January 1, 2019, concurrently with the adoption of ASU 2017-12 and did not have an impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, “Intangibles-Goodwill and Other-Internal-Use Software (Topic 350): Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement That is a Service Contract.” This new guidance aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. This new guidance is effective for the Company on a prospective or retrospective basis beginning on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company elected to adopt this guidance early, beginning on January 1, 2019 on a prospective basis. The new guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-14, “Compensation-Retirement Benefits-Defined Benefit Plans-General (Topic 715): Disclosure Framework-Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Defined Benefit Plans.” This new guidance removes certain disclosures that are not considered cost beneficial, clarifies certain required disclosures and requires certain additional disclosures. This new guidance is effective for the Company on a retrospective basis beginning in the year ending December 31, 2020, with early adoption permitted. While the Company is currently assessing the impact of the new guidance, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.” This new guidance removes certain disclosure requirements related to the fair value hierarchy, modifies existing disclosure requirements related to measurement uncertainty and adds new disclosure requirements. The new disclosure requirements include disclosing the changes in unrealized gains and losses for the period included in other comprehensive income for recurring Level 3 fair value measurements held at the end of the reporting period and the range and weighted average of significant unobservable inputs used to develop Level 3 fair value measurements. This new guidance is effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. Certain disclosure requirements in the new guidance will need to be applied on a retrospective basis and others on a prospective basis. While the Company is currently assessing the impact of the new guidance, it is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities,” amending the eligibility criteria for hedged items and transactions to expand an entity’s ability to hedge nonfinancial and financial risk components. The new guidance eliminates the requirement to separately measure and present hedge ineffectiveness and aligns the presentation of hedge gains and losses with the underlying hedge item. The new guidance also simplifies the hedge documentation and hedge effectiveness assessment requirements. The amended presentation and disclosure requirements must be adopted on a prospective basis, while any amendments to cash flow and net investment hedge relationships that exist on the date of adoption must be applied on a “modified retrospective” basis, meaning a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of the beginning of the year of adoption. The new guidance was effective for the Company on January 1, 2019 and did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles–Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment,” eliminating the requirement to calculate implied fair value, essentially eliminating step two from the goodwill impairment test. The new standard requires goodwill impairment to be based upon the results of step one of the impairment test, which is defined as the excess of the carrying value of a reporting unit over its fair value. The impairment charge will be limited to the amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. The standard is effective for the Company on a prospective basis beginning on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted. This new guidance is not expected to have an impact on the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued its final standard on lease accounting, ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842),” which superseded Topic 840, “Leases,” which was further modified in ASU No. 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases,” ASU No. 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842) Targeted Improvements” and ASU No. 2019-01 “Leases (Topic 842) Codification Improvements” to clarify the implementation guidance. The new accounting standard was effective for the Company beginning on January 1, 2019 and required the recognition on the balance sheet of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities for all long-term leases, including operating leases, on the balance sheet. The Company elected the optional transition method and adopted the new guidance on January 1, 2019 on a modified retrospective basis with no restatement of prior period amounts. As allowed under the new accounting standard, the Company elected to apply practical expedients to carry forward the original lease determinations, lease classifications and accounting of initial direct costs for all asset classes at the time of adoption. The Company also elected not to separate lease components from non-lease components and to exclude short-term leases from its Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company’s adoption of the new standard resulted in the recognition of right-of-use assets of $458 and liabilities of $574, with no material cumulative effect adjustment to equity as of the date of adoption. In connection with the adoption of this guidance, as required, the Company reclassified certain restructuring reserves incurred in connection with the Global Growth and Efficiency Program (see Note 4, Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges for additional information) and deferred rent liabilities as reductions to lease assets. Adoption of the new standard did not have a material impact on the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income or Cash Flows. See Note 13, Leases for additional information.

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract]

Schedule of Restructuring and Related Costs

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, restructuring and related implementation charges are reflected in the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019		2018
Cost of sales	$	11	$	6
Selling, general and administrative expenses	4		5
Other (income) expense, net	13		13
Non-service related postretirement costs	1		4
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$	29	$	28

Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, aftertax	$	22	$	20

Schedule of Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related To Segment for the period

Total charges incurred for the Global Growth and Efficiency Program relate to initiatives undertaken by the following reportable operating segments:



	Three Months Ended				Program-to-date
	March 31,				Accumulated Charges
	2019		2018
North America	8	%	37	%	18	%
Latin America	40	%	12	%	5	%
Europe	8	%	2	%	19	%
Asia Pacific	6	%	18	%	4	%
Africa/Eurasia	—	%	2	%	6	%
Hill’s Pet Nutrition	12	%	19	%	8	%
Corporate	26	%	10	%	40	%
Total	100	%	100	%	100	%

Schedule of Restructuring and Related Costs Incurred to Date



	Cumulative Charges
	as of March 31, 2019
Employee-Related Costs	$	691
Incremental Depreciation	97
Asset Impairments	58
Other	905
Total	$	1,751

Schedule of Restructuring Reserve by Type of Cost

The following table summarizes the activity for the restructuring and related implementation charges discussed above and the related accruals:



	Three Months Ended March 31, 2019
	Employee-Related Costs			Incremental Depreciation			Asset Impairments			Other			Total
Balance at December 31, 2018	$	60		$	—		$	—		$	142		$	202
Charges	10			5			6			8			29
Cash payments	(16		)	—			—			(8		)	(24		)
Charges against assets	(1		)	(5		)	(6		)	—			(12		)
Foreign exchange	(1		)	—			—			—			(1		)
Other	—			—			—			(48		)	(48		)
Balance at March 31, 2019	$	52		$	—		$	—		$	94		$	146

Inventories (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Inventory, Net, Items Net of Reserve Alternative [Abstract]

Inventories By Major Class

Inventories by major class are as follows:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Raw materials and supplies	$	242	$	253
Work-in-process	43		37
Finished goods	993		960
Total Inventories	$	1,278	$	1,250

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted

For the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018, earnings per share were as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31, 2019					March 31, 2018
	Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company		Shares (millions)	Per Share		Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company		Shares (millions)	Per Share
Basic EPS	$	560	862.0	$	0.65	$	634	875.4	$	0.72
Stock options and restricted stock units			1.2					4.5
Diluted EPS	$	560	863.2	$	0.65	$	634	879.9	$	0.72

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Equity [Abstract]

Schedule of Comprehensive Income (Loss)

Additions to and reclassifications out of Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) attributable to the Company for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:



	2019						2018
	Pretax			Net of Tax			Pretax			Net of Tax

Cumulative translation adjustments	$	27		$	21		$	96		$	105
Retirement plans and other retiree benefits:
Net actuarial gain (loss) and prior service costs arising during the period	(1		)	(1		)	—			—
Amortization of net actuarial loss, transition and prior service costs ⁽¹⁾	17			13			18			14
Retirement plans and other retiree benefits adjustments	16			12			18			14
Cash flow hedges:
Unrealized gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	(2		)	(2		)	(8		)	(6		)
Reclassification of (gains) losses into net earnings on cash flow hedges ⁽²⁾	(4		)	(3		)	6			5
Gains (losses) on cash flow hedges	(6		)	(5		)	(2		)	(1		)
Total Other comprehensive income (loss)	$	37		$	28		$	112		$	118

⁽¹⁾These components of Other comprehensive income (loss) are included in the computation of total pension cost. See Note 8, Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits for additional details.

⁽²⁾These (gains) losses are reclassified into Cost of sales. See Note 12, Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments for additional details.

Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Retirement Benefits [Abstract]

Components Of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

Components of Net periodic benefit cost for the three months ended March 31, 2019 and 2018 were as follows:



	Pension Benefits												Other Retiree Benefits
	United States						International
	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019			2018			2019			2018			2019			2018
Service cost	$	—		$	—		$	4		$	4		$	4		$	4
Interest cost	23			21			5			6			11			10
Expected return on plan assets	(26		)	(29		)	(5		)	(6		)	(1		)	—
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	13			12			2			2			2			4
Net periodic benefit cost	$	10		$	4		$	6		$	6		$	16		$	18

Segment Information (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Net Sales and Operating Profit by Segment

Net sales by segment were as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019		2018
Net sales
Oral, Personal and Home Care
North America	$	853	$	827
Latin America	889		929
Europe	602		648
Asia Pacific	700		759
Africa/Eurasia	240		255
Total Oral, Personal and Home Care	3,284		3,418
Pet Nutrition	600		584
Total Net sales	$	3,884	$	4,002

The Company’s Net sales of Oral, Personal and Home Care and Pet Nutrition products accounted for the following percentages of the Company’s Net sales:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019		2018
Net sales
Oral Care	48	%	49	%
Personal Care	19	%	19	%
Home Care	18	%	17	%
Pet Nutrition	15	%	15	%
Total Net sales	100	%	100	%

Operating profit by segment was as follows:



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019			2018
Operating profit
Oral, Personal and Home Care
North America	$	249		$	257
Latin America	232			273
Europe	151			162
Asia Pacific	189			226
Africa/Eurasia	46			50
Total Oral, Personal and Home Care	867			968
Pet Nutrition	164			164
Corporate	(152		)	(149		)
Total Operating profit	$	879		$	983

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements [Abstract]

Schedule of derivative instruments



	Assets					Liabilities
	Account	Fair Value				Account	Fair Value
Designated derivative instruments		3/31/19		12/31/18			3/31/19		12/31/18
Interest rate swap contracts	Other current assets	$	—	$	—	Other accruals	$	—	$	1
Interest rate swap contracts	Other assets	—		—		Other liabilities	4		8
Foreign currency contracts	Other current assets	14		20		Other accruals	13		8
Foreign currency contracts	Other assets	—		—		Other liabilities	15		21
Commodity contracts	Other current assets	—		—		Other accruals	1		—
Total designated		$	14	$	20		$	33	$	38

Other financial instruments
Marketable securities	Other current assets	$	37	$	10
Total other financial instruments		$	37	$	10

Schedule of hedged item and cumulative adjustment to carrying amount

The following amounts were recorded on the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet related to cumulative basis adjustment for fair value hedges as of:



	March 31, 2019		December 31, 2018
Long-term debt:
Carrying amount of hedged item	$	394	$	888
Cumulative hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount	4		10

Schedule of notional values

The following table presents the notional values as of:



	March 31, 2019
	Foreign Currency Contracts		Foreign Currency Debt		Interest Rate Swaps		Commodity Contracts		Total
Fair Value Hedges	$	708	$	—	$	400	$	—	$	1,108
Cash Flow Hedges	791		—		—		12		803
Net Investment Hedges	490		2,212		—		—		2,702



	December 31, 2018
	Foreign Currency Contracts		Foreign Currency Debt		Interest Rate Swaps		Commodity Contracts		Total
Fair Value Hedges	$	327	$	—	$	900	$	—	$	1,227
Cash Flow Hedges	782		—		—		14		796
Net Investment Hedges	482		1,396		—		—		1,878

Schedule of gains (losses) recognized in Statements of Income

The following table presents the location and amount of gains (losses) recognized on the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income:



	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2019								2018
	Cost of sales		Selling, general and administrative expenses			Interest (income) expense, net			Cost of sales			Selling, general and administrative expenses			Interest (income) expense, net
Gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income:
Interest rate swaps designated as fair value hedges:
Derivative instrument	$	—	$	—		$	(3	)	$	—		$	—		$	(10	)
Hedged items	—		—			3			—			—			10
Foreign currency contracts designated as fair value hedges:
Derivative instrument	—		(1		)	—			—			(13		)	—
Hedged items	—		1			—			—			13			—
Foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Amount reclassified from OCI	3		—			—			(6		)	—			—
Commodity contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Amount reclassified from OCI	1		—			—			—			—			—
Total gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income	$	4	$	—		$	—		$	(6	)	$	—		$	—

Schedule of gains (losses) included in Other Comprehensive Income

The following table presents the location and amount of unrealized gains (losses) included in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI):



	Three Months Ended
	March 31,
	2019			2018
Foreign currency contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	$	(3	)	$	(8	)
Commodity contracts designated as cash flow hedges:
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	1			—
Foreign currency contracts designated as net investment hedges:
Gain (loss) on instruments	6			(18		)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	(6		)	18
Foreign currency debt designated as net investment hedges:
Gain (loss) on instruments	29			(19		)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	(29		)	19
Total unrealized gain (loss) on hedges recognized in other comprehensive income (OCI)	$	(2	)	$	(8	)

Leases (Tables)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Leases [Abstract]

Schedule of Right-of-use Assets and Liabilities for Operating Leases

As of March 31, 2019, the Company’s right-of use assets and liabilities for operating leases were as follows:



Other assets	$	422

Other accruals	$	161
Other liabilities	369
Total operating lease liabilities	$	530

Schedule of Minimum Lease Commitments Under Noncancellable Operating Leases

Lease commitments under noncancellable operating leases were as follows:



Years Ending December 31,	As of March 31, 2019				As of December 31, 2018
2019	$	137		*	$	193
2020	154				165
2021	119				123
2022	97				102
2023	45				51
Thereafter	21				32
Total lease commitments	$	573			$	666
Less: Interest	(43		)
Present value of lease liabilities	$	530

* As of March 31, 2019, $137 represents the lease commitments for the nine-months remaining until December 31, 2019.

Schedule of Components of Operating Lease Expense

The components of the Company’s operating lease cost for the three months ended March 31, 2019 were as follows:



Operating lease cost	$	45
Short-term lease cost	2
Variable lease cost	10
Sublease income	—
Total lease cost	$	57

Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease, right-of-use assets	$ 422
Operating lease, liability	$ 530
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Operating lease, right-of-use assets		$ 458
Operating lease, liability		$ 574

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges - Narrative (Details) - Global Growth and Efficiency Program $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) position	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total charges resulting in cash expenditure	75.00%
Charges against assets	$ 12
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$ 29	$ 28
Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	10.00%
Corporate
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	40.00%
North America
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	15.00%
Europe
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	20.00%
Latin America
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	5.00%
Asia Pacific
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	5.00%
Africa/Eurasia
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Expected percent of total restructuring charges related to segment for the duration of the program	5.00%
Employee-Related Costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Estimated percent of total cumulative pretax charges of implementing restructuring program by category	40.00%
Charges against assets	$ 1
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$ 10
Incremental Depreciation And Asset Impairment
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Estimated percent of total cumulative pretax charges of implementing restructuring program by category	10.00%
Charges Resulting Directly From Exit Activities
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Estimated percent of total cumulative pretax charges of implementing restructuring program by category	30.00%
Implementation Of New Strategies
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Estimated percent of total cumulative pretax charges of implementing restructuring program by category	20.00%
Third party Incremental Cost
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$ 5
Contract Termination
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	3
Minimum \| Expected Completion Date 2019
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring program expected cost before tax	1,820
Restructuring program expected cost after tax	1,350
Restructuring program expected cost, current fiscal year, before tax	100
Restructuring program expected cost, current fiscal year, after tax	$ 70
Restructuring and related cost, expected number of positions eliminated (in positions) \| position	4,000
Maximum \| Expected Completion Date 2019
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Restructuring program expected cost before tax	$ 1,870
Restructuring program expected cost after tax	1,380
Restructuring program expected cost, current fiscal year, before tax	150
Restructuring program expected cost, current fiscal year, after tax	$ 100
Restructuring and related cost, expected number of positions eliminated (in positions) \| position	4,400

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges - Summary of Restructuring and Related Costs (Details) - Global Growth and Efficiency Program - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$ 29	$ 28
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, aftertax	22	20
Cost of sales
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	11	6
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	4	5
Other (income) expense, net
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	13	13
Non-service related postretirement costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax	$ 1	$ 4

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges - Restructuring Charges Incurred, by Segment (Details) - Global Growth and Efficiency Program	3 Months Ended		78 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018	Mar. 31, 2019
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	100.00%	100.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			100.00%
Hill’s Pet Nutrition
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	12.00%	19.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			8.00%
Corporate
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	26.00%	10.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			40.00%
North America
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	8.00%	37.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			18.00%
Latin America
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	40.00%	12.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			5.00%
Europe
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	8.00%	2.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			19.00%
Asia Pacific
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	6.00%	18.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			4.00%
Africa/Eurasia
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Percent of Total Restructuring Charges Related to Segment	0.00%	2.00%
Percent of Restructuring Charges Related to Segment, Program-to-date Accumulated Charges			6.00%

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges - Summary of Restructuring Charges, Cumulative to Date (Details) - Global Growth and Efficiency Program $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pretax charges related to the Restructuring Program to date	$ 1,751
Aftertax charges related to the Restructuring Program to date	1,300
Employee-Related Costs
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pretax charges related to the Restructuring Program to date	691
Incremental Depreciation
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pretax charges related to the Restructuring Program to date	97
Asset Impairments
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pretax charges related to the Restructuring Program to date	58
Other
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pretax charges related to the Restructuring Program to date	$ 905

Restructuring and Related Implementation Charges - Restructuring Activity and Related Accruals (Details) - Global Growth and Efficiency Program - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	$ 202
Charges	29	$ 28
Cash payments	(24)
Charges against assets	(12)
Foreign exchange	(1)
Other	(48)
Ending Balance	146
Employee-Related Costs
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	60
Charges	10
Cash payments	(16)
Charges against assets	(1)
Foreign exchange	(1)
Other	0
Ending Balance	52
Incremental Depreciation
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	0
Charges	5
Cash payments	0
Charges against assets	(5)
Foreign exchange	0
Other	0
Ending Balance	0
Asset Impairments
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	0
Charges	6
Cash payments	0
Charges against assets	(6)
Foreign exchange	0
Other	0
Ending Balance	0
Other
Restructuring Reserve [Roll Forward]
Beginning Balance	142
Charges	8
Cash payments	(8)
Charges against assets	0
Foreign exchange	0
Other	(48)
Ending Balance	$ 94

Inventories (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Inventory, Net, Items Net of Reserve Alternative [Abstract]
Raw materials and supplies	$ 242	$ 253
Work-in-process	43	37
Finished goods	993	960
Total Inventories	$ 1,278	$ 1,250

Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company
Basic EPS	$ 560	$ 634
Diluted EPS	$ 560	$ 634
Shares
Basic EPS (in shares)	862,000,000	875,400,000
Stock options and restricted stock units (in shares)	1,200,000	4,500,000
Diluted EPS (in shares)	863,200,000	879,900,000
Per Share
Basic EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.72
Diluted EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.65	$ 0.72
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)	21,980,033	16,287,263

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Details) - USD ($)
$ in Millions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Mar. 31, 2018

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]

Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

$ 33

$ 121

Cumulative translation adjustments

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income (loss), Pretax

Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

105

Retirement plans and other retiree benefits adjustments

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications, Pretax

(1)

Reclassification from AOCI, Pretax

Other comprehensive income (loss), Pretax

Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications, Net of Tax

(1)

Reclassification from AOCI, Net of Tax

Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

Gains (losses) on cash flow hedges

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications, Pretax

(2)

Reclassification from AOCI, Pretax

(4)

Other comprehensive income (loss), Pretax

(6)

Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications, Net of Tax

(2)

Reclassification from AOCI, Net of Tax

(3)

Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

(5)

Gains (losses) on cash flow hedges

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications, Pretax

(8)

Reclassification from AOCI, Pretax

Other comprehensive income (loss), Pretax

(2)

Other comprehensive income (loss), before reclassifications, Net of Tax

(6)

Reclassification from AOCI, Net of Tax

Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

(1)

Total Other comprehensive income (loss)

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]

Other comprehensive income (loss), Pretax

112

Total Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax

^[1]

$ 28

$ 118

[1]

Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) includes cumulative translation losses of $3,134 at March 31, 2019 ($2,832 at March 31, 2018) and $3,155 at December 31, 2018 ($2,927 at December 31, 2017), respectively, and unrecognized retirement plan and other retiree benefits costs of $1,026 at March 31, 2019 ($1,062 at March 31, 2018) and $1,038 at December 31, 2018 ($923 at December 31, 2017), respectively.

Retirement Plans and Other Retiree Benefits (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Other Retiree Benefits
Components of net periodic benefit cost
Service cost	$ 4	$ 4
Interest cost	11	10
Expected return on plan assets	(1)	0
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	2	4
Net periodic benefit cost	16	18
United States \| Pension Benefits
Components of net periodic benefit cost
Service cost	0	0
Interest cost	23	21
Expected return on plan assets	(26)	(29)
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	13	12
Net periodic benefit cost	10	4
Voluntary benefit plan contribution	102	0
International \| Pension Benefits
Components of net periodic benefit cost
Service cost	4	4
Interest cost	5	6
Expected return on plan assets	(5)	(6)
Amortization of actuarial loss (gain)	2	2
Net periodic benefit cost	$ 6	$ 6

Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2018
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Charge for U.S. tax reform	$ 275
Charge for U.S. tax reform		$ 80

Contingencies (Details) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
Contingencies (Details) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2015 appeal	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) company	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) case country_and_territory	Dec. 31, 2018 case	Jul. 21, 2017 USD ($)
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Minimum number of countries and territories serving consumers (more than) (in countries and territories) \| country_and_territory			200
Brazilian internal revenue authority, matter 1			$ 151
Loss contingency, number of appeals lost (in appeals) \| appeal	1
Brazilian internal revenue authority, matter 2			$ 64
Number of consumer goods companies \| company		13
Fine imposed french competition authority		$ 57
Fine imposed french competition authority - as a result of Sanex acquisition		$ 25
Fine imposed by greek competition authority					$ 11
Loss contingency, pending claims, number (in cases) \| case			229	239
Loss contingency, new claims filed, number (in cases) \| case			37
Loss contingency, claims dismissed or settled, number (in cases) \| case			47
Minimum
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Range of reasonably possible losses			$ 0
Maximum
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Range of reasonably possible losses			$ 225

Segment Information - Narrative (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Segment Information - Narrative (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($) segment	Mar. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of product segments (in segments)	2
Number of reportable segments (in segments)	5
Number of operating segments (in segments)	5
Sales Revenue, Net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percentage of consolidated Net sales represented by sales outside US	70.00%
Percentage of consolidated Net sales coming from emerging markets	50.00%
Global Growth and Efficiency Program
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax \| $	$ 29	$ 28
Global Growth and Efficiency Program \| Corporate \| Included in Operating profit (loss)
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Global Growth and Efficiency Program charges, pretax \| $	$ 28	$ 24

Segment Information - Schedule of Segment Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	$ 3,884	$ 4,002
Total Operating profit	879	983
Operating Segments \| Oral, Personal and Home Care
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	3,284	3,418
Total Operating profit	867	968
Operating Segments \| Oral, Personal and Home Care \| North America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	853	827
Total Operating profit	249	257
Operating Segments \| Oral, Personal and Home Care \| Latin America
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	889	929
Total Operating profit	232	273
Operating Segments \| Oral, Personal and Home Care \| Europe
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	602	648
Total Operating profit	151	162
Operating Segments \| Oral, Personal and Home Care \| Asia Pacific
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	700	759
Total Operating profit	189	226
Operating Segments \| Oral, Personal and Home Care \| Africa/Eurasia
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	240	255
Total Operating profit	46	50
Operating Segments \| Pet Nutrition
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Net sales	600	584
Total Operating profit	164	164
Corporate
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Total Operating profit	$ (152)	$ (149)
Product Concentration Risk \| Sales Revenue, Net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percent of net sales	100.00%	100.00%
Product Concentration Risk \| Oral Care \| Sales Revenue, Net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percent of net sales	48.00%	49.00%
Product Concentration Risk \| Personal Care \| Sales Revenue, Net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percent of net sales	19.00%	19.00%
Product Concentration Risk \| Home Care \| Sales Revenue, Net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percent of net sales	18.00%	17.00%
Product Concentration Risk \| Pet Nutrition \| Sales Revenue, Net
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Percent of net sales	15.00%	15.00%

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments - Fair Value of Derivative Instruments and Other Financial Instruments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative assets, designated	$ 14	$ 20
Derivative liabilities, designated	33	38
Other financial instruments
Total other financial instruments	37	10
Other current assets
Other financial instruments
Marketable securities	37	10
Other current assets \| Interest rate swap contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative assets, designated	0	0
Other current assets \| Foreign currency contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative assets, designated	14	20
Other current assets \| Commodity contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative assets, designated	0	0
Other assets \| Interest rate swap contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative assets, designated	0	0
Other assets \| Foreign currency contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative assets, designated	0	0
Other accruals \| Interest rate swap contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative liabilities, designated	0	1
Other accruals \| Foreign currency contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative liabilities, designated	13	8
Other accruals \| Commodity contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative liabilities, designated	1	0
Other liabilities \| Interest rate swap contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative liabilities, designated	4	8
Other liabilities \| Foreign currency contracts
Designated derivative instruments
Derivative liabilities, designated	$ 15	$ 21

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments - Carrying Value and Estimated Fair Value of Long-term Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Carrying Value
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value of long-term debt	$ 6,656	$ 6,354
Fair Value, Inputs, Level 2
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Estimated fair value of long-term debt	6,783	6,434
Long-term Debt
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying amount of hedged item	394	888
Cumulative hedging adjustment included in the carrying amount	$ 4	$ 10

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments - Schedule of Notional Values (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value Hedges
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	$ 1,108	$ 1,227
Fair Value Hedges \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	708	327
Fair Value Hedges \| Foreign Currency Debt
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	0	0
Fair Value Hedges \| Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	400	900
Fair Value Hedges \| Commodity Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	0	0
Cash Flow Hedges
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	803	796
Cash Flow Hedges \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	791	782
Cash Flow Hedges \| Foreign Currency Debt
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	0	0
Cash Flow Hedges \| Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	0	0
Cash Flow Hedges \| Commodity Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	12	14
Net Investment Hedges
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	2,702	1,878
Net Investment Hedges \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	490	482
Net Investment Hedges \| Foreign Currency Debt
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	2,212	1,396
Net Investment Hedges \| Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	0	0
Net Investment Hedges \| Commodity Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional value	$ 0	$ 0

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments - Schedule of Gain (Loss) on Hedges Recognized in Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Cost of sales
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Total gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income	$ 4	$ (6)
Cost of sales \| Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instrument	0	0
Gain (loss) on hedged items	0	0
Cost of sales \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instrument	0	0
Gain (loss) on hedged items	0	0
Amount reclassified from OCI	3
Cost of sales \| Commodity contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI	1
Cost of sales \| Cash Flow Hedges \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI		(6)
Cost of sales \| Cash Flow Hedges \| Commodity contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI		0
Selling, general and administrative expenses
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Total gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses \| Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instrument	0	0
Gain (loss) on hedged items	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instrument	(1)	(13)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	1	13
Amount reclassified from OCI	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses \| Commodity contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses \| Cash Flow Hedges \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI		0
Selling, general and administrative expenses \| Cash Flow Hedges \| Commodity contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI		0
Interest (income) expense, net
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Total gain (loss) on hedges recognized in income	0	0
Interest (income) expense, net \| Interest Rate Swaps
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instrument	(3)	(10)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	3	10
Interest (income) expense, net \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Gain (loss) on derivative instrument	0	0
Gain (loss) on hedged items	0	0
Amount reclassified from OCI	0
Interest (income) expense, net \| Commodity contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI	$ 0
Interest (income) expense, net \| Cash Flow Hedges \| Foreign Currency Contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI		0
Interest (income) expense, net \| Cash Flow Hedges \| Commodity contracts
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Amount reclassified from OCI		$ 0

Fair Value Measurements and Financial Instruments - Schedule of Gain (Loss) Included in OCI (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2018
Cash flow hedges [Abstract]
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	$ (2)
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI		$ (8)
Foreign Currency Contracts
Cash flow hedges [Abstract]
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	(3)
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI		(8)
Net investment hedges [Abstract]
Gain (loss) on instruments	6
Gain (loss) on instruments		(18)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	(6)
Gain (loss) on hedged items		18
Commodity Contracts
Cash flow hedges [Abstract]
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI	1
Gain (loss) recognized in OCI		0
Foreign Currency Debt
Net investment hedges [Abstract]
Gain (loss) on instruments	29
Gain (loss) on instruments		(19)
Gain (loss) on hedged items	$ (29)
Gain (loss) on hedged items		$ 19

Leases - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Leases - Narrative (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease, right-of-use assets	$ 422
Operating lease, liability	530
Operating cash flows paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities	57
Lease assets obtained in exchange for lease liabilities	$ 22
Operating lease, weighted-average remaining lease term	4 years
Operating lease, weighted-average discount rate	4.00%
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02
Lessee, Lease, Description [Line Items]
Operating lease, right-of-use assets		$ 458
Operating lease, liability		$ 574

Leases - Balance Sheet (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Other assets	$ 422
Other accruals	161
Other liabilities	369
Total operating lease liabilities	$ 530

Leases - Schedule of Minimum Lease Commitments (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
As of March 31, 2019
2019	$ 137
2020	154
2021	119
2022	97
2023	45
Thereafter	21
Total lease commitments	573
Less: Interest	(43)
Present value of lease liabilities	$ 530
As of December 31, 2018
2019		$ 193
2020		165
2021		123
2022		102
2023		51
Thereafter		32
Total lease commitments		$ 666

Leases - Schedule of Lease Cost (Details) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Leases - Schedule of Lease Cost (Details) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2019 USD ($)
Leases [Abstract]
Operating lease cost	$ 45
Short-term lease cost	2
Variable lease cost	10
Sublease income	0
Total lease cost	$ 57