Colgate Palmolive (CL) Operating Expenses (2009 - 2026)
Colgate Palmolive's Operating Expenses was $2.13 billion in Q2 2026, up 8.5% from $1.96 billion a year earlier and up 2.6% from the prior quarter.
Colgate Palmolive (CL) Operating Expenses (2009 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
On a trailing twelve-month basis, Colgate Palmolive's Operating Expenses was $8.25 billion through Jun 30, 2026, up 6.6% year-over-year; for FY2025, it was $7.9 billion, up 2.3% from FY2024.
- Operating Expenses has now increased for seven consecutive years, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of 5.6% (FY2020 to FY2025).
- In earlier years, Operating Expenses was $7.73 billion in FY2024 (+8.1%), $7.15 billion in FY2023 (+8.9%), $6.57 billion in FY2022 (+2.5%) and $6.41 billion in FY2021 (+6.4%).
- The Q2 2026 figure marks the highest quarterly Operating Expenses in data going back to Q1 2009.
- Compared with a year earlier, Operating Expenses has increased for three straight quarters, with growth averaging 5.1% over the last eight quarters.
- The best year-over-year quarter for Operating Expenses over five years was Q3 2023 (growth of 11.5%); the worst was Q4 2021 (a decline of 2.1%).
- Per Business Quant data, CL's Operating Expenses in the three quarters before Q2 2026 was $2.08 billion (Q1 2026), $2.07 billion (Q4 2025) and $1.97 billion (Q3 2025).
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | Opex (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Procter & Gamble | 371.53 Bn | 327.28 Bn | 10.28 Bn | 6.33 Bn |
| 2 | Colgate Palmolive | 75.49 Bn | 70.22 Bn | 3.30 Bn | 2.13 Bn |
| 3 | Estee Lauder Companies | 38.41 Bn | 26.49 Bn | 2.74 Bn | 2.78 Bn |
| 4 | Kenvue | 37.04 Bn | 32.65 Bn | 2.30 Bn | 1.60 Bn |
| 5 | Kimberly Clark | 35.98 Bn | 33.18 Bn | 1.60 Bn | - |
| 6 | Church & Dwight | 25.05 Bn | 23.58 Bn | 693.90 Mn | 252.20 Mn |
| 7 | Clorox | 10.64 Bn | 8.92 Bn | 804.00 Mn | 330.00 Mn |
| 8 | e.l.f. Beauty | 6.78 Bn | 5.75 Bn | 398.84 Mn | 280.32 Mn |
| 9 | Reynolds Consumer Products | 4.84 Bn | 4.50 Bn | 245.00 Mn | 107.00 Mn |
| 10 | Bath & Body Works | 4.44 Bn | 2.09 Bn | 692.00 Mn | 476.00 Mn |
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 2.13 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2026 | 2.08 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 2.07 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 1.97 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2025 | 1.96 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2025 | 1.90 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 1.90 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2024 | 1.98 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2024 | 1.94 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2024 | 1.92 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 1.80 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2023 | 1.82 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2023 | 1.77 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2023 | 1.76 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 1.63 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2022 | 1.63 Bn |
| Jun 30, 2022 | 1.66 Bn |
| Mar 31, 2022 | 1.64 Bn |
| Dec 31, 2021 | 1.60 Bn |
| Sep 30, 2021 | 1.64 Bn |
Colgate Palmolive Operating Expenses API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=operating-expenses&ticker=CL&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY
import requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "operating-expenses", "ticker": "CL", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()
const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=operating-expenses&ticker=CL&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();