Owned By Who — UK brand ownership and animal-welfare database

Is Colgate vegan? Who owns Colgate?

Oral care and personal care brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company, offering toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, and related products

Personal CareLast verified 13 September 2026

The short answer

Colgate is owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company. Only some products are vegan. The brand or its owner sells animal-derived products. The wider brand or its owner sells animal products.

  • Is Colgate vegan?

    Some vegan lines

    Only some products are vegan

    Company's own statementSource: Cosmetics Design Europe

  • Is Colgate cruelty-free?

    Not cruelty-free

    The brand or its owner sells animal-derived products

    Company's own statementSource: PETA

  • Does Colgate or its owner sell animal products?

    Sells animal products

    Colgate-Palmolive, the parent company of the Colgate brand, manufactures and sells pet nutrition products through Hill's Pet Nutrition, a division that uses animal-derived ingredients in its products. Additionally, multiple Colgate-branded personal care products contain animal-derived ingredients: Colgate's soaps contain beef tallow, and glycerin in these soaps is certified pork-free but animal-derived. Traditional Colgate toothpaste formulations contain animal-based glycerin and bone char. The involvement with animal products occurs both at the brand level (Colgate toothpaste and soap products) and within the ownership chain (Hill's Pet Nutrition division uses animal-derived ingredients).

    Source

  • Who owns Colgate?

    Colgate-Palmolive Company

    Owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company

    Official registrySource: Oshwal-USA

Last verified 13 September 2026

Ownership chain

  1. Brand

    Colgate

  2. Parent company

    Colgate-Palmolive Company

    Colgate-Palmolive states it has a longstanding worldwide policy to minimize and ultimately eliminate animal testing. However, the company explicitly permits animal testing when specifically required by regulatory agencies or where alternative testing methods are unavailable. In 1999, the company declared a voluntary moratorium on animal testing of adult personal care products, but this does not apply universally across all product categories. The company invests in non-animal testing alternatives but continues to allow animal testing where legally mandated.Company's own statement

    Last verified 13 September 2026

Certifications

  • Leaping Bunny

    active

    Checked 13 September 2026 · Registry entry

    Leaping Bunny: Colgate is recorded as not listed.

  • PETA Cruelty-Free

    active

    Checked 13 September 2026 · Registry entry

    PETA Cruelty-Free: Colgate is recorded as not listed.

  • PETA Working for Regulatory Change

    active

    Checked 13 September 2026 · Registry entry

    PETA Working for Regulatory Change: Colgate is recorded as certified.

  • The Vegan Society

    active

    Checked 13 September 2026 · Registry entry

    The Vegan Society: Colgate is recorded as certified.

What this means

Our record lists Colgate as a brand of Colgate-Palmolive Company. Ownership is a separate question from how a product is made: a brand can hold its own certifications while its parent company operates under different policies.

Colgate appears on 4 schemes we check: Leaping Bunny, PETA Cruelty-Free, PETA Working for Regulatory Change, The Vegan Society. Each scheme sets its own criteria, so read the certifier's own entry, linked above, for what it covers.

On animal testing, our record for Colgate-Palmolive Company states: Colgate-Palmolive states it has a longstanding worldwide policy to minimize and ultimately eliminate animal testing. However, the company explicitly permits animal testing when specifically required by regulatory agencies or where alternative testing methods are unavailable. In 1999, the company declared a voluntary moratorium on animal testing of adult personal care products, but this does not apply universally across all product categories. The company invests in non-animal testing alternatives but continues to allow animal testing where legally mandated. We publish sourced facts and dates so you can judge them yourself; see how we verify.

Independent vegan alternatives

All alternatives to ColgateShop independent brands at Vegan Marketplace

Frequently asked questions

Is Colgate vegan?
Only some products are vegan. Recorded status: some vegan lines, last verified 13 September 2026.
Who owns Colgate?
Colgate is recorded as owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company.
Is Colgate cruelty-free?
The brand or its owner sells animal-derived products. Recorded status: not cruelty-free, last verified 13 September 2026.
Does Colgate-Palmolive Company test on animals?
Our record for Colgate-Palmolive Company states: Colgate-Palmolive states it has a longstanding worldwide policy to minimize and ultimately eliminate animal testing. However, the company explicitly permits animal testing when specifically required by regulatory agencies or where alternative testing methods are unavailable. In 1999, the company declared a voluntary moratorium on animal testing of adult personal care products, but this does not apply universally across all product categories. The company invests in non-animal testing alternatives but continues to allow animal testing where legally mandated.

Other brands under the same owner

Similar brands in this category

Last verified 13 September 2026

Sources

  1. Colgate-Palmolive Working for Regulatory Change status, not fully cruelty-free certifiedCertified

    Supports: PETA Cruelty-Free: Colgate is recorded as not listed.

    PETA · Accessed 13 September 2026

  2. Leaping Bunny certification status, animal testing policy detailsCertified

    Supports: Leaping Bunny: Colgate is recorded as not listed.

    Ethical Elephant · Accessed 13 September 2026

  3. Colgate Smile for Good certified vegan by The Vegan Society, UK availabilityCompany's own statement

    Supports: Colgate's core product range is not vegan and contains animal-derived ingredients including animal-based glycerin and bone char. However, the brand offers specific vegan-certified product lines: the 'Smile for Good' toothpaste range is certified vegan by The Vegan Society and available in UK supermarkets including Tesco, ASDA, Sainsbury's, Boots, and Superdrug. The majority of Colgate's mainstream toothpaste formulations do not disclose the source of glycerin, making their vegan status questionable.

    Cosmetics Design Europe · Accessed 13 September 2026

  4. Animal welfare policy, moratorium on testing, conditions for animal testingCompany's own statement

    Supports: Colgate is not certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny, PETA's cruelty-free list, or other third-party certifiers. While Colgate-Palmolive declared a voluntary moratorium on animal testing of adult personal care products in 1999, the company's policy permits animal testing 'where specifically required by regulatory agencies or where alternative testing methods are unavailable.' The company is listed by PETA as 'Working for Regulatory Change' rather than fully cruelty-free. Because the company sells in markets where animal testing is mandated by law (such as mainland China for imported cosmetics), it does not meet cruelty-free standards that require prohibition of all animal testing.

    Colgate-Palmolive · Accessed 13 September 2026

  5. Colgate soap and personal care products contain beef tallow and animal-derived glycerinCompany's own statement

    Supports: Colgate-Palmolive, the parent company of the Colgate brand, manufactures and sells pet nutrition products through Hill's Pet Nutrition, a division that uses animal-derived ingredients in its products. Additionally, multiple Colgate-branded personal care products contain animal-derived ingredients: Colgate's soaps contain beef tallow, and glycerin in these soaps is certified pork-free but animal-derived. Traditional Colgate toothpaste formulations contain animal-based glycerin and bone char. The involvement with animal products occurs both at the brand level (Colgate toothpaste and soap products) and within the ownership chain (Hill's Pet Nutrition division uses animal-derived ingredients).

    Oshwal-USA · Accessed 13 September 2026

  6. Animal welfare policy, moratorium on testing, conditions for animal testingCompany's own statement

    Supports: <cite index="28-1,28-2">Colgate-Palmolive declared a voluntary moratorium on all animal testing of adult personal care products and ingredients in 1999, which remains in effect worldwide.</cite> However, <cite index="28-8">animal testing is conducted where specifically required by regulatory agencies or where alternative testing methods are unavailable to ensure product safety.</cite> <cite index="28-9">In such instances, tests are conducted only at contract facilities meeting government standards and more rigorous requirements established by Colgate with input from animal welfare groups.</cite> <cite index="30-5">Over 99 percent of internal requests for safety assessment are addressed using available databases and non-animal alternatives.</cite>

    Colgate-Palmolive · Accessed 13 September 2026

  7. Company's own statement

    Supports: Oral care and personal care brand owned by Colgate-Palmolive Company, offering toothpaste, mouthwash, toothbrushes, and related products

    Accessed 13 September 2026

  8. Colgate Smile for Good certified vegan by The Vegan Society, UK availabilityCertified

    Supports: The Vegan Society: Colgate is recorded as certified.

    Cosmetics Design Europe · Accessed 13 September 2026

  9. Colgate-Palmolive Working for Regulatory Change status, not fully cruelty-free certifiedCertified

    Supports: PETA Working for Regulatory Change: Colgate is recorded as certified.

    PETA · Accessed 13 September 2026

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