Colgate-Palmolive faces twin pressures as shareholder proposals target DEI board criteria and independent chair requirements ahead of its 8 May 2026 annual meeting, whilst rising oil-linked input costs squeeze margins. The company has urged investors to vote against both governance proposals. TD Cowen recently downgraded Colgate-Palmolive to Hold with a $85 price target, citing higher oil-based inputs and tallow costs as risks to earnings and margins. This comes despite the company's ongoing share repurchases and dividend increase to $0.53 per quarter. The company's narrative projects $22.8 billion revenue and $3.5 billion earnings by 2029, requiring 3.8% annual revenue growth. Investors question whether Colgate-Palmolive's global oral care and pet nutrition brands can offset cost inflation if commodity pressures persist.

Colgate Total partners Mumbai Indians; launches oral health initiative. Chennai: Colgate Total has partnered with Mumbai Indians as their Dental Performance Partner ahead of the 2026 season, introducing a new oral health initiative aimed at improving player performance. As part of the collaboration, Colgate has launched PLOT (Performance Linked Oral Test), a screening framework designed to assess and maintain players' dental health. The initiative integrates oral care into the team's overall performance and recovery strategy. Discover more Journalism & News Industry Long Distance Bus & Rail Dental screenings will be conducted by lead clinician Dr. Moez Khakiani using advanced intraoral scanning and WHO-based assessment methods to identify potential health concerns that may impact fitness. The programme is based on research linking oral health to systemic wellness, with poor dental hygiene potentially affecting recovery and endurance through inflammation. Colgate said the initiative highlights the importance of preventive care in sports, while Mumbai Indians emphasised that marginal health gains can significantly influence on-field performance. The partnership reflects a growing focus on science-led approaches to athlete health and performance management.

US judge allows class action against Colgate on kids' rinse labels - report. US District Judge Andrea Wood rejected Colgate's claim that shoppers would recognise rinses as over-the-counter drugs and rely on back-label FDA warnings. A US federal judge has ruled that Colgate-Palmolive must face two proposed class actions over alleged misleading packaging for children's mouth rinses, Reuters reported. The judge has dismissed a similar case involving toothpaste. Plaintiffs say Colgate's colourful packaging and flavours such as Bubble Fruit and Silly Strawberry suggest the rinses are safe for children under six. They said that this is despite US health guidance saying that children under six years of age should not use fluoride rinses and that children aged two to six years should use only "pea-sized" amounts of fluoride toothpaste. US District Judge Andrea Wood in Chicago said reasonable consumers might not know where to "draw the line" on rinses when labels prominently feature "kids" or "children's". She rejected Colgate's claim that shoppers would recognise rinses as over-the-counter drugs and rely on back-label FDA warnings. Wood found toothpaste labels different because they already direct children aged between two and six years to use pea-sized amounts. She wrote: "Viewed in context, the toothbrush with a full strip of toothpaste is there only to represent the act of toothbrushing." Requests for comment from Colgate and its legal team were not immediately answered. Plaintiffs' lawyer Michael Connett said courts have been open to deceptive labelling suits. "These rulings will hopefully send a wake-up call to manufacturers to stop promoting unsafe use of fluoride products," he noted. Last September, Colgate agreed to alter packaging for its Colgate, Tom's of Maine, and hello toothpaste brands following a probe by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton had deemed the brand's fluoride advertising "misleading". After an agreement with the attorney general, the company agreed to depict "safe, age-appropriate amounts" of toothpaste on its packaging and ads for children under six years old. Procter & Gamble (P&G) reached a similar agreement with Paxton earlier this year. Under the terms, the company agreed to update its Crest children's toothpaste marketing and packaging to clearly show the recommended amount of toothpaste for young users. Give your business an edge with its leading industry insights.