View source for Procter & Gamble

{{Short description|American multinational consumer goods corporation}}
{{Redirect|P&G|other uses|PG (disambiguation){{!}}PG}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = The Procter & Gamble Company
| logo = Procter & Gamble logo.svg
| logo_caption = Secondary logo since 2013, concurrently used with the 2002 lettermark
| logo_size = 150px
| image = Cincinnati-procter-and-gamble-headquarters.jpg
| image_size = 250px
| image_caption = Headquarters in Cincinnati
| trade_name = P&G
| type = [[Public company|Public]]
| traded_as = {{Unbulleted list|{{NYSE|PG}}|[[Dow Jones Industrial Average|DJIA]] component|[[S&P 100]] component|[[S&P 500]] component}}
| industry = {{Unbulleted list|[[Fast-moving consumer goods|Consumer goods]]|[[Household products]]}}
| founded = {{Start date and age|1837|10|31}}
| founders = {{Unbulleted list|[[William Procter (industrialist)|William Procter]]|[[James Gamble (industrialist)|James Gamble]]}}
| hq_location = [[Cincinnati]], Ohio
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people = {{ubl|[[Jon R. Moeller]]|([[chairman]], [[President (corporate title)|president]] and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]])}}
| products = {{hlist|[[Cleaning agent]]s|[[skin care]]|[[personal care]]|[[dietary supplement]]s}}
| brands = See [[list of Procter & Gamble brands]]
| revenue = {{increase}} {{USD|84.04 billion|link=yes}} (2024)
| operating_income = {{increase}} {{USD|18.55 billion}} (2024)
| net_income = {{increase}} {{USD|14.88 billion}} (2024)
| assets = {{increase}} {{USD|122.4 billion}} (2024)
| equity = {{increase}} {{USD|50.56 billion}} (2024)
| num_employees = 108,000
| num_employees_year = 2024
| subsid = {{ubl|[[Procter & Gamble Korea]]|[[Procter & Gamble Pakistan]]|[[Procter & Gamble Philippines]]|Procter & Gamble Australia Pty. Ltd.|[[Braun (company)|Braun]]}}
| homepage = {{URL|https://pg.com/}}
| footnotes = Financials {{as of|2024|06|30|lc=y|df=US|pre=fiscal year ended}}.<br/>References:<ref name=10K>{{cite web |url=https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/80424/000008042424000083/pg-20240630.htm |title=P&G Co. FY 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K) |date=August 5, 2024 |publisher=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission}}</ref>
}}
{{multiple image
|header = 
|align = right
|direction = vertical
|total_width = 175
|image1 = P&G Logo 2001.svg
|caption1 = Logo used from 1992 to 2002.
|image2 = P&G logo.svg
|caption2= Primary logo used since 2002 on P&G branded products, formerly used as a corporate logo until 2013.
}}

'''The Procter & Gamble Company''' ('''P&G''') is an American multinational [[Final good|consumer goods]] [[corporation]] headquartered in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio and incorporated in Ohio.<ref name=10K/> 

The company operates five divisions: Beauty (18% of 2024 revenues), which includes [[Head & Shoulders]], [[Herbal Essences]], [[Pantene]], Rejoice, [[Olay]], [[Old Spice]], [[Safeguard]], [[Secret (deodorant brand)|Secret]], SK-II, and Native; Grooming (8% of 2024 revenues), which includes [[Braun (company)|Braun]], [[Gillette]], and Venus; Health Care (14% of 2024 revenues), which includes [[Crest (toothpaste)|Crest]], [[Oral-B]], [[Metamucil]], [[Neurobion]], [[Pepto-Bismol]], and [[Vicks]]; Fabric & Home Care (36% of 2024 revenues), which includes [[Ariel (detergent)|Ariel]], [[Downy]], Gain, [[Tide (brand)|Tide]], Cascade, [[Dawn (brand)|Dawn]], [[Fairy (brand)|Fairy]], [[Febreze]], [[Mr. Clean]], and [[Swiffer]]; and Baby, Feminine & Family Care (24% of 2024 revenues), which includes [[Luvs]], [[Pampers]], [[Always (brand)|Always]], [[Tampax]], [[Bounty (brand)|Bounty]], [[Charmin]], and Puffs.<ref name=10K/> The company owns brands that are in many cases the global brand leader in their category.<ref name=10K/>  Many of the brands have a [[market share]] greater than 25%.<ref name=10K/> 

The company generates 48% of its sales in the United States and 52% of its sales in other countries.<ref name=10K/> The company manufactures 90% of its merchandise in the United States.<ref name=fuel/><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://money.cnn.com/2018/09/21/news/companies/trump-trade-war-china-procter-and-gamble/index.html | title=The trade war reaches Procter & Gamble -- and into the medicine cabinet | first=Nathaniel | last=Meyersohn | work=[[CNN]] | date=September 21, 2018}}</ref>

The company is ranked 51st on the [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fortune.com/company/procter-gamble/ | title=Fortune: Procter & Gamble | publisher=[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] | url-access=subscription}}</ref> and 60th on the [[Forbes Global 2000|''Forbes'' Global 2000]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Forbes: Procter & Gamble | url=https://www.forbes.com/companies/procter-gamble/ | work=[[Forbes]]}}</ref>

The company was founded in 1837 by [[William Procter (industrialist)|William Procter]] and [[James Gamble (industrialist)|James Gamble]].

== History ==

=== Origins ===
Candlemaker [[William Procter (industrialist)|William Procter]], born in England, and soap maker [[James Gamble (industrialist)|James Gamble]], born in [[Ireland]], both emigrated to the US from the United Kingdom. They initially settled in [[Cincinnati]], Ohio, and met when they married sisters Olivia and Elizabeth Norris.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dyer |first1=Davis |first2=Frederick |last2=Dalzell |first3=Rowena |last3=Olegario |title=Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter & Gamble |publisher=Harvard Business School Press |year=2004 |isbn=1-59139-147-4 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/risingtide00davi}}</ref> Alexander Norris, their father-in-law, persuaded them to become business partners, and in 1837, Procter & Gamble was created.

From 1858 to 1859, sales reached $1&nbsp;million. By that point, about 80 employees worked for Procter & Gamble. During the [[American Civil War]], the company won contracts to supply the [[Union Army]] with soap and candles. In addition to the increased profits experienced during the war, the military contracts introduced soldiers from all over the country to Procter & Gamble's products.

In the 1880s, Procter & Gamble began to market a new product, an inexpensive soap that floated in water.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/protor-gamble-makes-everything-2011-2|title=How Procter & Gamble Became The Maker Of EVERYTHING You Buy For Your House|last=Horowitz|first=Alana|website=Business Insider|access-date=October 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010185635/https://www.businessinsider.com/protor-gamble-makes-everything-2011-2|archive-date=October 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> The company called the soap [[Ivory (soap)|Ivory]].<ref name=":0" /> William Arnett Procter, William Procter's grandson, began a [[profit-sharing]] program for the company's [[workforce]] in 1887. By giving the workers a stake in the company, he correctly assumed that they would be less likely to go on strike.

The company began to build factories in other locations in the United States because the demand for products had outgrown the capacity of the Cincinnati facilities. The company's leaders began to diversify its products as well, and in 1911 the company began producing [[Crisco]], a [[shortening]] made of [[vegetable oils]] rather than [[animal fat]]s.<ref name=":0" />

Beginning in the 1880s, P&G advertised its wares in full-page advertisements in many general-interest magazines. By 1921, it had become a major international corporation with a diversified line of soaps, toiletries, and food products; in that year, its annual advertising budget reached $1 million.  In the 1920s, P&G advertised its products on the new medium of radio and, from 1932 forward, was one of the biggest sponsors of daytime serials, which soon acquired the nickname of ''[[soap opera]]s''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Robert C. |title=Speaking of Soap Operas |date=1985 |publisher=University of North Carolina Press |location=Chapel Hill, N. C. |isbn=0807841293 |pages=107–110, 115–116 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U2zGpxIGUGsC |access-date=July 11, 2021}}</ref>  In the television era, P&G sponsored and produced some twenty soap operas across six decades; the division went on a hiatus after the end of ''[[As the World Turns]]'' in 2010 before ''[[The Gates (2025 TV series)|The Gates]]'' launched on CBS in 2025 as a co-production with P&G.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/arts/television/09soap.html |title=CBS Cancels ''As the World Turns'', Procter & Gamble's Last Soap Opera |work=The New York Times|date=December 9, 2009|access-date=September 17, 2010 | first1=Bill | last1=Carter | first2=Brian | last2=Stelter}}</ref>

=== International expansion ===
The company moved into other countries, both in terms of manufacturing and product sales, becoming an international corporation with its 1930 acquisition of the [[Thomas Hedley Co.]],<ref name=":0" /> based in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], England. After this acquisition, Procter & Gamble had their UK Headquarters at Hedley House in Newcastle upon Tyne, until quite recently, when they moved to The Heights, [[Brooklands (Greater Manchester)|Brooklands]]. Numerous new products and brand names were introduced over time, and Procter & Gamble began branching out into new areas. The company introduced [[Tide (brand)|Tide]] laundry [[detergent]] in 1946,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124946926161107433|title=Tide Turns 'Basic' for P&G in Slump|last=Byron|first=Ellen|date=August 7, 2009|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=October 10, 2019|issn=0099-9660|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010185636/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124946926161107433|archive-date=October 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Prell]] shampoo in 1947<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/06/business/company-news-procter-gamble-considers-selling-its-prell-brand.html|title=Company News; Procter & Gamble Considers Selling Its Prell Brand|agency=Reuters|date=May 6, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 10, 2019|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010185638/https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/06/business/company-news-procter-gamble-considers-selling-its-prell-brand.html|archive-date=October 10, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> and Joy, the first liquid synthetic detergent in 1949.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/money/Procter-and-Gamble-Company | title=Procter & Gamble Company  | work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref>

In 1955, Procter & Gamble began selling the first toothpaste to contain [[fluoride]], known as [[Crest (toothpaste)|Crest]].<ref name=":0" /> Branching out once again in 1957, the company purchased [[paper mill]]s from [[Charmin]] and began manufacturing [[toilet paper]] and other [[tissue paper]] products. Once again focusing on laundry, Procter & Gamble began making [[Downy]]-branded [[fabric softener]] in 1960 and Bounce fabric softener sheets in 1972.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pg.com/productsafety/ingredients/household_care/laundary_fabric_care/Bounce/Bounce_Dryer_Sheets_-_All_Varieties.pdf |title=Bounce Dryer Sheets |website=Procter & Gamble |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204044432/http://www.pg.com/productsafety/ingredients/household_care/laundary_fabric_care/Bounce/Bounce_Dryer_Sheets_-_All_Varieties.pdf |archive-date=December 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> From 1957 to 1968, Procter & Gamble owned [[Clorox]], the leading American manufacturer of liquid bleach; however, the [[Federal Trade Commission]] challenged the acquisition, and the U.S. Supreme Court decided against P&G in April 1967.<ref>''FTC v. Procter & Gamble Co.,'' {{ussc|386|568}}.</ref>

One of the most revolutionary products to come out on the market was the company's disposable [[Pampers]] diaper, first test-marketed in 1961, the same year Procter & Gamble came out with [[Head & Shoulders]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/risingtide00davi |url-access=registration |quote=william a procter president. | title=Rising Tide: Lessons from 165 Years of Brand Building at Procter and Gamble |publisher=Harvard Business Press |date=May 1, 2004 | access-date=March 4, 2016 |last=Dyer|first=Davis |page=[https://archive.org/details/risingtide00davi/page/423 423] |display-authors=etal| isbn=9781591391470}}</ref> Prior to this point, [[disposable diapers]] were not popular, although [[Johnson & Johnson]] had developed a product called Chux. Babies always wore cloth diapers, which were leaky and labor-intensive to wash. Pampers provided a convenient alternative, albeit at the environmental cost of more waste requiring [[landfill]]ing. Amid the recent concerns parents have voiced on the ingredients in diapers, Pampers launched Pampers Pure collection in 2018, which is a "natural" diaper alternative.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180222006020/en/Goodbye-Compromise-Pampers-Pure-Protection-Works|title=Say Goodbye to Compromise, Say Hello to Pampers Pure Protection That Works|access-date=October 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001182406/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180222006020/en/Goodbye-Compromise-Pampers-Pure-Protection-Works|archive-date=October 1, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Further developments ===
Procter & Gamble acquired a number of other companies that diversified its product line and significantly increased profits. These acquisitions included [[Folgers Coffee]], Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals (the makers of [[Pepto-Bismol]]), Richardson-Vicks, Noxell ([[Noxzema]]), Shulton's [[Old Spice]], [[Max Factor]], the [[Iams]] Company, and [[Pantene]], among others. In 1994, the company made headlines for big losses resulting from leveraged positions in [[interest rate derivative]]s, and subsequently sued [[Bankers Trust]] for fraud; this placed their management in the unusual position of testifying in court that they had entered into transactions that they were not capable of understanding. In 1996, P&G again made headlines when the [[Food and Drug Administration]] approved a new product developed by the company, [[Olestra]]. Also known by its brand name 'Olean', Olestra is a lower-calorie substitute for fat in cooking [[potato chip]]s and other snacks.

In January 2005, P&G announced the acquisition of [[Gillette]], forming the largest consumer goods company and placing [[Unilever]] into second place.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/2005/01/28/news/fortune500/pg_gillette/ |title=P&G to buy Gillette in $57B stock deal |date=January 28, 2005 |first=Chris |last=Isidore |website=CNN Money |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015155936/http://money.cnn.com/2005/01/28/news/fortune500/pg_gillette/ |archive-date=October 15, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> This added brands such as Gillette razors, [[Duracell]], [[Braun (company)|Braun]], and [[Oral-B]] to their stable. The acquisition was approved by the [[European Union]] and the [[Federal Trade Commission]], with conditions to a spinoff of certain overlapping brands. P&G agreed to sell its SpinBrush battery-operated [[electric toothbrush]] business to [[Church & Dwight]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Berman|first1=Dennis K.|last2=Ellison|first2=Sarah|title=P&G Plans to Sell SpinBrush Unit To Advance Merger|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112666741099640161|access-date=March 4, 2016|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=September 14, 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307051448/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB112666741099640161|archive-date=March 7, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> and Gillette's [[Rembrandt toothpaste]] line to [[Johnson & Johnson]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/10/24/daily6.html |title=P&G sells Rembrandt to Johnson & Johnson | work=[[American City Business Journals]] |date=October 24, 2005 | url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108043622/http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2005/10/24/daily6.html|archive-date=November 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> The [[deodorant]] brands [[Right Guard]], Soft and Dri, and Dry Idea were sold to [[Dial Corporation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dial Agrees to Buy P&G Deodorant Brands |date=February 21, 2006 |first=Constance |last=Wherrity |website=Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York blog |url=http://www.piercemattie.com/blogs/2006/02/dial_agrees_to_buy_pg_deodoran.html |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501084954/http://www.piercemattie.com/blogs/2006/02/dial_agrees_to_buy_pg_deodoran.html |archive-date=May 1, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 2001, [[Liquid Paper]] and Gillette's stationery division, [[Paper Mate]], were sold to [[Newell Rubbermaid]]. The companies officially merged on October 1, 2005. In 2008, P&G branched into the record business with its sponsorship of Tag Records, as an endorsement for [[TAG Body Spray]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/07/10/brand-advisory.aspx |title=P&G Must Proceed With Caution |website=Marketing Doctor Blog |date=July 10, 2008 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410104012/http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/07/10/brand-advisory.aspx |archive-date=April 10, 2012}}</ref>

P&G's dominance in many categories of consumer products makes its [[brand management]] decisions worthy of study.{{According to whom|date=June 2023}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/06/06/dr-tantillos-30second-how-to.aspx |title=How To Learn From GE and P&G When The World Is About To Change |website=Marketing Doctor Blog |date=June 6, 2008 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622005938/http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/06/06/dr-tantillos-30second-how-to.aspx |archive-date=June 22, 2012}}</ref> For example, P&G's corporate strategists must account for the likelihood of one of their products [[cannibalization (marketing)|cannibalizing the sales of another]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Horstman |first=Barry M |title=John G. Smale: He rebuilt P&G – and city, too |date=October 11, 2005 |newspaper=The Cincinnati Post |url=http://www.cincypost.com/living/1999/smale101199.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050405123913/http://www.cincypost.com/living/1999/smale101199.html |archive-date=April 5, 2005}}</ref>

In August 2009, [[Warner Chilcott]] acquired P&G's prescription-drug business for $3.1&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125111032092353427 |title=Warner Chilcott to pay $3.1 for P&G's drug business |first1=Anjali |last1=Cordieiro |first2=Peter |last2=Loftus |date=August 25, 2009 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125134712/http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB125111032092353427 |archive-date=January 25, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

P&G exited the food business in 2012 when it sold its [[Pringles]] snack food business to [[Kellogg's]] for $2.75&nbsp;billion after the $2.35&nbsp;billion deal with former suitor [[Diamond Foods]] fell short.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Suppliers2/P-G-sells-Pringles-to-Kellogg-after-Diamond-deal-loses-its-luster |title=P&G sells Pringles to Kellog after Diamond deal loses its luster |first=Elaine |last=Watson |date=February 15, 2012 |website=The Food Navigator |access-date=May 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130722092308/http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Suppliers2/P-G-sells-Pringles-to-Kellogg-after-Diamond-deal-loses-its-luster |archive-date=July 22, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The company had previously sold [[Jif (peanut butter)|Jif peanut butter]], Crisco shortening and oils, and [[Folgers]] coffee in separate transactions to fellow Ohio-based company [[The J.M. Smucker Company|Smucker's]].

In April 2014, the company sold its [[Iams]] pet food business in all markets excluding Europe to [[Mars, Incorporated|Mars, Inc.]] for $2.9&nbsp;billion.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Wahba|first1=Phil|title=P&G selling pet food brands to Mars for $2.9&nbsp;billion|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mars-pgpetcare-acquisition-idUSBREA3811O20140409|access-date=March 4, 2016|website=Reuters|date=April 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305024933/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mars-pgpetcare-acquisition-idUSBREA3811O20140409|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> It sold the European Iams business to [[Spectrum Brands]] in December 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Spectrum Brands Holdings Completes Acquisition of the European IAMS and Eukanuba Pet Food Business|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141231005340/en/Spectrum-Brands-Holdings-Completes-Acquisition-European-IAMS|access-date=March 4, 2016|website=Business Wire|date=December 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422052736/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20141231005340/en/Spectrum-Brands-Holdings-Completes-Acquisition-European-IAMS|archive-date=April 22, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Restructuring ===
On August 1, 2014, P&G announced it was streamlining the company, dropping and selling off around 100 brands from its product portfolio in order to focus on the remaining 65 brands,<ref name="Coolidge">{{cite news |last1=Coolidge |first1=Alexander |title=P&G brand sales, restructuring will cut jobs up to 19% |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/07/09/pg-spins-off-covergirl-wella-and-fragrance/29903547/ |access-date=March 3, 2016 |newspaper=Cincinnati Enquirer |date=July 10, 2015}}</ref> which produced 95% of the company's profits. [[A.G. Lafley]], the company's chairman and CEO until October 2015, said the future P&G would be "a much simpler, much less complex company of leading brands that's easier to manage and operate".<ref name="BrandReduction">{{cite news |title=Around 100 brands to be dropped by Procter and Gamble to boost sales |url=http://www.cincinnatinews.net/index.php/sid/224358103/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/Around-100-brands-to-be-dropped-by-Procter-and-Gamble-to-boost-sales |access-date=August 2, 2014 |website=Cincinnati News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140808055326/http://www.cincinnatinews.net/index.php/sid/224358103/scat/3a8a80d6f705f8cc/ht/Around-100-brands-to-be-dropped-by-Procter-and-Gamble-to-boost-sales |archive-date=August 8, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

In March 2015, the company divested its [[Vicks]] VapoSteam U.S. liquid inhalant business to [[Helen of Troy Limited|Helen of Troy]], part of a brand-restructuring operation. This deal was the first health-related divestiture under the brand-restructuring operation. The deal included a fully paid-up license to the Vicks VapoSteam trademarks and the U.S. license of P&G's Vicks VapoPad trademarks for scent pads. Most Vicks VapoSteam and VapoPads are used in Vicks humidifiers, vaporizers and other health care devices already marketed by Helen of Troy.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Coolidge|first1=Alexander|title=P&G sells health brand|url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/03/31/pg-sells-health-brand/70751156/|website=Cincinnati.com|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125134712/http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2015/03/31/pg-sells-health-brand/70751156/|archive-date=January 25, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Later that same year in July, the company announced the sale of 43 of its beauty brands to [[Coty, Inc.|Coty]], a beauty-product manufacturer, in a US$13&nbsp;billion deal. It cited sluggish growth of its beauty division as the reason for the divestiture.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Oyedele|first1=Akin|title=Procter & Gamble just sold 43 of its brands for $12.5&nbsp;billion|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/procter-and-gamble-merging-43-brands-with-coty-2015-7|website=Business Insider|date=July 9, 2015|access-date=July 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710102743/http://www.businessinsider.com/procter-and-gamble-merging-43-brands-with-coty-2015-7|archive-date=July 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ng|first1=Serena|last2=Dulaney|first2=Chelsey|title=Procter & Gamble Agrees to Sell Beauty Brands|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/procter-gamble-agrees-to-sell-beauty-businesses-1436444762|newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=July 9, 2015|date=July 9, 2015|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710074221/http://www.wsj.com/articles/procter-gamble-agrees-to-sell-beauty-businesses-1436444762|archive-date=July 10, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=P&G confirms names of all 43 brands sold to Coty |url=http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/PG_confirms_names_of_all_43_brands_sold_to_Coty/110199 |access-date=March 4, 2016 |website=Cosmetics Business |date=July 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310130317/http://www.cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/PG_confirms_names_of_all_43_brands_sold_to_Coty/110199 |archive-date=March 10, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> The sale was completed on October 3, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Coty Completes Merger with P&G Specialty Beauty Business|url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161002005073/en/Coty-Completes-Merger-PG-Specialty-Beauty-Business|access-date=October 27, 2016|website=Business Wire|date=October 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112032814/http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161002005073/en/Coty-Completes-Merger-PG-Specialty-Beauty-Business|archive-date=November 12, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2016, P&G completed the transfer of [[Duracell]] to [[Berkshire Hathaway]] through an exchange of shares.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Coolidge|first1=Alexander|title=Duracell leaves P&G fold|url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/03/01/duracell-leaves-pg-fold/81143732/|access-date=March 2, 2016|website=Cincinnati.com|date=March 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402151032/https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2016/03/01/duracell-leaves-pg-fold/81143732/|archive-date=April 2, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2018, Procter & Gamble completed the acquisition of the consumer health division of [[Merck Group]] (known as EMD Serono in North America) for €3.4 billion ($4.2 billion) and renamed it as Procter & Gamble Health Limited in May 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pharmaphorum.com/news/pg-completes-acquisition-merck-kgaas-otc-division/|title=P&G completes acquisition of Merck KGaA's OTC division -|last=Underwood|first=George|date=December 3, 2018|website=pharmaphorum.com|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/p-g-renames-merck-as-procter-gamble-health-ltd-1557211127259.html|title=P&G renames Merck Limited as Procter & Gamble Health Ltd|last=Thacker|first=Teena|date=May 7, 2019|website=Mint|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref>

In November 2018, P&G unveiled a simpler corporate structure with six business units that will be effective from July 2019.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-procter-gamble-strategy-idUSKCN1ND37M|title=P&G restructures operations, creates six business units|newspaper=Reuters|date=November 8, 2018|via=www.reuters.com|access-date=February 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124203551/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-procter-gamble-strategy-idUSKCN1ND37M|archive-date=January 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2023, the company began optimizing its product offering. As part of this strategy, it plans to eliminate the bottom 25% of [[SKU]]s, which contribute very little to absolute retail sales. According to other comparable companies, a similar share of SKUs represents between 2% and 2.5% of its turnover at a global level.<ref>{{Cite web|language=en|url=https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/procter-gamble-s-latest-earnings-show-brand-power-might-be-returning|title=Procter & Gamble's latest earnings show brand power might be returning|website=Supermarket News|date=July 31, 2023 |access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=July 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731203700/https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/procter-gamble-s-latest-earnings-show-brand-power-might-be-returning}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|language=en|url=https://consumergoods.com/pg-trimming-skus-part-collaborative-commerce-strategy|title=P&G Trimming SKUs As Part of Collaborative Commerce Strategy|website=CGT|date=July 28, 2023 |access-date=February 26, 2024|archive-date=July 31, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731203848/https://consumergoods.com/pg-trimming-skus-part-collaborative-commerce-strategy}}</ref>

In June 2025, the company announced 7,000 layoffs over the following 2 years due to uncertainty regarding [[Tariffs in the second Trump administration]].<ref name=fuel>{{Cite news | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/05/business/procter-gamble-job-cuts-tariffs-intl | title=Pampers diaper maker will slash 7,000 jobs as tariffs fuel uncertainty | agency=[[Reuters]] | work=[[CNN]] | date=June 5, 2025}}</ref>

== Finances ==
For the fiscal year 2018, Procter & Gamble reported earnings of US$9.750 billion, with an annual revenue of US$66.832 billion, an increase of 2.7% over the previous fiscal cycle. The company's shares traded at over $86 per share in 2017, and its [[market capitalization]] was valued at over US$221.5 billion in October 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pginvestor.com/CustomPage/Index?KeyGenPage=1073748359|title=Annual Reports {{!}} P&G|website=www.pginvestor.com|access-date=November 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107185338/http://www.pginvestor.com/CustomPage/Index?KeyGenPage=1073748359|archive-date=November 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The company ranked No. 42 on the 2018 [[Fortune 500|''Fortune'' 500]] list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.
{| class="wikitable float-left" style="text-align: right;"
!Year
!Revenue<br />in million US$
!Net income<br />in million US$
!Total assets<br />in millions US$
!Employees
|-
|2005
|56,741
|6,923
|61,527
|
|-
|2006
|68,222
|8,684
|135,695
|
|-
|2007
|74,832
|10,340
|138,014
|
|-
|2008
|79,257
|12,075
|143,992
|
|-
|2009
|76,694
|13,436
|134,833
|135,000
|-
|2010
|78,938
|12,517
|128,172
|127,000
|-
|2011
|82,559
|11,564
|138,354
|129,000
|-
|2012
|83,680
|10,500
|132,244
|126,000
|-
|2013
|84,167
|11,068
|139,263
|121,000
|-
|2014
|83,062
|11,390
|144,266
|118,000
|-
|2015
|76,279
| 6,777
|129,495
|110,000
|-
|2016
|65,299
|10,508
|127,136
|105,000
|-
|2017
|65,058
|15,326
|120,406
|95,000
|-
|2018
|66,832
|9,750
|118,310
|92,000
|-
|2019
|67,684
|3,897
|115,095
|97,000
|-
|2020
|70,950
|12,764
|120,700
|99,000
|-
|2021
|76,118
|14,035
|119,307
|101,000
|-
|2022
|81,286
|15,306
|117,914
|103,000
|-
|2023
|82,006
|14,653
|120,829
|107,000
|-
|2024
|84,039
|14,879
|122,370
|108,000
|}

==Management==

=== Board of directors ===
{{As of|2025|2}} the board of directors of Procter & Gamble has 14 members:<ref>{{cite web |title=Board Composition |url=https://us.pg.com/board-of-directors/ |access-date=March 5, 2024 |website=Procter & Gamble}}</ref>

{{columns-list|colwidth=28em|
* [[B. Marc Allen]]
* [[Brett Biggs]]
* [[Sheila Bonini]]
* [[Amy L. Chang]]
* [[Joseph Jimenez]]
* [[Christopher Kempczinski]]
* [[Debra L. Lee]]
* [[Terry J. Lundgren]]
* [[Christine McCarthy]]
* [[Ashley McEvoy]]
* [[Jon R. Moeller]]
* [[Rob Portman]]
* [[Raj Subramaniam]]
* [[Patricia A. Woertz]]
}}

Previous members of the board include:
* [[W. James McNerney, Jr.]]
* [[Nelson Peltz]]
* [[Scott Cook]]
* [[Angela Braly]]
* [[Frank Blake (businessman)|Frank Blake]]
* [[Meg Whitman]]

In March 2011, [[Rajat Gupta]] resigned from the board after an [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission|SEC]] accusation of [[Galleon Group]] [[insider trading]].<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.pg.com/en_US/news_views/blog_posts/2011/mar/rajat_gupta.shtml |title=P&G Views |publisher=Procter & Gamble |date=March 1, 2011 |access-date=February 15, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305034730/http://www.pg.com/en_US/news_views/blog_posts/2011/mar/rajat_gupta.shtml |archive-date=March 5, 2011}}</ref>

In May 2011, the company was noted for having 11 female directors that were all on the Most Powerful Women list by ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fortune.com/2011/05/05/pg-rates-an-a-for-board-diversity/|title=P&G rates an "A" for board diversity |last=Sellers |first=Patricia |date=May 5, 2011 |work=[[CNN]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425091751/http://postcards.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2011/05/05/pg-rates-an-a-for-board-diversity/ |archive-date=April 25, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In May 2013, [[Robert A. McDonald]] announced his retirement and was replaced by [[A.G. Lafley]], who returned as chairman, president, and CEO.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/ag-lafley-rejoins-procter-gamble-chairman-president-and-chi |title=A.G. Lafley Rejoins Procter & Gamble as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer |publisher=Procter & Gamble |date=May 23, 2013 |access-date=May 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607185519/http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/ag-lafley-rejoins-procter-gamble-chairman-president-and-chi |archive-date=June 7, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Procter & Gamble is a member of the [[U.S. Global Leadership Coalition]], a Washington, DC–based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger international affairs budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usglc.org/about/our-coalition |title=Global Trust members |website=U.S. Global Leadership Coalition |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170727214451/http://www.usglc.org/about/our-coalition/ |archive-date=July 27, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Senior executives ===
* Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer{{snd}}[[Jon R. Moeller]] (2021-)<ref>{{cite web | last=Mangan | first=Dan | title=Procter & Gamble names Jon Moeller as new CEO, will replace current chief David Taylor in November | website=CNBC | date=July 29, 2021 | url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/29/procter-gamble-names-jon-moeller-as-its-new-ceo-replacing-david-taylor-effective-november.html | access-date=December 25, 2021}}</ref>
* Chief Operating Officer{{snd}}[[Shailesh G. Jejurikar]]

==Awards and recognition==
Procter & Gamble ranked 2nd in the world in the 2024 review of [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]]'s annual [[World Intellectual Property Indicators]], with 525 designs in industrial design registrations being published under the [[Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs|Hague System]] during 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hague Yearly Review 2024 |url=https://www.wipo.int/edocs/pubdocs/en/wipo-pub-930-2024-en-hague-yearly-review-2024.pdf |website=wipo.int}}</ref>

''Fortune'' magazine awarded P&G a top spot on its list of "Global Top Companies for Leaders", and ranked the company at 15th place of the "World's Most Admired Companies" list.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/2013/list/?iid=wma_sp_full |title=Fortune's List of World's Most Admired Companies |website=CNN Money |date=August 7, 2013 |access-date=August 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808235056/http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/most-admired/2013/list/?iid=wma_sp_full |archive-date=August 8, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''Chief Executive'' magazine named P&G the best overall company for leadership development in its list of the "40 Best Companies for Leaders".

In October 2008, P&G was named one of "[[Canada's Top 100 Employers]]" by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and was featured in ''[[Maclean's]]'' [[newsmagazine]]. Later that month, P&G was also named one of [[Greater Toronto's Top Employers]], which was announced by the ''[[Toronto Star]]'' newspaper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eluta.ca/top-employer-procter-%26-gamble |title=Reasons for Selection, 2009 Canada's Top 100 Employers Competition |website=eluta.ca |access-date=January 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090206221415/http://www.eluta.ca/top-employer-procter-%26-gamble |archive-date=February 6, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2013, the company was named the fourth-most in-demand employer in the world according to analytic data sourced by LinkedIn.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.linkedin.com/indemand/|title=North America's Most InDemand Employers: 2014|website=Linkedin.com}}</ref>

In August 2013, P&G was named the 14th-hardest company to interview for by Glassdoor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoors-top-25-difficult-companies-interview-2013/ |title=Glassdoor's Top 25 Most Difficult Companies To Interview (2013) |website=Glassdoor Blog |access-date=March 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140421105919/http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/glassdoors-top-25-difficult-companies-interview-2013/ |archive-date=April 21, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2013, Glassdoor also named them as a top 25 company for career opportunities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glassdoor.com/Top-Companies-for-Career-Opportunities-LST_KQ0,38.htm |title=Top 25 Companies for Career Opportunities |website=Glassdoor |access-date=March 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327222231/http://www.glassdoor.com/Top-Companies-for-Career-Opportunities-LST_KQ0,38.htm |archive-date=March 27, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2014, Glassdoor placed P&G 34th on their annual Best Places to Work list.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.glassdoor.com/Best-Places-to-Work-LST_KQ0,19.htm|title=Best Places to Work|website=Glassdoor|access-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807195154/http://www.glassdoor.com/Best-Places-to-Work-LST_KQ0,19.htm|archive-date=August 7, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2015, P&G was named the Careers in Africa Employer of Choice 2015 following a survey of over 13,000 African professionals from across the globe. P&G was also recognized as the most desirable FMCG business to work for in Africa.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.careersinafrica.com/blog/2015-careers-in-africa-employer-of-choice-awards/ |title=2015 Careers in Africa Employer of Choice Awards |first=Alexander |last=Mugan |date=December 2, 2015 |website=CareersInAfrica.com |quote=The results of the inaugural Careers in Africa Employer of Choice Study, in association with Towers Watson, drawn from more than 13,000 survey responses by African professionals representing every market on the continent, have been revealed. |access-date=February 19, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324160852/http://www.careersinafrica.com/blog/2015-careers-in-africa-employer-of-choice-awards/ |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

P&G was recognized as one of ''[[Forbes]]'' World's Most Reputable Companies in 2016, 2017, and 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2016/03/22/the-worlds-most-reputable-companies-2016/#30b5cb6f2338 |title=The World's Most Reputable Companies, 2016 |last=Strauss |first=Karsten |website=Forbes |access-date=March 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321064802/https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2016/03/22/the-worlds-most-reputable-companies-2016/#30b5cb6f2338 |archive-date=March 21, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2017/02/28/the-worlds-most-reputable-companies-in-2017/#3de328f12fe3 |title=The World's Most Reputable Companies In 2017 |last=Strauss |first=Karsten |website=Forbes |access-date=March 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321063808/https://www.forbes.com/sites/karstenstrauss/2017/02/28/the-worlds-most-reputable-companies-in-2017/#3de328f12fe3 |archive-date=March 21, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/10/11/p-g-forbes-worlds-best-employers.html|author=Andy Brownfield|date=October 11, 2023|title=Procter & Gamble makes Forbes' World's Best Employers list for 2023|work=Cincinnati Business Courier}}</ref>

==Brands==
{{Main list|list of Procter & Gamble brands}}
As of 2015, 21 of P&G's brands have more than a billion dollars in net annual sales.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kalogeropoulos |first1=Demitrios |title=The Procter & Gamble Company's Best Product in 2015 |url=http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/12/27/the-procter-gamble-companys-best-product-in-2015.aspx |access-date=March 3, 2016 |website=[[The Motley Fool]] |date=December 27, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302001253/http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/12/27/the-procter-gamble-companys-best-product-in-2015.aspx |archive-date=March 2, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> Most of these brands{{snd}}including Bounty, Crest, [[Always (brand)|Always]], and Tide{{snd}}are global products available on several continents. In 2005, Procter & Gamble made a $57 billion deal to buy Gillette, which combined some of the world's top brands including, signature razors, Duracell batteries, Braun, and Oral-B brands.<ref>{{Citation |last=Kumar |first=B. Rajesh |title=Procter & Gamble's Acquisition of Gillette |date=November 30, 2018 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02363-8_28 |work=Wealth Creation in the World's Largest Mergers and Acquisitions |series=Management for Professionals |pages=243–250 |access-date=September 7, 2023 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-02363-8_28 |isbn=978-3-030-02362-1|s2cid=169662286|url-access=subscription }}</ref> P&G's products are available in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

In 2018, P&G's [[fabric]] and home care division accounted for 32% of the company's total net sales, the highest of all its divisions. The division includes [[Downy]], [[Gain (detergent)|Gain]], [[Tide (brand)|Tide]], [[Febreze]], and [[Dawn (brand)|Dawn]].<ref>{{cite web|title=P&G at a glance|url=http://www.pginvestor.com/PG-at-a-Glance/Index?KeyGenPage=1073748355|website=Procter & Gamble|access-date=December 19, 2018|date=2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308082215/http://www.pginvestor.com/PG-at-a-Glance/Index?KeyGenPage=1073748355|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to ''[[Advertising Age]]'', Procter & Gamble spent $4.3&nbsp;billion advertising various brands in the United States in 2015, making it the top advertiser in the country.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brunsman |first=Barrett J. |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/30/three-cincinnati-companies-among-largest.html |title=Three Cincinnati companies among largest advertisers in U.S. |newspaper=Cincinnati Business Courier |publisher=American City Business Journals |date=June 30, 2016 |access-date=June 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816040620/http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2016/06/30/three-cincinnati-companies-among-largest.html |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Manufacturing operations are based in these countries:
{{colbegin|colwidth=15em}}
* {{USA}}
* {{CAN}}
* {{MEX}}
* {{PHI}}
* {{HUN}}
* {{ARG}}
* {{VNM}}
* {{IDN}}
* {{ROU}}
* {{GBR}}
* {{FRA}}
* {{UKR}}
* {{ESP}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pgcareers.com/global/en/locations/spain|title=Jobs in Spain|publisher=Procter & Gamble|language=en|access-date=April 24, 2024}}</ref>
* {{DEU}}
* {{POL}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ce.pgcareers.com/pg-in-central-europe/plants-in-polandfabryki-w-polsce/ |title=Procter & Gamble – Plants in Poland/Fabryki W Polsce |website=P&G Careers.com |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026214330/http://ce.pgcareers.com/pg-in-central-europe/plants-in-polandfabryki-w-polsce |archive-date=October 26, 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{CZE}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pg.jobs.cz/|title=Úvod|publisher=Procter & Gamble|language=cs|access-date=June 28, 2021}}</ref>
* {{RUS}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pg.com/ru_RU/company/pg_russia/index.shtml |title=P&G в России – Компания |website=P&G |access-date=October 13, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829005457/http://www.pg.com/ru_RU/company/pg_russia/index.shtml |archive-date=August 29, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{KSA}}
* {{UAE}}
* {{AUS}}
* {{NZL}}
* {{BRA}}
* {{AUT}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.handelsblatt.com/today/companies/munda-pundg-to-buy-mercks-consumer-health-division-for-3-4-billion/23581896.html?ticket=ST-50153250-CGFvrbbfIxDApdjmGxM6-ap6 |title=P&G to buy Merck's consumer health division for €3.4 billion |work=Handelsblatt |last=Dobush |first=Grace |date=April 19, 2018 |access-date=July 30, 2021}}{{Dead link|date=April 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>
* {{JAP}}
* {{IND}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.pg.com/blog/hyderabad |title=Our New Hyderabad Plant Is Off to a Remarkable Start |website=P&G News |date=October 22, 2014 |access-date=June 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529160629/http://news.pg.com/blog/hyderabad |archive-date=May 29, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{CHN}}
* {{KOR}}
* {{PAK}}<ref>{{cite web |title=P&G celebrates 25 years of successful operations in Pakistan |url=https://www.pg.com/en_PK/news/pr_pg_Pakistan25years.shtml |website=P&G |date=September 5, 2016 |access-date=September 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923183132/https://www.pg.com/en_PK/news/pr_pg_Pakistan25years.shtml |archive-date=September 23, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{EGY}}
* {{RSA}}
* {{NGR}}<ref>{{cite web |title=New P&G Plant Opens in Nigeria |url=http://news.pg.com/blog/company-strategy/nigeria-plant |website=P&G |access-date=April 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170307190853/http://news.pg.com/blog/company-strategy/nigeria-plant |archive-date=March 7, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
* {{JOR}}
* {{TUN}}
* {{TUR}}<ref>{{cite web |title=P&G Turkey |url=https://www.pgcareers.com/location-Turkey |website=P&G |access-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref>
* {{LIB}}
* {{MAR}}
* {{THA}}

{{colend}}

=== Radio and television production ===
Procter & Gamble produced and sponsored the first radio serial dramas in the 1930s. As the company was known for Ivory soap, the serials became known as "[[soap opera]]s". With the rise of television in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the new serials were sponsored,  produced and owned (20 series) by the company (including ''[[The Guiding Light]]'', which had begun as a radio serial, and made the transition to television lasting 72 years).<ref name="nyt-so">{{cite news|title=CBS Cancels ''As the World Turns'', Procter & Gamble's Last Soap Opera|first1=Bill|last1=Carter|first2=Brian|last2=Stelter|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 9, 2009|access-date=September 17, 2010|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/arts/television/09soap.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619170342/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/arts/television/09soap.html|archive-date=June 19, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> The end of ''[[As the World Turns]]'' in 2010<ref name="nyt-so"/> resulted in the company’s absence from the soap opera genre for almost fifteen years, which lasted until ''[[Beyond the Gates (TV series)|Beyond the Gates]]'' (a co-production with [[CBS Studios]] and the [[NAACP]]) premiered on CBS in 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Errol |title=Procter & Gamble On Daytime Television Return: "We Invented The Soap Opera" |url=https://www.soapoperanetwork.com/2025/02/procter-gamble-we-invented-the-soap-opera-beyond-the-gates |website=Soap Opera Network |date=February 16, 2025 |access-date=26 February 2025}}</ref> ''[[The Young and the Restless]]'', produced by [[Sony Pictures Television]] and also broadcast on CBS, is also partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble.

These past serials were produced by Procter & Gamble:
{{colbegin|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[Another World (TV series)|Another World]]''
* ''[[As the World Turns]]''<ref name="nyt-so"/>
* ''[[The Brighter Day]]''
* ''[[The Catlins (TV series)|The Catlins]]''
* ''[[The Edge of Night]]''
* ''[[The First Hundred Years]]''
* ''[[From These Roots]]''
* ''[[Guiding Light]]''<ref name="nyt-so"/>
* ''[[Lovers and Friends]]'' / ''For Richer, for Poorer''
* ''[[Our Private World]]''
* ''[[Search for Tomorrow]]''
* ''[[Somerset (TV series)|Somerset]]''
* ''[[Texas (TV series)|Texas]]''
* ''[[Young Doctor Malone]]''
{{colend}}
Procter & Gamble also was the first company to produce and sponsor a prime-time serial, a 1965 spin-off of ''As the World Turns'' called ''Our Private World''. In 1979, PGP produced ''Shirley'', a prime-time [[NBC]] series starring [[Shirley Jones]], which lasted 13 episodes. They also produced [[TBS (TV network)|TBS]]' first original comedy series, ''[[Down to Earth (US TV series)|Down to Earth]]'', which ran from 1984 to 1987 (110 episodes were produced). They also distributed the syndicated comedy series ''[[Throb (TV series)|Throb]]''. In 1985, they produced a game-show pilot called ''The Buck Stops Here'' with [[Taft Broadcasting|Taft Entertainment Television]] in 1985, hosted by [[Jim Peck]]; it was not picked up. Procter & Gamble Productions originally co-produced ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'' with [[Columbia TriStar Television]] but withdrew before the series premiere due to early press reviews. They also produced the 1991 TV movie ''A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story'', which was co-produced by [[Alan Landsburg Productions|The Landsburg Company]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=McDougal |first=Dennis |date=April 2, 1991 |title=Bell's story doesn't ring quite true |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1991-04-02-1991092190-story.html |access-date=June 27, 2023 |website=Balttmore Sun}}</ref> and they continued to produce the [[People's Choice Awards]]<ref name="nyt-so"/> until the show was sold to E! channel in April 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Horgan |first1=Richard |title=Procter & Gamble Says Goodbye to the People's Choice Awards |url=https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/procter-gamble-peoples-choice-awards/ |access-date=July 15, 2020 |work=www.adweek.com |date=April 8, 2017}}</ref> In 2007, PGP teamed up with the now-defunct [[Cookie Jar Group]] to produce the Flash-animated children's series ''[[Will and Dewitt]]'', which featured the character Dewitt, the mascot for the Pampers baby product line's former sub-brand, Kandoo.

With Walmart, PGP sponsored [[Family Movie Night]] on broadcast networks in 2010–2011<ref>{{cite news|last1=Buss|first1=Dale|title=P&G, Walmart Extend Family-Friendly TV Funding|url=http://brandchannel.com/2011/04/18/pg-walmart-extend-family-friendly-tv-funding/|access-date=February 27, 2018|work=brandchannel|publisher=Interbrand|date=April 18, 2011|archive-date=June 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610115744/http://brandchannel.com/2011/04/18/pg-walmart-extend-family-friendly-tv-funding/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Walden Family Theater on the [[Hallmark Channel]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ng|first1=Philiana|title=Hallmark Channel Sets Family Movie Series|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/hallmark-channel-sets-family-movie-423549|access-date=January 12, 2018|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 25, 2013}}</ref>

In 2013, PGP rebranded itself as Procter & Gamble Entertainment (PGE) with a new logo and an emphasis on multiple-platform entertainment production.

P&G funded a six-episode series, ''Activate'', on National Geographic in 2019 focusing on extreme poverty, inequality and sustainability in conjunction with not-for-profit Global Citizen and production company Radical Media.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Handley |first1=Lucy |title=P&G moves away from ads and toward TV shows that go way beyond product placement |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/05/pg-moves-away-from-ads-and-toward-creative-content-partnerships.html |access-date=July 15, 2020 |work=CNBC |date=September 5, 2019}}</ref> The company agreed to a longform series deal with Stone Village Television in January 2020. In February 2020, P&G joined Imagine Documentaries' five project slate including ''Mars 2080'', the project closest to production.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Donnelly |first1=Matt |title=Imagine Docs, Procter & Gamble Launch Major Content Deal With Scripted Mars Feature (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/imagine-docs-proctor-and-gamble-mars-1234706131/ |access-date=July 15, 2020 |work=Variety |date=July 14, 2020}}</ref>

=== Sponsorships ===
In addition to its self-produced items through PGE, Procter & Gamble also supports many Spanish-language novellas through advertising on all networks: [[Azteca América]], [[Estrella TV]], [[Galavisión]], [[Telemundo]], [[UniMás]] and [[Univisión]]. P&G was one of the first mainstream advertisers on Spanish-language TV during the mid-1980s.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Stevenson |first1=Richard W. |last2=Times |first2=Special To the New York |date=1988-07-07 |title=THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Spanish-Language TV Grows Up |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/07/business/the-media-business-spanish-language-tv-grows-up.html |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stevenson |first=Richard W. |date=1985-11-14 |title=HISPANIC NETWORK UNDER FIRE |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/14/business/hispanic-network-under-fire.html |access-date=2024-07-25 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By the late 1990s, P&G was established as the largest advertiser on Spanish-language media.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gellene |first=Denise |date=November 19, 1999 |title=Procter & Gamble Takes a Familial Approach in Efforts to Reach Latinos |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-19-fi-35229-story.html |access-date=September 18, 2023}}</ref>

In 2008, P&G expanded into music sponsorship when it joined Island Def Jam to create Tag Records, named after a body spray that P&G acquired from Gillette.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/business/media/07music.html?_r=2&adxnnnlx=1215442912-P1oe44maZMAEL5WOZFKoBw/ |first=Robert |last=Levine |title=It's American Brandstand: Marketers Underwrite Performers |newspaper=New York Times |date=July 7, 2008 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524072632/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/business/media/07music.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=media&adxnnlx=1215442912-P1oe44maZMAEL5WOZFKoBw%2F |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/07/10/brand-advisory.aspx |title=P&G Must Proceed With Caution |website=Marketing Blog |date=July 10, 2008 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120410104012/http://blog.marketingdoctor.tv/2008/07/10/brand-advisory.aspx |archive-date=April 10, 2012}}</ref> In 2010, after the cancellation of ''As the World Turns'', PGP announced they were phasing out soap opera production and expanding into more family-appropriate programming.<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=Times Record News | location=Wichita Falls, Texas | date=December 11, 2010 | page=18 | title=Soap operas are out, social media is in for advertiser Procter & Gamble | last=Walker | first=Lynn | url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/112180216/pg-ends-soap-operas/}}</ref>

Procter & Gamble also gave a $100,000 contract to the winners of Cycles 1 through 3 of ''[[Canada's Next Top Model]]'', wherein [[Andrea Muizelaar]], Rebecca Hardy, and [[Meaghan Waller]] won the prize.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Procter & Gamble has been a major sponsor of the [[Summer Olympics]] since 2012. It sponsored 150 athletes at the London games that year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/pg-sponsors-more-150-world-class-athletes-london-2012-olymp |title=P&G Sponsors More Than 150 World-Class Athletes at the London 2012 Olympic Games |date=July 29, 2012 |website=Procter & Gamble |access-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203220908/http://news.pg.com/press-release/pg-corporate-announcements/pg-sponsors-more-150-world-class-athletes-london-2012-olymp |archive-date=December 3, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> They have also sponsored the [[Winter Olympics]] since [[2014 Winter Olympics|2014]], continuing the "Thanks Mom" program started in 2010 with [[figure skating|figure skater]] [[Kristi Yamaguchi]]<ref>{{cite news | newspaper=Voanews|first=Parke|last=Brewe|title='Thanks Mom' Campaign Featured at US Family Home in Vancouver|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/thanks-mom-campaign-featured-at-us-family-home-in-vancouver-84858102/168669.html|access-date=June 30, 2025|date=2013}}</ref> and expanding it not only to American athletes such as [[Alpine skiing|sky racer]] [[Lindsey Vonn]] but also Russian [[ice hockey]] players [[Alexander Ovechkin]] and [[Evgeni Malkin]], German [[Long-track speed skating|long track speed skater]] [[Sven Kramer]] and Japanese figure skaters [[Daisuke Takahashi]] and [[Yuzuru Hanyu]].<ref>{{cite web|title=P&G launches massive Olympics campaign|url=https://www.marketing-interactive.com/pg-thanks-moms|website=Marketing Interactive|access-date=June 30, 2025|date=2013}}</ref> It will do so at the [[2028 Summer Olympics]] in [[Los Angeles, CA]], [[USA]] besides the [[2026 Winter Olympics]] in [[Cortina d'Ampezzo]]/[[Milan, Italy]]. The company's sponsorship includes television ads in which Olympic athletes are portrayed as children to convey the sense that the mothers of these athletes still remember them as infants; other ads stress how Olympic mothers stood by their children through years of training all the way through to Olympic success. 2016's ad for the Rio Games notes upheavals as youths by an American gymnast, Chinese swimmer, Brazilian volleyballer, and German distance runner. The ads all make prominent use of the [[Ludovico Einaudi]] orchestral track "[[Divenire]]" and related such instrumentals.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

The company has actively developed or sponsored numerous [[online community|online communities]],<ref name="Shaw2002">{{cite book|author=Michael J. Shaw|title=E-Business Management: Integration of Web Technologies with Business Models|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eK8UXj-A9AMC&pg=PA112|access-date=January 24, 2013|date=October 31, 2002|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-4020-7178-2|page=112|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913201734/http://books.google.com/books?id=eK8UXj-A9AMC&pg=PA112|archive-date=September 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> e.g. [[BeingGirl.com]] (launched in 2000)<ref name="wired 2000">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2000/07/37788 |title=Dancing tampons |magazine=Wired |date=July 26, 2000 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108005947/http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2000/07/37788 |archive-date=November 8, 2012}}</ref> and Women.com.<ref name="Shaw2002" /> {{As of|2000}}, the company had 72 "highly stylized destination sites".<ref name="Business 2.0">{{cite book|title=Business 2.0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lSQiAQAAMAAJ|access-date=January 24, 2013|date=November 2000|publisher=Imagine Media|page=34|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913200154/http://books.google.com/books?id=lSQiAQAAMAAJ|archive-date=September 13, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Controversies ==

===Toxic shock syndrome and tampons===

[[Toxic shock syndrome]] (TSS) is a disease caused by strains of the bacteria ''[[Staphylococcus aureus]]''. Most people have these bacteria living in their bodies as harmless [[commensal]]s in places such as the nose, skin, and vagina. The disease can strike anyone, not only women, but the disease is often associated with [[tampon]]s. In 1980, 814 menstrual-related TSS cases were reported; 38 deaths resulted from the disease. The majority of women in these cases were documented as using super-absorbent synthetic tampons, particularly the [[Rely (tampon)|Rely]] tampon created by Procter & Gamble.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mikkelson |first1=Barbara |last2=Mikkelson |first2=David |url=http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/tampax.asp
  |title=Tampax Pearl |website=Snopes.com | date=December 31, 2005 |access-date=May 5, 2012}}</ref> Unlike other tampons made of cotton and rayon, Rely used carboxymethylcellulose and compressed beads of [[polyester]] for absorption.

In the summer of 1980, the [[Centers for Disease Control]] released a report explaining how these bacterial mechanisms were leading to TSS. They also stated that the Rely tampon was associated with TSS more than any other brand of tampon. In September 1980, Procter & Gamble voluntarily recalled its Rely brand of tampons from the market.<ref name="DoNotRely.LATimes">{{cite news |newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]
|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-05-04-me-31370-story.html
|title=Jury: Tampon Caused Death, but Company Is Not Liable : Verdict: The family of an Anaheim woman, who died of toxic shock syndrome, had sought $9 million in damages.
|quote=because (her) death could not have been foreseen
|author=Rene Lynch |date=May 4, 1993}}</ref> Since the 1980s, reported cases of TSS have dramatically decreased.<ref>{{cite web
  |last=Mcpherson |first=Marianne |url=http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion.asp?id=13&compID=38
  |title=Sexual Anatomy, Reproduction, and the Menstrual Cycle |date=March 2005
  |website=Boston Women's Health Book Collective |access-date=May 5, 2012 |url-status=dead
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204102210/http://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/book/companion.asp?id=13&compID=38
  |archive-date=February 4, 2012}}</ref>

=== Other products ===
In 2002, P&G was sued for its ads falsely suggesting to the consumers that the drug [[Omeprazole|Prilosec]] could cure heartburn in a day.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3076971 |title=Over-the-counter Prilosec to debut |date=October 15, 2003 |website=NBC News |access-date=July 6, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223213142/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3076971/ns/health-digestive_diseases |archive-date=February 23, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2005, the Pharmaceutical division of P&G was involved in a dispute over research involving its osteoporosis drug [[risedronic acid|Actonel]]. The case was discussed in the media.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thejabberwock.org/wiki/index.php?title=Actonel_Case_Media_Reports |title=Collated Media Reports |website=Thejabberwock.org |date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224010039/http://www.thejabberwock.org/wiki/index.php?title=Actonel_Case_Media_Reports |archive-date=February 24, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Animal testing ===
Procter & Gamble has received criticism from animal advocacy group [[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals|PETA]] for the practice of [[Animal testing|testing on animals]].<ref name=":6">{{cite book |last=Liddick |first=Don |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I-i09nTSSAkC&pg=PA35 |title=Eco-terrorism: radical environmental and animal liberation movements |publisher=Praeger Publishers |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-275-98535-6 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125134712/https://books.google.com/books?id=I-i09nTSSAkC&pg=PA35 |archive-date=January 25, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On June 30, 1999, Procter & Gamble announced that it would limit its animal testing practices to its food and drug products which represented less than 20% of its product portfolio.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dana |last=Canedy |title=P.& G. to End Animal Tests For Most Consumer Goods |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 1, 1999 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/01/business/p-g-to-end-animal-tests-for-most-consumer-goods.html |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111207121602/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/01/business/p-g-to-end-animal-tests-for-most-consumer-goods.html |archive-date=December 7, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref> The company invested more than $275&nbsp;million in the development of alternative testing methods.<ref>{{cite web| title= Animal Welfare and Alternatives| url= http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/policies_practices/animal_welfare.shtml| website= Procter & Gamble| access-date= May 5, 2012| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140319121834/http://www.pg.com/en_US/sustainability/policies_practices/animal_welfare.shtml| archive-date= March 19, 2014| url-status= live}}</ref>

=== Price fixing ===
In April 2011, P&G was fined €211.2 million by the [[European Commission]] for establishing a price-fixing [[cartel]] for washing powder in Europe along with [[Unilever]], which was fined €104&nbsp;million, and [[Henkel]]. Though the fine was set higher at first, it was discounted by 10% after P&G and Unilever admitted running the cartel. As the provider of the tip-off leading to investigations, Henkel was not fined.<ref name=":4">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13064928 |website=BBC News |title=Unilever and Procter & Gamble in price fixing fine |date=April 13, 2011 |access-date=June 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180509100638/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13064928 |archive-date=May 9, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Child labor and forced labor ===
According to a 2016 report by [[Amnesty International]], palm oil provider [[Wilmar International]], the world's biggest [[palm oil]] grower in 2016 and supplier of raw materials to Procter & Gamble, profited from 8 to 14-year-old [[child labor]] and [[forced labor]]. Some workers were extorted, threatened, or not paid for work. Some workers also suffered severe injuries from toxic banned chemicals.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa21/5184/2016/en/ |title=The Great Palm Oil Scandal: Labour Abuses Behind Big Brand Names |date=November 30, 2016 |website=[[Amnesty International]] |access-date=December 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423210624/https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa21/5184/2016/en/ |archive-date=April 23, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Logo myth and Satanism accusations ===
[[File:P&G logo.jpg|right|thumb|Former P&G logo, which was accused of being a Satanist symbol. In 1989, its details were simplified, to avoid further unfounded accusations.]]
P&G's former logo originated in 1851 as a crude cross that barge workers on the [[Ohio River]] painted on cases of P&G star candles to identify them. P&G later changed this symbol into a trademark that showed a man in the Moon overlooking 13 stars, said to commemorate the original [[Thirteen Colonies]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Procter and Gamble v. Amway 242 F.3d 539 |url=http://openjurist.org/242/f3d/539/the-procter-and-gamble-company-v-amway-corporation |website=U.S. Court of Appeals, 5th Circuit |date=February 14, 2001 |access-date=August 28, 2014}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

The company received unwanted media publicity in the 1980s due to rumors, spread largely by [[Amway]] distributors, that the Moon-and-stars logo was a [[Satanism|satanic]] symbol. The accusation was based on a particular passage in [[the Bible]], specifically [[Revelation 12]]:1, which states: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; [[Woman of the Apocalypse|a woman]] clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of 12 stars." P&G's logo consisted of a man's face on the Moon surrounded by 13 stars. Some claimed that the logo was a mockery of the heavenly symbol alluded to in the aforementioned verse, thus construing the logo to be satanic. Where the flowing beard meets the surrounding circle, three abstracted curls were said to be a mirror image of the number ''[[666 (number)|666]]'', or the [[number of the beast]]. At the top and bottom, the hair curls in on itself and was said to be the horns like those of a ram. In 1991, details of the logo were simplified, and the moon-and-stars logo was completely replaced by a text-only logo in 1995 in a failed attempt to quash the conspiracy theory, though in 2013 it unveiled a new logo with a hint of a crescent moon behind the text.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/762134992.html?dids=762134992:762134992&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+25%2C+1985&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Corporate+news&pqatl=google |title=Corporate news: Procter symbol succumbs to devilish rumor |last=Witt |first=Howard |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=April 25, 1985 |access-date=July 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725063848/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/762134992.html?dids=762134992:762134992&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Apr+25%2C+1985&author=&pub=Chicago+Tribune&desc=Corporate+news&pqatl=google |archive-date=July 25, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Skvarla|first=Robert|date=July 13, 2017|title=When 1980s Satanic Panic Targeted Procter & Gamble|url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/procter-gamble-satan-conspiracy-theory|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=Atlas Obscura}}</ref><ref name="stampler">{{Cite web|last=Stampler|first=Laura|title=In Spite Of Old, False Satanist Accusations, P&G Put A Moon Back Into Its New Logo|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/pg-puts-moon-in-new-logo-despite-satanist-accusations-2013-5|access-date=January 11, 2021|website=Business Insider}}</ref>

These interpretations have been denied by company officials and no evidence linking the company to the [[Church of Satan]] or any occult organization has ever been presented. The company unsuccessfully sued Amway from 1995 to 2003 over rumors forwarded through a company voice-mail system in 1995. In 2007, the company successfully sued individual Amway distributors for reviving and propagating the false rumors.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/procter-gamble-wins-satanic-civil-suit/ |website=CBS Money Watch |title=Procter & Gamble Wins Satanic Civil Suit |date=February 11, 2009 |access-date=May 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509065447/http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500395_162-2587161.html |archive-date=May 9, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> The Church of Satan denies being supported by Procter & Gamble.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/_FAQ16.html|title=F.A.Q. Conspiracies|author=High Priest, Magus Peter H. Gilmore|website=Church of Satan|access-date=April 8, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318082153/http://www.churchofsatan.com/Pages/_FAQ16.html|archive-date=March 18, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Reverse domain name hijacking===
In March 2013, P&G was found by a [[World Intellectual Property Organization]] panel to have engaged in [[reverse domain hijacking]] in an attempt to obtain the [[domain name]] "swash.com" from Marchex in a [[Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy]] proceeding. P&G originally stated it had generated more than $40 million in sales of its [[Swash (brand)|Swash]] laundry products over four years, a figure it later revised to $60,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domainnamewire.com/2013/03/11/procter-gamble-guilty-of-reverse-domain-name-hijacking/|title=Procter & Gamble guilty of reverse domain name hijacking |date=March 11, 2013|access-date=March 11, 2013|work=DomainNameWire|first=Andrew|last=Allemann}}</ref> After losing the case P&G purchased the domain name from Marchex.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domainnamewire.com/2013/04/29/guilty-of-rdnh-procter-gamble-swash/|title=After being found guilty of RDNH, Procter & Gamble pays up for Swash.com|date=April 29, 2013|access-date=July 21, 2014|work=DomainNameWire|first=Andrew|last=Allemann}}</ref> In 2013 attorney John Berryhill suggested that P&G did not intend to use the swash.com domain to market its existing range, as it had said, but rather a new product described in a 2011 trademark application as "An appliance for domestic use in the nature of a garment steamer for the purpose of removing wrinkles and odors from clothing and linen". Berryhill's theory was shown to be accurate after swash.com went live in June 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://domainnamewire.com/2014/06/18/swash-domain/|title=Yes, P&G lied to try to steal the Swash.com domain name|date=June 18, 2014|access-date=July 21, 2014|work=DomainNameWire|first=Andrew|last=Allemann}}</ref>

=== "The Talk" ===
In 2017, as part of the "My Black is Beautiful" platform, P&G released an advertisement called "The Talk".<ref name="CBS News">{{cite web |last1=Morgan |first1=DeMarco |title=Procter & Gamble's new ad "The Talk" tackles more than selling soap |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-talk-ad-procter-and-gamble-commercial-racial-stereotypes-stirs-debate/ |website=CBS News |publisher=CBS |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=August 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216195636/https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/the-talk-ad-procter-and-gamble-commercial-racial-stereotypes-stirs-debate/ |archive-date=February 16, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> It showed [[African Americans|African American]] mothers throughout the decades giving their children "[[The talk (racism in the US)|the talk]]" about [[racism]].<ref name="The Washington Post">{{cite news |title=Procter & Gamble: 'The Talk'{{!}} Ad |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/business/procter-and-gamble-the-talk-ad/2017/08/04/52345b76-7940-11e7-8c17-533c52b2f014_video.html?noredirect=on |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=August 4, 2017}}</ref> The advertisement garnered controversy for several different reasons.<ref name="Fast Company">{{cite web |last1=Beer |first1=Jeff |title=How P&G found the insight behind its Emmy-nominated ad "The Talk" |url=https://fastcompany.com/90203740/how-pg-found-the-insight-behind-its-emmy-nominated-ad-the-talk |website=Fast Company |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=June 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913073810/https://amp.fastcompany.com/90203740/how-pg-found-the-insight-behind-its-emmy-nominated-ad-the-talk |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Some criticized it for not showing any fathers giving "the talk", while others accused it of being anti-white.<ref name="Daily News">{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Veronica |title=Procter & Gamble stands by 'The Talk' ad despite racial controversy – NY Daily News |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/proctor-gamble-stands-talk-ad-controversy-article-1.3391920 |website=Daily News |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=August 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913074108/http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/proctor-gamble-stands-talk-ad-controversy-article-1.3391920 |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> One scene depicted a mother warning her daughter about being [[Traffic stop|pulled over]] by the police. The daughter responds by saying that she is a good driver so her mother doesn't need to worry about her getting a ticket. The mother then implies that she might experience [[police brutality]] by being [[Racial profiling|racially profiled]] and killed.<ref name="SHOOT">{{cite web |last1=Goldrich |first1=Robert |title=P&G's "The Talk" Wins Primetime Commercial Emmy Award |url=https://www.shootonline.com/news/pgs-talk%C2%A0wins-primetime-commercial-emmy-award |website=SHOOT |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=September 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913074041/https://www.shootonline.com/news/pgs-talk%C2%A0wins-primetime-commercial-emmy-award |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Several police officers and groups accused that part of the advertisement of being anti-cop.<ref name="Daily News"/><ref name="US Campaign">{{cite web |last1=Tan |first1=Emily |title=Why P&G stood by its controversial ad 'The Talk' |url=https://www.campaignlive.com/article/why-p-g-stood-its-controversial-ad-the-talk/1485501 |website=US Campaign |publisher=Campaign |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=June 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913073812/https://www.campaignlive.com/article/why-p-g-stood-its-controversial-ad-the-talk/1485501 |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> 

"The Talk" was accused by [[Michelle Malkin]] of ''[[National Review]]'' of being "liberal advertising". Malkin also called the ad "[[Black Lives Matter]] propaganda" and accused it of [[Pandering (politics)|pandering]] and using [[identity politics]].<ref name="National Review">{{cite web |last1=Malkin |first1=Michelle |title=Procter & Gamble's Identity-Politics Pandering {{!}} National Review |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/08/procter-gambles-liberal-advertising-falls-flat/ |website=National Review |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=August 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114183346/https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/08/procter-gambles-liberal-advertising-falls-flat/ |archive-date=November 14, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Despite the criticism, the advertisement also received a lot of positive reception and praise with some calling it "powerful"<ref name="Adweek">{{cite web |last1=Oster |first1=Erik |title=Parents Have 'the Talk' in the Powerful 'My Black Is Beautiful' Campaign From P&G |url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/parents-have-the-talk-in-powerful-my-black-is-beautiful-campaign-from-pg/ |website=Adweek |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=July 25, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913074249/https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/parents-have-the-talk-in-powerful-my-black-is-beautiful-campaign-from-pg/ |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> and "thought-provoking".<ref name="CBS News"/> The advertisement has also won several awards including the 2018 [[Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity]] Grand Prix<ref name="AdAge">{{cite web |last1=Diaz |first1=Ann-Christine |last2=Neff |first2=Jack |title=P&G's 'The Talk' wins Film Grand Prix at Cannes |url=http://adage.com/creativity/work/procter-gamble-the-talk-full-length/52300 |website=AdAge |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=June 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913074430/http://adage.com/creativity/work/procter-gamble-the-talk-full-length/52300 |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> and the 2018 [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial]] during the [[70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards]].<ref name="MediaPost">{{cite web |last1=Whitman |first1=Richard |title=P&G's 'The Talk,' An Ad About Racial Bias, Wins An Emmy |url=https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/324917/pgs-the-talk-an-ad-about-racial-bias-wins-an.html |website=MediaPost |access-date=September 12, 2018 |date=September 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913073809/https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/324917/pgs-the-talk-an-ad-about-racial-bias-wins-an.html |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==="Woke" social stances===
The company has been criticized for its social stances, some of which were criticized for being "[[woke]]".<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/03/06/business/procter-gamble-carolyn-tastad-risk-takers | title=Taking a stand on social issues is risky. The world’s largest advertiser did it anyway | first=Nathaniel | last=Meyersohn | work=[[CNN]] | date=March 6, 2020}}</ref>

In November 2014, P&G came out publicly in support of same-sex marriage..<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/11/18/pg-supports-gay-marriage/19226479/ |title=P&G publicly supports same-sex marriage |first=Alexander |last=Coolidge | work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]  |date=November 19, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125134712/http://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2014/11/18/pg-supports-gay-marriage/19226479/ |archive-date=January 25, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2019, CEO David Taylor said in Switzerland: "The world would be a better place if my board of directors on down is represented by 50% of the women. We sell our products to more than 50% of the women." Also in January 2019, ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' noted the company's board of directors had more than twice as many men as it does women.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Freeman |first1=James |date=January 29, 2019 |title=Gillette, Masculinity and 'Authenticity' |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/gillette-masculinity-and-authenticity-11548802921 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130114457/https://www.wsj.com/articles/gillette-masculinity-and-authenticity-11548802921 |archive-date=January 30, 2019 |access-date=January 30, 2019 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] }}</ref> As of mid-2020, the board of P&G consisted of an equal number of men and women.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2020/08/12/pg-adds-debra-lee-to-board.html |last= |first= |title=P&G adds former chief executive of BET Networks Debra Lee to board | work=[[American City Business Journals]] | date=August 12, 2020 | url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In 2025, the company continued its policies of [[diversity, equity, and inclusion]] despite government scrutiny during the [[second presidency of Donald Trump]].<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/money/2025/02/17/pg-kroger-are-sticking-with-diversity-programs-as-trump-targets-dei/78023676007/ | title=Procter & Gamble, Kroger defend diversity policies amid Trump attack on DEI | first=Alexander | last=Coolidge | work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] | date=February 17, 2025}}</ref>

====Gillette advertisement====
On January 14, 2019, P&G subsidiary [[Gillette]] released a controversial advertisement, "[[The Best Men Can Be]]", ostensibly to address negative behavior among men, including bullying, sexism, sexual misconduct, and [[toxic masculinity]]. The ad was the subject of [[controversy]] and was received negatively by various online commentators, becoming [[one of the most disliked videos on YouTube]].<ref name="nationalreview">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/01/gillette-ad-conservative-message-on-masculinity/|title=Gillette Is Not Wrong|last=Charen|first=Mona|date=January 17, 2019|website=National Review|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5503156/gillette-razors-toxic-masculinity/|title=Gillette Makes Waves With Ad Highlighting 'Toxic Masculinity'|magazine=Time|access-date=January 17, 2019}}</ref>

The ad led to calls for [[boycott]] of Gillette and Procter & Gamble.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-16/gillette-toxic-masculinity-advertisement-courts-talk-of-boycotts/10718004|title=Gillette faces talks of boycott over ad campaign railing against toxic masculinity|date=January 16, 2019|website=ABC News|access-date=January 16, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/gillette-metoo-commercial-criticizes-men-2019-1|title=Gillette chastises men in a new commercial highlighting the #MeToo movement — and some are furious|last=Green|first=Dennis|date=January 14, 2019|work=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/business/2019/01/14/gillette-ad-men-me-too|title=Gillette released an ad asking men to 'act the right way.' Then came the backlash.|date=January 14, 2019|work=Boston.com|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="adweek-bestmencanbe3">{{Cite web|url=https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/gillette-asks-how-we-define-masculinity-in-the-metoo-era-as-the-best-a-man-can-get-turns-30/|title=Gillette Asks How We Define Masculinity in the #MeToo Era as 'The Best a Man Can Get' Turns 30|website=Adweek|date=January 14, 2019 |access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/gillette-s-a-man-responsibility/316231/|title=Gillette's new take on 'Best a Man Can Get' in commercial that invokes #MeToo|work=[[Advertising Age]]|date=January 14, 2019|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/business/gillette-ad-men.html|title=Gillette Ad With a #MeToo Edge Attracts Support and Outrage|first=Tiffany|last=Hsu|date=January 15, 2019|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=January 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116202350/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/business/gillette-ad-men.html|archive-date=January 16, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Later in the year, its Gillette shaving business took an $8 billion write-down in value, although the company and analysts pointed to accumulated currency fluctuations, the entrance of strong rivals and decline in the demand for shaving products since the division's previous valuation in 2005, rather than fallout from the ad.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Naidu |first1=Richa |last2=J |first2=Soundarya |title=P&G posts strong sales, takes $8 billion Gillette writedown |date=July 30, 2019 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-proctergamble-results/pg-posts-strong-sales-takes-8-billion-gillette-writedown-idUSKCN1UP1AD |work=[[Reuters]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rasmi |first1=Adam |title=A growing love of beards forced P&G's Gillette to shave off $8 billion |date=August 2, 2019 |url=https://qz.com/1680613/pgs-gillette-writes-off-8-billion-as-men-stop-shaving/ |work=[[Quartz (publication)|Quartz]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=English |first1=Carleton |title=Nonshavers, rivals bleeding Gillette as P&G takes $8B writedown |date=July 31, 2019 |url=https://nypost.com/2019/07/30/nonshavers-rivals-bleeding-gillette-as-pg-takes-8b-writedown/ |work=[[New York Post]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chesto |first1=Jon |title=Deep cut: $8 billion in value lopped off Gillette |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2019/08/01/shaving-cut-billion-value-lopped-off-gillette/iK4le4olFTRqFz4gk8GQxI/story.html |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lucas |first1=Amelia |title=Procter & Gamble writes down Gillette business but remains confident in its future |date=July 30, 2019 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/30/procter-gamble-writes-down-gillette-business-but-remains-confident-in-its-future.html |publisher=[[CNBC]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Sozzi |first1=Brian |title=P&G's Gillette razor business is not for sale even after $8 billion write-down |date=July 30, 2019 |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/p-gs-gillette-razor-business-is-not-for-sale-even-after-8-billion-writedown-122137193.html |publisher=[[Yahoo! Finance]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Trefis Team |title=Is Cost Of Sales The Key Driver Of Procter & Gamble's Expenses And Profitability? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2020/01/10/is-cost-of-sales-the-key-driver-of-procter--gambles-expenses-and-profitability/#68200a795e5f |work=[[Forbes]] |access-date=August 4, 2020}}</ref>{{overcite|date=May 2025}}

=== Trade in Russia amid Ukraine war ===
The Ukrainian [[National Agency for Prevention of Corruption]] (NACP) placed P&G on the list of [[International Sponsors of War]] for the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine]]. P&G has two factories operating in [[Russia]] (the [[Gillette]] razor manufacturing plant in [[Saint Petersburg]] and a [[Personal care|toiletries]] manufacturing plant in [[Tula Oblast]]), thus contributing to the [[Federal budget of Russia|Russian federal budget]] and financing [[War crimes in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian war crimes]] according to the NACP.<ref>{{Cite web |title=P&G (Procter & Gamble) - International sponsor of war {{!}} War and sanctions |url=https://sanctions.nazk.gov.ua/en/boycott/14/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230202153515/https://sanctions.nazk.gov.ua/en/boycott/14/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 2, 2023 |access-date=February 2, 2023 |website=sanctions.nazk.gov.ua }}</ref> It was placed on the list alongside [[Bacardi]] and [[Unilever]].<ref name="ucrcl">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/23/unilever-comply-russian-conscription-law-staff-called-up?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other |title=Unilever to comply with Russian conscription law if staff called up |work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2022, the company's revenue amounted to 108 billion rubles.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Kominicki, John, "James Gamble's Candles and Soap Lit Up Profit: Do It Right: He Helped Put P&G on an Ethical Path to Top", Los Angeles: ''[[Investor's Business Daily]]'', March 6, 2015, p. A3.
* McGuigan, Lee, [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0163443715584100 "Procter & Gamble, Mass Media, and the Making of American Life"], ''Media, Culture, and Society'' 37 (September 2015), pp.&nbsp;887–903. {{doi|10.1177/0163443715584100}}.
* Davey, KS & Sanders, TJ, "[https://aabri.com/manuscripts/121091.pdf Serial Strategic Innovation and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Longitudinal Case Study of Proctor and Gamble]", ''Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics'' 4 (July 2012), pp.&nbsp;1–20.

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{OpenSecrets}}
{{Finance links
| name = Procter & Gamble
| google = PG:NYSE
| reuters = PG
| sec_cik = 80424
| yahoo = PG
}}

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