The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales for 2020 fiscal year were US$6.7 billion. Ranked annually since 2000, Clorox was named number 474 on ''Fortune'' magazine's 2020

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...

list. Clorox products are sold primarily through mass merchandisers, retail outlets, e-commerce channels, distributors, and medical supply providers. Clorox brands include its namesake

bleach Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...

and cleaning products, as well as

Burt's Bees Burt's Bees is an American multinational, personal care product company. The company is a subsidiary of Clorox that describes itself as an " Earth-friendly, Natural Personal Care Company" making products for personal care, health, beauty and ...

Formula 409 Formula 409 or 409 is an American brand of home and industrial cleaning products well known in the United States, but virtually unknown in other places. It includes Formula 409 All-Purpose Cleaner, Formula 409 Glass and Surface Cleaner, Formula ...

, Glad, Hidden Valley, Kingsford, Kitchen Bouquet,

KC Masterpiece KC Masterpiece is a barbecue sauce that is marketed by the HV Food Products Company, a subsidiary of the Clorox Company. History KC Masterpiece Barbeque Sauce was created in 1977 by Richard E. "Rich" Davis M.D., a child psychiatrist practicing ...

Liquid-Plumr Liquid-Plumr is a chemical drain opener made of 0.5–2% sodium hydroxide and 5–10% sodium hypochlorite, and a surfactant, produced by Clorox. The product is safe for septic systems, PVC, plastic, and copper pipes, although is not recommende ...

, Brita (in the Americas), Mistolin,

Pine-Sol Pine-Sol is a registered trade name of the Clorox Company for a line of household cleaning products, used to clean grease and heavy soil stains. Pine-Sol was based on pine oil when it was created in 1929 and during its rise to national popularity ...

, Poett, Green Works Cleaning Products, Soy Vay, RenewLife, Rainbow Light, Natural Vitality, Neocell, Tilex, S.O.S., and Fresh Step, Scoop Away, and Ever Clean pet products.

History

1913–1927

The Electro-Alkaline Company was founded on May 3, 1913, as the first commercial-scale liquid bleach manufacturer in the United States. Archibald Taft, a banker; Edward Hughes, a purveyor of wood and coal; Charles Husband, a bookkeeper; Rufus Myers, a lawyer; and William Hussey, a miner, each invested $100 to set up a factory on the east side of

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay is a large tidal estuary in the U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the big cities of San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland. San Francisco Bay drains water f ...

.Clorox company history, page 1
The name of its original product, Clorox, was coined as a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordschlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate between them. Chlorine i ...

and

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and al ...

. The original Clorox packaging featured a diamond-shaped logo, which has been used in one form or another in Clorox branding ever since. Clorox bleach 1922 newspaper ad

The public, however, was unfamiliar with liquid bleach. The company started slowly and was about to collapse when it was taken over by investor William Murray in 1916, who installed himself as general manager. His wife Annie prompted the creation of a less concentrated liquid bleach for home use, and built customer demand by giving away 15-ounce sample bottles at the family's grocery store in downtown Oakland. Word shortly began to spread, and in 1917 the company began shipping Clorox bleach to the East Coast via the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

1928–1960s

On May 28, 1928, the company went public on the

San Francisco stock exchange The San Francisco Stock and Bond Exchange was a regional stock exchange based in San Francisco, California, United States. Founded in 1882, in 1928 the exchange purchased and began using the name San Francisco Stock Exchange, while the old San Fran ...

and changed its name to Clorox Chemical Company. Butch, an animated Clorox liquid bleach

bottle A bottle is a narrow-necked container made of an impermeable material (such as glass, plastic or aluminium) in various shapes and sizes that stores and transports liquids. Its mouth, at the bottling line, can be sealed with an internal s ...

, was used in its advertising and became well known, even surviving the 1941 transition from rubber-stoppered bottles to screw-off caps. Clorox was strong enough to survive the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

during the 1930s, achieving national distribution of its bleach. Even though the bleach was a valuable first aid product for American armed forces during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, government rationing of

chlorine gas Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

forced many bleach manufacturers to reduce the concentration of

sodium hypochlorite Sodium hypochlorite (commonly known in a dilute solution as bleach) is an inorganic chemical compound with the formula NaOCl (or NaClO), comprising a sodium cation () and a hypochlorite anion (or ). It may also be viewed as the sodium s ...

in their products. Clorox, however, declined and elected to sell fewer units of a full-strength bleach, establishing a reputation for quality.Clorox company history, page 3
In 1957, Clorox was purchased by

Procter & Gamble The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer he ...

, which renamed its new subsidiary The Clorox Company. Almost immediately, a rival company objected to the purchase, and it was challenged by the

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction o ...

, which feared it would stifle competition in the household products market. The FTC prevailed in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court forced P&G to divest Clorox, which took place on January 1, 1969.

1970s–1990s

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Clorox pursued an aggressive expansion and diversification program. In 1970 it introduced Clorox 2 all-fabric bleach. Later it acquired a number of brands that remain a part of its portfolio, including

, and Kingsford charcoal. The company also developed new cleaning products such as Tilex instant mildew remover. It also acquired the "Hidden Valley" brand of

ranch dressing Ranch dressing is an American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, mustard, herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), and spices (commonly pepper, paprika and ground mustard seed) mixed into a sauce based ...

. In 1988, Clorox struck a licensing-and-distribution agreement that brought Brita water filters to the U.S. The company acquired sole control of the brand for the U.S. and Canada in 1995 when it acquired Brita International Holdings (Canada). In 2000 it secured the remaining Americas market from Brita. In 1990, Clorox purchased

. In 1999, Clorox acquired First Brands, the former consumer products division of

Union Carbide Union Carbide Corporation is an American chemical corporation wholly owned subsidiary (since February 6, 2001) by Dow Chemical Company. Union Carbide produces chemicals and polymers that undergo one or more further conversions by customers befo ...

, in the largest transaction in its history. Such brands as Glad, Handi-Wipes (which First Brands acquired from

Colgate-Palmolive Colgate-Palmolive Company is an American multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in the production, distribution, and provision of household, health car ...

several months before the Clorox acquisition) and

STP STP may refer to: Places * São Tomé and Príncipe (ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code, IOC country code, and FIFA country code STP) * St Pancras railway station, London St Pancras (Domestic) railway station (National Rail code STP) * St. Paul Downtown Air ...

became part of the Clorox portfolio. The First Brands acquisition doubled the size of the company and helped it land on the

for the first time the following year.

2000s–present

In 2002, Clorox entered into a joint venture with Procter & Gamble to create food and trash bags, food wraps, and containers under the names Glad, GladWare and related trademarks. As part of this agreement, Clorox sold a 10% stake in the Glad products to P&G, which increased to 20% in 2005. In 2007, the company acquired

. In 2010, Clorox shed businesses that were no longer a good strategic fit for the company, announcing that it was selling the

Armor All Armor All is an American brand of car care products that is manufactured by American company Armored AutoGroup of Danbury, Connecticut, United States. The company markets the product line of sprays, gels, liquids, and wipes to clean, shine, and ...

and

brands to

Avista Capital Partners Avista Capital Partners is an American private equity firm headquartered in New York City focused on growth capital and leveraged buyout investments in middle-market companies in the domestic healthcare sector. History The firm was founded in 2 ...

. In 2011, Clorox acquired the Aplicare and HealthLink brands, bolstering its presence in the healthcare industry. In 2008, The Clorox Company became the first major consumer packaged goods company to develop and nationally launch a

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

cleaning

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Art ...

, Green Works, into the mainstream cleaning aisle. In 2011, the Clorox Company integrated

corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a form of international private business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethicall ...

(CSR) reporting with financial reporting. The company's annual report for the fiscal year ending in June 2011 shared data on financial performance as well as advances in environmental, social and governance performance. In 2013 the company announced a focus on consumer mega trends that included sustainability, health and wellness, affordability/value, and multiculturalism, with a particular focus on the Hispanic community. In 2015, the company became a signatory of the

United Nations Global Compact The United Nations Global Compact is a non-binding United Nations pact to encourage businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially responsible policies, and to report on their implementation. The UN Global Compact is a princi ...

, a large corporate responsibility initiative. In 2018 Clorox purchased Nutranext Business, LLC for approximately $700 million. Florida-based Nutranext makes natural multivitamins, specialty minerals used as health aids, and supplements for hair, skin and nails. Operating income in 2018 was US$1.1 billion.NASDAQ income-statement
/ref> With approximately 8,700 employees worldwide as of 2018, yearly revenue for the period ending June 30, 2018, equaled $6.1 billion. Yearly revenue equaled $6.2 in 2019. In 2019, Clorox ranked 7th in Barron's "100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies" list.

Brands

The Clorox Company currently owns a number of well-known household and professional brands across a wide variety of products, among them: * Brita water filtration systems (Americas only) *

natural cosmetics and personal care products * Clorinda: bleach and cleaning and disinfection products, alternative brand of Clorox Chile *

hard surface cleaners * Fresh Step, Scoop Away and Ever Clean cat litters * Glad storage bags, trash bags, Press'n Seal, GladWare containers (joint venture with P&G as 20% minority shareholder) * Green Works natural cleaners * Handy Andy floor cleaners in Australia * Hidden Valley dressings, sandwich spreads and condiments, dips and dressing mixes, croutons and salad toppings, side dishes and appetizers * Kingsford

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ...

* Kitchen Bouquet,

, and Soy Vay sauces *

Lestoil Lestoil is a registered trade name of Clorox for a heavy-duty multipurpose cleanser product, used to remove extremely difficult laundry stains, dissolve water-based and oil-based paints, and clean grease, oil, paint, and adhesives from floors and ...

heavy-duty laundry / multipurpose Cleaner *

drain cleaner * Natural Vitality * Neocell dietary supplements *

, Tilex, Poett and S.O.S cleaning products * Objective health and wellness supplements * Rainbow Light * Renew Life digestive health products The ingredients in Clorox bleach are water,

sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as salt (although sea salt also contains other chemical salts), is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. With molar masses of 22.99 and 35. ...

sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate, , (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na2CO3 and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield moderately alkaline solutions ...

sodium chlorate Sodium chlorate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Na ClO3. It is a white crystalline powder that is readily soluble in water. It is hygroscopic. It decomposes above 300 °C to release oxygen and leaves sodium chloride. Sever ...

and

sodium polyacrylate Sodium polyacrylate (ACR, ASAP, or PAAS), also known as waterlock, is a sodium salt of polyacrylic acid with the chemical formula ��CH2−CH(CO2Na)−sub>n and has broad applications in consumer products. This super-absorbent polymer (SAP) ha ...

. For historical reasons, and in certain markets, the company's bleach products are sold under regional brands. In 2006, Clorox acquired the Javex line of bleach products in Canada, and similar product lines in parts of Latin and South America, from

Sales

The company ranked No. 453 on the

list in 2017; by 2020, Clorox ranked No. 474 on the list. Clorox's net sales (2015–2020)

Marketing

Advertising campaigns

In 1986, the advertising campaign for Clorox 2 featured an award-winning jingle, "Mama's Got The Magic of Clorox 2". The song was written by Dan Williams and performed by

Dobie Gray Dobie Gray (born Lawrence Darrow Brown; July 26, 1940 – December 6, 2011) was an American singer and songwriter whose musical career spanned soul, country, pop, and musical theater. His hit songs included " The 'In' Crowd" in 1965 and "Dri ...

. The company was listed at ''

Advertising Age ''Ad Age'' (known as ''Advertising Age'' until 2017) is a global media brand that publishes news, analysis, and data on marketing and media. Its namesake magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930. ''Ad Age'' appears in mu ...

''s 2015 Marketer A-List.

Allegations of sexist marketing

During 2006 and 2007, a Clorox commercial that aired nationally showed several generations of women doing laundry. The commercial included the words "Your mother, your grandmother, her mother, they all did the laundry, maybe even a man or two."

Feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

s criticized the commercial for insinuating that doing laundry is a job for women only. The Clorox

slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan, political slogan, political, Advertising slogan, commercial, religious, and other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the publi ...

, "Mama's got the magic of Clorox", was criticized on similar grounds. The slogan first appeared in a Clorox commercial in 1986. A modified version of the commercial ran from 2002 to 2004. In 2009, Clorox received complaints of

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...

for an advertisement that featured a man's white, lipstick-stained dress shirt with the caption, "Clorox. Getting ad guys out of hot water for generations." The ad, and others, were produced expressly for the television program ''

Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its f ...

'', capitalizing on "the show's unique vintage style to reatea link between classic and modern consumer behaviors."

Reactions to product claims

Green Works

In 2008, the

Sierra Club The Sierra Club is an environmental organization with chapters in all 50 United States, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The club was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by Scottish-American preservationist John Muir, who b ...

endorsed the Clorox Green Works line. Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope stated that one of non-profit organization's "primary goals is to foster vibrant, healthy communities with clean water and air that are free from pollution. Products like Green Works help to achieve this goal in the home." The Sierra Club also partnered with Clorox "to promote a line of natural cleaning products for consumers who are moving toward a greener lifestyle." The partnership "caused schisms" in the club, which contributed in part to Pope's decision to resign. Also in 2008, the

National Advertising Division Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a private, 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization founded in 1912. BBB's self-described mission is to focus on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 97 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the Unite ...

told Clorox to either discontinue or modify its advertisements for Green Works on the grounds the cleaners actually do not work as well as traditional cleaners, as Clorox had claimed. In 2009, Clorox received further criticism for its Clorox Green Works line, regarding claims the products are environmentally friendly. Several Clorox Green Works products contain ethanol, which environmental groups state is neither cost-effective nor eco-friendly. Many Green Works products also contain

sodium lauryl sulfate Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), sometimes written sodium laurilsulfate, is an organic compound with the formula . It is an anionic surfactant used in many cleaning and hygiene products. This compound is the sodium s ...

, a known skin irritant. Women's Voices for the Earth have questioned whether or not the Clorox Green Works line is

greenwashing Greenwashing (a compound word modeled on "whitewash"), also called "green sheen", is a form of advertising or marketing spin in which green PR and green marketing are deceptively used to persuade the public that an organization's products, aim ...

, as Clorox's "green" products are far outnumbered by their traditional products, asking "Why sell one set of products that have hazardous ingredients and others that don't?"

References

External links

TheCloroxCompany.com
corporate website
Clorox.com
consumer products website {{Authority control 1913 establishments in California 1960s initial public offerings American brands American companies established in 1913 Chemical companies established in 1913 Chemical companies of the United States Cleaning product brands Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Manufacturing companies based in Oakland, California Manufacturing companies established in 1913 Multinational companies headquartered in the United States