The Top 50

For more than 40 years, The Top 50 has provided a snapshot of the major moves made by the major US companies in the household and personal products industry. Key personnel changes, new product introductions, acquisitions and, of course, sales results, are dutifully noted on the following pages. What you won’t read too much about in this edition of The Top 50 is the extraordinary steps our industry is making to make the planet better.

Nearly every multibillion company on our list issues some kind of sustainability report, detailing how they’ve cut carbon emissions, reduced packaging, improved water and other initiatives. These moves come at a critical time. Last month, BP reported that global power generation rose 2.8% last year, close to its 10-year average, driven by the developing world. There was a strong expansion in renewable energy, as solar accounted for 35% and wind 17% of the new generation, according to the BP study. China on its own added more than 50 gigawatts of solar capacity. Unfortunately, global carbon emissions rose 1.6% in 2017, after three years of virtually no increase. We will be reporting on many of our industry’s efforts to reduce its footprint in upcoming issues.

For now, read more about many of the biggest US players in the global household and personal care industry. As for the past 40 years, P&G is No. 1 on our list, but there are a couple of new entrants (Monat and SeneGence), as well as the return of a direct seller (Melaleuca). And watch your inbox in August for The International Top 30, our annual report on the biggest household and personal products companies with headquarters outside the US.