The Top 50

The world was a very scary place in March 2020. On a daily, sometimes hourly, basis we wondered aloud to any coworker who was still in the office, “how bad do you think it is going to get?”

Worse than we ever imagined, as it turns out. Yet, as the US begins to rise from the ashes of the pandemic, the signs of resilience are everywhere. This edition of The Top 50 is a testament to that resilience.

Every company on our list told a story about overcoming long odds and hard obstacles, but they didn’t forget those hit hardest by the pandemic. Many companies on the following pages donated products and money to fight COVID-19. Several lucky Top 50 companies actually thrived during the pandemic, thanks to the surge in demand for cleaners, cleansers and disinfectants. For beauty companies that rely on traditional retail, the pandemic was a hard lesson in the importance of not relying on one single channel. But every company on our list found a way to pivot online, and ecommerce, as a percentage of sales, soared.

Several new companies populate our list. Born in the past decade or so, companies like Forma and Paula’s Choice came of age when the internet was the logical way to go and grow a business. As the pandemic showed, consumers are very comfortable to buy before they try (see “Silver Linings From the Pandemic” on p. 12 in this issue). That should pave the way for even more entrepreneurs to climb their way up the ranks of The Top 50.

Newcomers aside, The Top 50 is top-heavy with returning companies. Procter & Gamble remains No. 1 on the list, just as it did when The Top 50 debuted in 1978. Despite a decline in sales, Estée Lauder remains in second place. Rounding out the top 10 are Colgate-Palmolive, SC Johnson, Johnson & Johnson, L Brands, Ecolab, Coty, Church & Dwight and Clorox.

If you think your company belongs in The Top 50, please contact us at [email protected]. We will review your information and who knows? Perhaps your company will be counted among The Top 50. And if you’re wondering where to find Unilever, L’Oréal and other multinationals with headquarters outside the US, read The International Top 30 in the August issue.