1913–1927 The
Electro-Alkaline Company The name of its original product, Clorox, was coined as a
portmanteau of its two main ingredients,
chlorine and
sodium hydroxide. The original Clorox packaging featured a diamond-shaped logo, which has been used in one form or another in Clorox branding ever since. '', June 9, 1922 The public, however, was unfamiliar with liquid bleach. The company started slowly and was on the brink of collapse when investor William Murray took it over 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 sample bottles at the family's grocery store in downtown Oakland. Word shortly began to spread, and in 1917 the company started shipping Clorox bleach to the East Coast via the
Panama Canal.
1928–1960s On May 28, 1928, the company went public on the
San Francisco stock exchange. It changed its name to
Clorox Chemical Company. An animated Clorox liquid bleach bottle, named Butch, was used in its advertising and became well known, even surviving the 1941 transition from rubber-stoppered bottles to screw-off caps. In 1957, Clorox was purchased by
Procter & Gamble, 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, which feared it would stifle competition in the household products market. The FTC prevailed in 1967 when the
U.S. Supreme Court forced Procter & Gamble 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, the company introduced Clorox 2 all-fabric bleach. Later it acquired several brands that remain a part of its portfolio, including
Formula 409,
Liquid-Plumr, 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. 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
Pine-Sol. 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
Burt's Bees. In 2010, Clorox shed businesses that were no longer a good strategic fit for the company, announcing that it was selling the
Armor All and
STP brands to
Avista Capital Partners. 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 cleaning
line, Green Works, into the mainstream cleaning aisle. In 2011, the Clorox Company integrated
corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting with financial reporting. The company's annual report for the fiscal year ending in June 2011 shared data on financial performance and advances in environmental, social, and governance performance. In 2013, the company announced a focus on consumer megatrends that included sustainability, health and wellness, affordability and value, and multiculturalism, with a particular emphasis on the Hispanic community. In 2015, the company became a signatory of the
United Nations Global Compact, 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. Clorox was named to the inaugural Bloomberg Gender Equality Index in 2018. The following year, it topped the Axios Harris Poll 100 corporate reputation rankings. In 2019, Clorox ranked seventh in Barron's "100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies" list. In 2022, the company opened a new manufacturing facility in
Martinsburg, West Virginia, to facilitate the growth of its cat litter business. In 2023 the company was affected by a
cyberattack, resulting in revenue loss and product shortages. In January 2026, Clorox agreed to buy
Gojo Industries—maker of
Purell—for $2.25 billion in an all-cash deal. == Brands ==