The Palmolive Company Philippines was established in 1926 with an office in the Binondo district of Manila with just five employees. Products sold during those days included Pompeia cosmetics, Octagon laundry powder, and Crystal White Laundry bar.
It merged with Peet Brothers the following year and with Colgate Company in 1928. Popular products such as Colgate Ribbon Dental cream and Cashmere Bouquet toiletries were added to the product range along with Palmolive soaps, pushing accelerated growth for the next few years. Products at that time were delivered to stores by carabao or horse-drawn carts.
In 1941, during World War II, invading soldiers sealed the office and looted the warehouse. Loyal employees were instructed by their imprisoned manager to preserve company records. Two employees managed to enter the office but couldn't escape with the ledgers.
They ended up manually copying all entries, word for word, for over a week. With records intact, the company was able to collect all receivables from insurance after the war and resume business.
Soon after, Ajax powder cleanser was introduced to the market and, in 1949. The company was incorporated as Colgate-Palmolive Philippines, Inc.
While the company may have begun by importing products from the US, growing demand for its brands prompted it to inaugurate a manufacturing plant in Makati in 1951 and to establish a provincial warehouse in Cebu in 1959.
