Brand Description

  Economic weakness in most parts of the world, rising raw material costs, heated global competition…for most companies in The Top 50, 2011 was a year to forget. The only problem is, that when the books were closed last year, companies couldn’t exactly turn the page on their problems. We’re halfway through 2012 and the global economy appears more precarious than ever. Multinationals are anxiously awaiting word out of Europe to find out if the crises in Greece, Spain, Italy and elsewhere will continue to worsen. Meanwhile, in China there’s evidence that the economy is sinking from a double-digit growth rate to a high single-digit rate to maybe something worse. Now, in most countries, 5% growth would be lauded, but when it happens in China that’s cause for alarm. The US, too, is in a tight spot, as consumer confidence remains anemic. As we went to press, Moody’s Investor Services had cut ratings on several major global banks including Bank of America and CitiGroup, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was getting hammered. Couple sliding consumer sentiment with the uncertainty that always surrounds a US Presidential election and there’s more than enough reason to worry about the rest of 2012 and 2013. Marketers are certainly worried. Procter & Gamble, which was, is, and probably always will be, No. 1 on The Top 50, sent shock waves through the household and personal products industry when it issued a warning for fiscal 2013 and slashed its growth estimates in half. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround soon, you can bet that other companies will follow suit as the third quarter gets in full swing. Yup, there’s a lot of uncertainty out there, but one thing’s for sure. If it’s July, it must be time for The Top 50—Happi’s annual look at the leading US companies in the global household and personal products industry. Breeze through the write-ups on the following pages to see what’s new at industry leaders like Estée Lauder, Avon and Ecolab. And don’t forget to read The International Top 30 next month. This annual feature provides all the news and data you need to keep up with marketers with headquarters outside the US. The Top 50 1. Procter & Gamble Cincinnati, OH $68.7 billion 2. Colgate-Palmolive New York, NY $14.5 billion 3. SC Johnson Racine, WI $9 billion 4. Estée Lauder New York, NY $8.8 billion 5. Avon New York, NY $8.2 billion 6. Johnson & Johnson New Brunswick, NJ $7.7 billion 7. Amway Ada, MI $5.0 billion 8. Coty New York, NY $4.1 billion 9. Ecolab St. Paul, MN $3.6 billion 10. Mary Kay Dallas, TX $3.0 billion 11. Limited Brands Columbus, OH $2.9 billion 12. Clorox Oakland, CA $2.5 billion 12. Diversey Sturtevant, WI $2.5 billion 14. Church & Dwight Princeton, NJ $2.2 billion 15. Sun Products Wilton, CT $2.0 billion 16. Revlon New York, NY $1.3 billion 17. Elizabeth Arden Miramar, FL $1.1 billion 17. Guthy-Renker Palm Desert, CA $1.1 billion 19. Nu Skin Provo, UT $964 million 20. Blyth Greenwich, CT $888 million 21. Yankee Candle Deerfield, MA $785 million 22. Tupperware Orlando, FL $676 million 23. Zep Atlanta, GA $646 million 24. Inter Parfums New York, NY $615 million 25. Jafra Westlake Village, CA $611 million 26. Merck Whitehouse Station $583 million 27. Scentsy Meridian, ID $535 million 28. Markwins City of Industry, CA $482 million 29. John Paul Mitchell Systems Beverly Hills, CA $480 million 30. Energizer St. Louis, MO $419 million 31. Chattem Chattanooga, TN $352 million 32. Prestige Brands Irvington, NY $344 million 33. WD-40 San Diego, CA $336 million 34. Combe White Plains, NY $250 million 35. American Int’l Industries Los Angeles, CA $205 million 36. Helen of Troy El Paso, TX $200 million 36. High Ridge Brands Stamford, CT $200 million 38. Seventh Generation Burlington, VT $165 million 39. Spartan Chemical Maumee, OH $164 million 40. Turtle Wax Chicago, IL $158 million 41. Hydroxatone Jersey City, NJ $156 million 42. Herbalife Los Angeles, CA $147 million 43. Parlux Fort Lauderdale, FL $135 million 44. Gojo Akron, OH $133 million 45. Dermalogica Carson, CA $130 million 46. Blistex Oak Brook, IL $125 million 47. State Industrial Cleveland, OH $115 million 48. Obagi Long Beach, CA $114 million 49. Method San Francisco, CA $112 million 50. Murad El Segundo, CA $110 million