Who owns Formula 409?
Formula 409 is owned by Clorox (the United States, NYSE: CLX), which has owned the brand since 1970.[1][2]
Evidence: The Clorox Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-08-07, SEC EDGAR, 7 August 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- The Clorox Company verified
- Owned since
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Oakland, California
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Founded
- 1957
- Category
- Home care › Household cleaning › Surface & bathroom cleaners
- Parent ticker
- NYSE: CLX
- Trademark registrant
- The Clorox Company (USPTO)
- Last verified
- · 3 sources
About Formula 409
Formula 409 is a degreasing spray cleaner named after the number of attempts its inventors made before arriving at the formula. Clorox acquired it in 1970 and it remains one of its largest cleaning brands. It was originally developed for industrial and commercial cleaning before being repackaged for household use in a trigger spray bottle.
How often Clorox names Formula 409 in its annual report
A plain count of the times the name appears in the text of each annual report, not counting the start of a sentence. A brand that an owner writes about more is usually one it treats as central.
Trademark record for Formula 409
The USPTO record for the Formula 409 mark lists The Clorox Company as the owner of record (serial number 77771764). That name matches the owner named above.[3]
Ownership timeline of Formula 409
Where Formula 409 sits in Clorox
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Clorox ownership tree →
See the full Clorox brand portfolio (12) →
Other brands owned by Clorox
Clorox controls 12 brands on Brandtree, 8 of them in home care.
Also in home care
Founded in the 1950s
- Hidden Valley (1954)
Other brands in surface & bathroom cleaners, and who owns them
The 34 brands in surface & bathroom cleaners on Brandtree belong to 21 owners. The largest is SC Johnson, with 4; Clorox has 3.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Method | SC Johnson | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Flash | Grupo AlEn | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| Ajax | Colgate-Palmolive | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Armor All | Energizer Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Nufăr | Farmec | 🇷🇴 Romania |
| Bon Ami | Faultless Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| El Kef | Lesieur Cristal | 🇲🇦 Morocco |
| Mr. Clean | Procter & Gamble | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Clorox
Clorox is a publicly listed company headquartered in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1913. Brandtree records 12 brands under its control, and it is listed as NYSE: CLX.
Clorox began in 1913 producing liquid bleach in Oakland, California. Procter & Gamble bought it in 1957 but was forced to divest it in 1969 after an antitrust ruling, and it has been independent since.
🇺🇸 Formula 409 and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Formula 409 is not one of them.
- 3-IN-ONE — WD-40 Company 🇺🇸
- Air Wick — Reckitt 🇬🇧
- Ajax — Colgate-Palmolive 🇺🇸
- All-Clad — Groupe SEB 🇫🇷
- Amazon Basics — Amazon 🇺🇸
- American Girl — Mattel 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Formula 409?
The parent company of Formula 409 is Clorox, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Formula 409 American?
Yes. Formula 409 originated in the United States in 1957 and its owner, Clorox, is also headquartered in the United States.
Since when has Clorox owned Formula 409?
Clorox has owned Formula 409 since 1970.
Is Formula 409 still owned by Clorox?
Yes. As of 3 October 2026, Formula 409 is still owned by Clorox. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (3) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] The Clorox Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-08-07 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 7 August 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
- [2] The Clorox Company: Timeline — The Clorox Company, Official document; retrieved 3 October 2026.
- [3] USPTO: FORMULA 409, serial 77771764 — United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark registry; retrieved 3 October 2026.
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