Acquisition closed
Colgate-Palmolive acquires Sanex (2011)
Colgate-Palmolive completed the acquisition of Sanex on 1 June 2011 for €672 million, buying from Unilever.[1]
Colgate-Palmolive bought Sanex from Unilever for about EUR 672 million. Unilever was selling because competition authorities required it to divest Sanex before it could complete its purchase of Sara Lee's personal care business, so one company's remedy became another's acquisition.
Deal facts
- Announced
- Closed
- Value
- €672 million (enterprise value)
- Buyer
- Colgate-Palmolive
- Seller
- Unilever
- Assets
- Sanex
- Regulatory review
- None recorded
Ownership changes recorded from this deal
| Owner | Owned | Relationship | Stake | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colgate-Palmolive | Sanex | owns | 100% | 2011-06-01 | present |
Who owns Sanex today?
- Sanex — owned by Colgate-Palmolive since 2011
Sources (1) & 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] Colgate-Palmolive Company Form 10-K - GABA Holding acquisition — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 28 February 2005; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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