Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2020	Sep. 30, 2019
Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company
Basic EPS	$ 698	$ 578	$ 2,048	$ 1,724
Diluted EPS	$ 698	$ 578	$ 2,048	$ 1,724
Shares
Basic EPS (in shares)	859,000,000.0	858,700,000	857,700,000	860,100,000
Stock options and restricted stock units (in shares)	2,800,000	2,500,000	1,800,000	2,300,000
Diluted EPS (in shares)	861,800,000	861,200,000	859,500,000	862,400,000
Per Share
Basic EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.81	$ 0.67	$ 2.39	$ 2.00
Diluted EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.81	$ 0.67	$ 2.38	$ 2.00
Antidilutive securities excluded from computation of earnings per share (in shares)	2,693,996	16,963,201	15,862,643	18,818,149