Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015 shares
Entity Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
Entity Central Index Key	0000021665
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	896,922,057
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Amendment Flag	false
Trading Symbol	CL
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2015