Document and Entity Information Document - USD ($) $ in Billions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Jan. 31, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
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-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Amendment Flag	false
Trading Symbol	CL
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		892,738,516
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Public Float			$ 58.7