Earnings Per Share (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Net income attributable to Colgate-Palmolive Company
Basic EPS	$ 600	$ 574	$ 1,133	$ 1,116
Diluted EPS	$ 600	$ 574	$ 1,133	$ 1,116
Shares
Basic EPS (in shares)	893,900,000	904,600,000	893,800,000	906,100,000
Stock options and restricted stock units (in shares)	7,200,000	7,800,000	6,900,000	8,300,000
Diluted EPS (in shares)	901,100,000	912,400,000	900,700,000	914,400,000
Per Share
Basic EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.67	$ 0.63	$ 1.27	$ 1.23
Diluted EPS (in dollars per share)	$ 0.67	$ 0.63	$ 1.26	$ 1.22
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share, Amount (in shares)	598,857	1,571,872	356,541	1,573,532