The Clorox Company completed its acquisition of GOJO Industries on April 1 2026, paying $2.25 billion in cash for the hand‑sanitizer maker. The deal includes an estimated $330 million in tax benefits, bringing the net purchase price to roughly $1.92 billion. Clorox will fund the transaction primarily through a $1 billion revolving credit facility and a $1.25 billion delayed‑draw term loan.
The acquisition expands Clorox’s presence in the high‑margin health‑hygiene category by adding the Purell brand, which holds the top market share in hand sanitizer across both B2B and retail channels. The move is intended to complement Clorox’s existing surface‑cleaning and disinfecting brands, broaden its B2B reach, and accelerate growth in the company’s fastest‑growing, most profitable operating segment—Health and Wellness. Management expects the deal to be accretive to growth and to support a long‑term sales growth target of 3‑5% while generating at least $50 million in run‑rate cost synergies.
Clorox’s Q1 fiscal 2026 results, released earlier in the year, showed a 19% decline in net sales and a 19% drop in diluted EPS compared with the prior year, largely due to lower shipments associated with an enterprise‑resource‑planning transition. Gross margin fell 410 basis points to 41.7%, driven by lower volume and higher manufacturing and logistics costs, while adjusted EPS fell 54%. The decline reflects the operational disruption from the ERP rollout and the impact of higher input costs, rather than a fundamental weakness in the core business.
The company projects that the GOJO acquisition will generate $50 million in cost synergies and will strengthen its health‑hygiene portfolio, positioning Clorox to capture growth in a category that has benefited from heightened consumer and institutional focus on hygiene. The deal is expected to accelerate the company’s IGNITE strategy, which aims to scale the Health and Wellness segment and deliver long‑term shareholder value.
GOJO will operate as “Clorox Purell” and will maintain its headquarters in Akron, Ohio, with existing facilities remaining operational. Carey Jaros, GOJO’s president, will lead the new business unit, ensuring continuity of leadership and expertise in the hand‑sanitizer market.
"Today marks an important milestone as GOJO officially joins The Clorox Company. GOJO has incredible strength in the marketplace, and we are looking forward to coming together to thoughtfully grow the business. We see strong opportunity ahead as we bring together our leading brands, talented organizations and complementary capabilities to deliver best‑in‑class health and hygiene solutions to consumers and institutional end users alike," said Linda Rendle, Chair and CEO of The Clorox Company. "We could not be more excited to officially join The Clorox Company and realize the opportunity to exponentially scale our impact in the world. Together, we’ll set new standards for health and hygiene and bring well‑being to more people everywhere, creating long‑term value with and for our partners and customers. Clorox Purell is a winning combination in every way," added Carey Jaros, President of GOJO Industries.
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