Colgate owns a toothpaste brand called Darlie, which once had a logo that featured a smiling white man in blackface. The popular brand has long been criticized for using racist imagery. Originally, it was sold using the racial epithet "Darkie".
The controversial toothpaste brand was created by its parent company, Hawley & Hazel, in Shanghai in the year 1933. More than 50 years later, in 1985, Colgate-Palmolive acquired 50% of the company. In 1989, the name was changed from Darkie to Darlie. A change was also made to the logo to no longer show the image of a white man in blackface.
However, the Chinese name of the brand when translated to English still means "Black Person Toothpaste".
As of 2020, the brand is still very popular in China, the Philippines, and several other Asian countries. And yes, it is still partially owned by Colgate.
