rocter & Gamble Co. , also known as P&G , is an American multi-national consumer goods corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati , Ohio, founded in 1837 by British American William Procter and Irish American James Gamble . It primarily specializes in a wide range of cleaning agents and personal care and hygienics products. Before the sale of Pringles to the Kellogg Company , its product portfolio also included foods, snacks and beverages. In 2014, P&G recorded $83.1 billion in sales. On August 1, 2014, P&G announced it was streamlining the company, dropping and selling off around 100 brands from its product portfolio in order to focus on the remaining 65 brands, which produced 95% of the company's profits. A.G. Lafley —the company's chairman, president, and CEO until October 31, 2015—said the future P&G would be "a much simpler, much less complex company of leading brands that's easier to manage and operate".