Big-name American consumer brands from Kraft Heinz to Colgate-Palmolive are delivering solid growth lately—outside the U.S.

American consumer goods giants, including Kraft Heinz and Colgate-Palmolive, are finding significant growth opportunities in international markets, especially emerging economies, even as they contend with softer demand in their domestic U.S. market. Kraft Heinz reported a 9.0% net sales increase and 6.1% organic net sales growth in Emerging Markets for the six months ending June 27, 2026, with a 10.4% net sales increase and 8.5% organic net sales growth for the three months ending on the same date. This contrasts with declines in North America and International Developed Markets. The company plans to increase its investments by $100 million, bringing total investments to approximately $700 million, to capitalize on this international momentum.

Colgate-Palmolive echoed this trend, with its CEO Noel Wallace highlighting strong organic sales growth in four out of five divisions, led by emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Mexico, and China. Latin America, for example, saw approximately 5% organic growth in the second quarter of 2026, driven by a 2.8% price increase and a 2.6% volume increase. Brazil and Mexico specifically achieved high-single-digit and mid-single-digit growth, respectively. India also reported double-digit growth, and Greater China rose at a mid-single-digit rate, despite a challenging market environment.

Conversely, the U.S. market presents a more difficult picture for these companies. Kraft Heinz experienced declines in both net sales and organic net sales in North America for both the three and six-month periods ending June 27, 2026. Colgate-Palmolive noted in late 2025 that "volume is the most critical issue in the U.S.," with several core categories experiencing volume declines. Executives from major consumer brands like Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo have also observed a weakening or decelerating consumer environment in the U.S., marked by consumer uncertainty and a search for discounts. This has led companies to shift investment focus to regions with stronger growth rates.

Overall, while American consumer brands face headwinds in their home market, their strategic focus on and investment in emerging markets are yielding strong results, offsetting the weaker U.S. performance. This dynamic underscores the increasing importance of global diversification for sustained growth in the consumer goods sector.