P&G, Billie terminate planned merger after U.S. FTC challenge

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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint in December aiming to stop the deal.

“We were disappointed by the FTC’s decision and maintain there was exciting potential in combining Billie with P&G to better serve more consumers around the world,” the companies said in the joint statement.

The FTC had said that Billie sold quality razors for women at a moderate price while P&G was a market leader in the sale of all wet shave razors. In its marketing, Billie highlights the so-called “pink tax,” collected by companies that charge women more than men for comparable products.

The P&G deal for Billie, a direct-to-consumer company that began selling its products in November 2017, was announced in January 2020.