The Company was incorporated on July 5, 1951 under the Indian Companies Act, VII of 1913 under the name and style of Reckitt & Colman of India Limited. The name of the Company was changed to RBIL with effect from December 18, 2000. It has its registered office at 41, Chowringhee Road, Kolkata 700 019 and Corporate Office at Enkay Centre, 2nd Floor, Vanijya Nikunj, Udyog Vihar, Phase V, Gurgaon - 122 016 (Haryana).

The parent of the company is Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a company registered under the laws of England and one of the world’s number one company manufacturing household cleaning products and laundry detergents. RB manufactures and distributes a wide range of household toiletry, pharmaceutical and food products in the United Kingdom, North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. Brands include Airwick, Pine O-Cleen, Spray’n Wash, Glass Plus, Wizard, Woolite, Vanish, Resolve, Easy Off, Lysol, French’s, Cattlemen’s and Frank’s.

The Company's principal activities are manufacturing and distributing a wide range of household and personal products. Products of the Company include antiseptics, toilet care products, shoe care products, mosquito repellants and personal health care products. The Company manufactures the Dettol branded antiseptics, soaps, talc, medicated creams and medicated plasters, Disprin analgesic tablets, Lizol floor cleaner, Mortein mosquito repellants and rat killer, Robin power, Harpic lavatory care product, Cherry shoe polish and Collin glass cleaner. The manufacturing facilities of the Company are located at Kolkata, Asansol, Mysore and Hosur.

In the year 1969 Atlantic (East), was amalgamated with the company, whereupon the Company also acquired the trading activities of the amalgamated company.The Company was a wholly owned subsidiary of Reckitt & Colman Ltd., U.K.

In 1996, the Company launched Lizol, Woolite, Dettol Shaving Cream and Gel and Harpic Flushmatic which received good market response. An additional eight lines were installed at Hosur PCMX project to increase the capacity from two lines to ten lines of coils production.

The company entered into a joint venture, operational from March 1998, with pharmaceutical major Nicholas Piramal; a company having a strong distribution reach with chemists. The UK parent and Nicholas Piramal hold 40% stake each while the balance is with Reckitt & Benckiser. The joint venture, Reckitt Piramal, is the largest over the counter (OTC) pharmaceutical company in the country. The JV, besides improving sales of its flagship product Dettol, which currently contributes to over 80% of the JV´s sales, would also help in pushing other products like Dispirin and Gelora. Nicholas Piramal transferred Saridon, Polycrol and other such brands to the JV. In the same year Reckitt & Coleman of India Ltd. (RCIL) has acquired the brand `Colin', a glass and household cleaner, from Fernhill Laboratories & Industrial Establishment.In 2002 the parent company acquired outstanding minority interest in India and Sri Lanka.

Products of the company-

• Vanish
• Woolite
• Cillit BANG
• Harpic
• Clearasil
• Veet
• Strepsils
• Disprin analgesic tablets
• Lizol floor cleaner
• Mortein mosquito repellants and rat killer
• Robin power
• Harpic lavatory care product
• Cherry shoe polish
• Collin glass cleaner