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Church & Dwight

Church & Dwight Co., Inc., is an American consumer goods company focusing on personal care, household products, and specialty products. The company was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey. It is the parent company of well-known brands such as Arm & Hammer, Trojan, OxiClean, and First Response. In 2022, Church & Dwight reported annual revenue of $5.4 billion. The company's products and services include a wide range of consumer goods, including laundry detergent, air fresheners, baking soda, condoms, pregnancy tests, and oral hygiene products.

History

The company was founded in 1847 to unify two companies created by John Dwight of Massachusetts and his brother-in-law, Austin Church of Connecticut. Their partnership had begun in 1846 with the two founders selling sodium bicarbonate (also known as baking soda) that they refined in Dwight's kitchen.

The Arm & Hammer name and logo, which dates back to the 1860s,[2] is often incorrectly claimed to have originated with tycoon Armand Hammer. Hammer was so often asked about the Church & Dwight brand that he attempted to buy the company. While this attempt was unsuccessful, Hammer's Occidental Petroleum in 1986 acquired enough stock for him to join the Church & Dwight board of directors until he died in 1990.[3]

In 1970, the Arm & Hammer brand introduced the market's first nationally distributed, phosphate-free detergent: Arm & Hammer Powder Laundry Detergent.[4]

2000s

In 2001, Church & Dwight acquired the consumer product line of Carter-Wallace, and MedPointe bought the diagnostics and drug businesses.[5] The same year, Church & Dwight expanded its business into laundry detergent products by acquiring small detergent company USA Detergents, the original owner of Xtra detergent.

In 2003, Church & Dwight bought the U.S. and Canadian rights to Unilever's oral health business, which includes Pepsodent, Mentadent, Close-Up, and Aim. Unilever still owns the brands outside of North America.[6][7]

In 2006, Church & Dwight expanded its household brand portfolio with the acquisition of Denver-based Orange Glo International, which included such brands as OxiClean in the laundry pre-wash additive category, Kaboom bathroom cleaners, and Orange Glo household cleaning products.[8]

In 2008, Church & Dwight acquired the Orajel business from Del Labs, including pain relievers for toothache, mouth sore, teething, and non-fluoride toothpaste.[6]

2010s

Church & Dwight was ranked 723 in the Fortune 500 listing of companies in 2010. The same year, Church & Dwight acquired Simply Saline and Feline Pine.

In 2016, Church & Dwight acquired Spencer Forrest, Inc., the maker of Toppik hair care products.[9]

In 2017, MidOcean Partners agreed to sell Water Pik to Church & Dwight for $1 billion. At the time of the sale announcement, it was reported that Water Pik had "$265 million of revenue in the fiscal year ended June 30, about 70% of which came from its water flosser products".[10]

2020s

In December 2021, the company acquired TheraBreath for a reported amount of $580 million.[11][12]

In September 2022, the company acquired Hero Cosmetics for a reported amount of $630 million.[13]

2020s

In December 2021, the company acquired TheraBreath for a reported amount of $580 million.[11][12]

In September 2022, the company acquired Hero Cosmetics for a reported amount of $630 million.[13]

Notable brands

• Aim Toothpaste (acquired in 2003 in the US from Unilever)

• Arm & Hammer

• Arrid (acquired in 2001 from Carter-Wallace)

• Close-Up (licensing rights acquired in 2003 in the US from Unilever)

• Mentadent (acquired in 2003 in the US from Unilever)

• Nair (acquired in 2001 from Carter-Wallace)

• OxiClean (through a merger in 2006 with Orange Glo International)

• Pepsodent (acquired in 2003 in the US from Unilever)

• RUB A535

• TheraBreath (acquired in 2021)

• Trojan (acquired in 2001 from Carter-Wallace)

• Water Pik

• Zicam (acquired in 2020)

See also

Further reading

External links

References

  1. 2024 Annual Report (Form 10-K) U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2025-04-13, retrieved 2025-02-14^
  2. History of Product Names & Trademarks: Arm & Hammer Baking Soda trivia-library.com, retrieved 13 March 2017^
  3. Cecil Adams. Did tycoon Armand Hammer have anything to do with Arm & Hammer baking soda? The Straight Dope, May 21, 1982, retrieved 13 March 2017^
  4. History churchdwight.com, Church & Dwight^
  5. Carter-Wallace's brands will be sold to 2 different companies for a total of $1.12 billion Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2001, retrieved 2011-09-26^
  6. Harrison Caplan. Keys to Success: Church and Dwight Have Them Seeking Alpha, 2017-10-31, retrieved 2022-12-15^
  7. Food Business Mergers & Acquisitions: 2003 The Food Institute, 2003, retrieved 2022-12-15^
  8. Paula Moore. OxiClean breathes new life into cleaning line Denver Business Journal, American City Business Journals, 2004-05-02, retrieved 2021-01-06^
  9. Cheryl Wischhover. How spray-on hair does (and doesn't) work Vox, 2018-12-17, retrieved 2022-12-15^
  10. Justina Vasquez. Church & Dwight to Buy Water Pik for $1 Billion Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2017, retrieved 17 July 2017^
  11. Linda Lindner. Church & Dwight acquires TheraBreath brand for $580M ROI-NJ, 29 November 2021, retrieved 1 November 2024^
  12. Church and Dwight to Acquire TheraBreath in $580 Million Deal BeautyMatter, 3 December 2021, retrieved 2 November 2024^
  13. Gabby Shacknai. Hero Cosmetics Acquired By Church & Dwight For $630 Million Forbes, retrieved 2025-05-29^
  14. Fortune 500 listings CNNMoney, 2010^