Church & Dwight is an American consumer goods company focusing on personal care, household products, and specialty products. The company was founded in 1846 and is headquartered in

Ewing, New Jersey Ewing Township is a township in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township falls within the New York metropolitan area as defined by the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau. It borders the Delaware Valley, Philade ...

. It is the parent company of well-known brands such as

Arm & Hammer Arm & Hammer is a brand of baking soda-based consumer products marketed by Church & Dwight, a major American manufacturer of household products. The logo of the brand depicts the ancient symbol of a muscular arm holding a hammer inside a red ci ...

, Trojan, OxiClean, and First Response. In 2021, Church & Dwight reported annual revenue of $3.6 billion. The company's products and services include a wide range of consumer goods, including

laundry detergent Laundry detergent is a type of detergent (cleaning agent) used for cleaning dirty laundry (clothes). Laundry detergent is manufactured in powder (washing powder) and liquid form. While powdered and liquid detergents hold roughly equal share o ...

air fresheners Air fresheners are consumer products that typically emit fragrance and are used in homes or commercial interiors such as restrooms, foyers, hallways, vestibules and other smaller indoor areas, as well as larger areas such as hotel lobbies, auto ...

baking soda Sodium bicarbonate (IUPAC name: sodium hydrogencarbonate), commonly known as baking soda or bicarbonate of soda, is a chemical compound with the formula NaHCO3. It is a salt composed of a sodium cation ( Na+) and a bicarbonate anion ( HCO3� ...

condoms A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of inte ...

pregnancy tests A pregnancy test is used to determine whether a female is pregnant or not. The two primary methods are testing for the female pregnancy hormone (human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)) in blood or urine using a pregnancy test kit, and scanning with ...

, and

oral hygiene Oral hygiene is the practice of keeping one's mouth clean and free of disease and other problems (e.g. bad breath) by regular brushing of the teeth (dental hygiene) and cleaning between the teeth. It is important that oral hygiene be carried out ...

products.

History

The company was founded in 1847 to unify two companies created by John Dwight of

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and his brother-in-law, Austin Church of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. 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, is often incorrectly claimed to have originated with tycoon

Armand Hammer Armand Hammer (May 21, 1898 – December 10, 1990) was an American business manager and owner, most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran from 1957 until his death. Called "Lenin's chosen capitalist" by the press, ...

. Hammer was so often asked about the Church & Dwight brand, however, 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. In 1970, the Arm & Hammer brand introduced the market's first nationally distributed, phosphate-free detergent: Arm & Hammer Powder Laundry Detergent. Recent findings have shown the harmful effects phosphates could have on the health of lakes, streams, and other freshwater bodies. The brand rushed to provide a solution and brought the product from concept to market in less than a year.

2000s

In 2001, the

consumer product A final good or consumer good is a final product ready for sale that is used by the consumer to satisfy current wants or needs, unlike a intermediate good, which is used to produce other goods. A microwave oven or a bicycle is a final good, but ...

line of

Carter-Wallace Carter-Wallace was a personal care company headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of Carter Products and Wallace Laboratories. The company has a research facility in Cranbury, New Jersey. History The company was form ...

was sold to Church & Dwight, and MedPointe bought the diagnostics and drug businesses. 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 and Dwight bought the domestic rights to

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy dri ...

's oral care business, which includes

Pepsodent Pepsodent is an American brand of toothpaste with the minty flavor derived from sassafras. The brand was purchased by Unilever in 1942 and is still owned by the company outside of the United States and Canada. In 2003, Unilever sold the rights t ...

, Mentadent, Close-Up, and Aim. Unilever still owns the brands outside of the United States and Canada. Church & Dwight expanded its household brand portfolio with the acquisition in 2006 of Orange Glo International, which included such brands as

OxiClean OxiClean is an American brand of Household chemicals, household cleaners, including OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover, which is a laundry additive, spot stain remover, and household cleaner marketed by Church & Dwight. It was formerly owned by Ora ...

in the laundry pre-wash additive category, Kaboom bathroom cleaners, and Orange Glo household cleaning products. In 2008, Church & Dwight acquired the Orajel business from Del Labs, including pain relievers for toothache, mouth sore, teething, and non-fluoride toothpaste.

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. 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 Waterpik had "$265 million of revenue in the fiscal year ended June 30, about 70% of which came from its water flosser products".

Notable brands

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Church And Dwight Chemical companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in New Jersey Companies based in Mercer County, New Jersey American companies established in 1896 Manufacturing companies established in 1896 1896 establishments in New Jersey Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Ewing Township, New Jersey