Church & Dwight vs Colgate-Palmolive: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Church & Dwight and Colgate-Palmolive side by side

1. 1806Colgate-Palmolive

   William Colgate Opens His Business

   William Colgate opens a starch, soap and candle business on Dutch Street in New York City.

2. 1846Church & Dwight

   Founding of the Baking Soda Business

   Dr. Austin Church and John Dwight begin preparing bicarbonate of soda for commercial distribution, packaging it by hand into paper bags in Dwight's kitchen in New York City.

3. 1847Church & Dwight

   John Dwight and Company Established

   John Dwight formally establishes John Dwight and Company, adopting the Cow Brand trademark with Lady Maud, a prize-winning Jersey cow, as the brand icon. The company becomes the dominant baking soda producer in the United States.

4. 1867Church & Dwight

   ARM & HAMMER Trademark Introduced

   Dr. Church's sons form Church & Company to compete with John Dwight, introducing the ARM & HAMMER trademark derived from James Church's Vulcan Spice Mills.

5. 1873Colgate-Palmolive

   First Colgate Toothpaste

   Colgate & Company sells its first toothpaste, an aromatic paste in glass jars.

6. 1896Church & Dwight

   Merger Creates Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

   John Dwight & Company and Church & Company merge to form Church & Dwight Co., Inc., with John Dwight serving as the first president. The merged company continues to market both Cow Brand and ARM & HAMMER baking soda.

7. 1896Colgate-Palmolive

   Colgate Ribbon Dental Cream

   Colgate introduces toothpaste in a collapsible tube, a format that shaped the modern oral care aisle.

8. 1925Church & Dwight

   Corporate Incorporation

   The firm is formally incorporated as Church & Dwight Co., marking the transition from a family partnership to a structured corporation with modern governance.

9. 1928Colgate-Palmolive

   Merger With Palmolive-Peet

   Colgate & Company merges with Palmolive-Peet to form Colgate-Palmolive-Peet; the name is shortened to Colgate-Palmolive in 1953.

10. 1968Church & Dwight

    Green River Facility Completed

    Church & Dwight completes construction of the world's largest sodium bicarbonate production facility in Green River, Wyoming, after outside suppliers proved insufficient. This facility becomes the cornerstone of the Specialty Products Division.

11. 1970Church & Dwight

    First Phosphate-Free Laundry Detergent

    The company launches the first nationally distributed, phosphate-free laundry detergent under the ARM & HAMMER brand, capitalizing on emerging environmental consciousness and expanding the brand beyond baking soda.

12. 1972Church & Dwight

    Refrigerator Deodorizer Campaign

    Church & Dwight launches its well-known campaign promoting ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda as a refrigerator deodorizer, creating a recurring consumption pattern that expands household penetration and establishes a new use case for the 126-year-old product.

13. 1976Colgate-Palmolive

    Hill's Pet Nutrition Acquired

    Colgate-Palmolive acquires Hill's, maker of Science Diet and Prescription Diet pet foods.

14. 1987Colgate-Palmolive

    Softsoap Acquired

    Colgate buys the Softsoap liquid soap business from Minnetonka Corporation.

15. 1992Colgate-Palmolive

    Mennen Acquired

    Colgate acquires The Mennen Company, adding Speed Stick and Lady Speed Stick deodorants.

16. 1997Colgate-Palmolive

    Colgate Total Launches in the U.S.

    After FDA approval, Colgate Total launches in the United States, helping Colgate overtake Crest as the No. 1 U.S. toothpaste.

17. 2001Church & Dwight

    Carter-Wallace Acquisition

    Church & Dwight acquires Carter-Wallace's consumer products business, bringing the Trojan condom brand and Nair depilatory brand into the portfolio for approximately $739 million.

18. 2003Church & Dwight

    Unilever Oral Care Acquisition

    The company acquires the U.S. and Canadian rights to Unilever's oral care business, including Pepsodent and Mentadent brands, for approximately $100 million, establishing a foothold in the oral care category.

19. 2006Church & Dwight

    OxiClean Acquisition

    Church & Dwight acquires Orange Glo International, maker of OxiClean stain fighters, for approximately $325 million. The brand, popularized by infomercials, becomes a core component of the household products portfolio.

20. 2006Colgate-Palmolive

    Tom's of Maine Acquired

    Colgate acquires an 84% stake in natural personal care brand Tom's of Maine for about $100 million.

21. 2008Church & Dwight

    Orajel Acquisition

    The company acquires the Orajel oral analgesics business from Del Pharmaceuticals (a Coty subsidiary) for $383.4 million in cash, strengthening the oral care portfolio with the #1 oral pain relief brand.

22. 2017Church & Dwight

    Waterpik Acquisition

    Church & Dwight acquires Water Pik, Inc., maker of Waterpik water flossers and showerheads, for about $1 billion in cash, its largest deal at the time. The deal added about $265 million in trailing sales.

23. 2019Church & Dwight

    Flawless Acquisition

    The company acquires the Flawless and Finishing Touch hair removal brands from Ideavillage Products Corporation for $475 million in cash plus an earn-out of up to $425 million.

24. 2019Colgate-Palmolive

    Filorga Acquired and Noel Wallace Becomes CEO

    Noel Wallace becomes CEO in April, and Colgate completes the roughly $1.69 billion acquisition of French skincare brand Filorga.

25. 2020Colgate-Palmolive

    hello Products Acquired

    Colgate acquires hello, a natural oral care brand popular with younger shoppers.

26. 2021Church & Dwight

    TheraBreath Acquisition

    Church & Dwight acquires TheraBreath, the #2 alcohol-free mouthwash brand in the U.S., for $580 million in cash.

27. 2022Church & Dwight

    Hero Cosmetics Acquisition

    The company acquires Hero Cosmetics, maker of Mighty Patch acne patches, for $630 million in cash plus a potential earn-out. The brand had about $115 million in trailing sales and became the #1 U.S. pimple patch brand in the portfolio.

28. 2022Colgate-Palmolive

    Red Collar Pet Foods Plants Acquired

    Hill's buys three U.S. dry pet food plants from Red Collar Pet Foods for $700 million to expand capacity.

29. 2024Church & Dwight

    VMS Impairment and CEO Transition

    The company records a $357.1 million non-cash impairment on its VITAFUSION and L'IL CRITTERS vitamin brands due to private-label competition. In 2024 the board also named CFO Rick Dierker to succeed Matthew Farrell as CEO effective March 31, 2025.

30. 2025Church & Dwight

    Touchland Acquisition and Portfolio Reset

    Church & Dwight agreed in May 2025 to buy Touchland, the #2 U.S. hand sanitizer brand, for $700 million plus an earn-out of up to $180 million, and closed the deal in 2025.

31. 2025Colgate-Palmolive

    Skin Health Impairment and Record Cash Flow

    Net sales reach $20.382 billion; GAAP EPS falls 25% on skin health impairment charges while operating cash flow hits a record $4.2 billion.

32. 2026Church & Dwight

    MISS MOUTH'S MESSY EATER Acquisition and Raised Outlook

    In June 2026 Church & Dwight acquired MISS MOUTH'S MESSY EATER, which it describes as the #1 stain remover brand on Amazon. Q2 2026 net sales rose 1.6% to $1,530.0 million with 5.8% organic growth, and the company raised its 2026 outlook.

Acquisitions

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