Church & Dwight vs Procter & Gamble: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: Church & Dwight and Procter & Gamble side by side

1. 1837Procter & Gamble

   Company Founded in Cincinnati

   William Procter and James Gamble sign a partnership agreement on October 31, 1837, establishing Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio, with combined capital of approximately 7,192 dollars.

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. 1862Procter & Gamble

   Civil War Army Contracts Fuel Expansion

   P&G wins contracts to supply the Union Army with soap and candles, generating significant revenue that enables manufacturing expansion and introduces millions of American soldiers to P&G products for the first time.

5. 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.

6. 1882Procter & Gamble

   Ivory Soap Launches Nationally

   Harley Procter and James Norris Gamble introduce Ivory soap, promoted as 99 and 44/100 percent pure and notable for its floating characteristic.

7. 1890Procter & Gamble

   Company Incorporates and Expands Nationally

   Procter & Gamble incorporates in Ohio with capital of 4.5 million dollars and begins building manufacturing capacity outside Cincinnati, establishing the operational infrastructure for national distribution that the Ivory soap advertising campaign had created…

8. 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.

9. 1911Procter & Gamble

   Crisco Shortening Introduced

   P&G launches Crisco vegetable shortening, the first hydrogenated vegetable oil product marketed to American consumers as an alternative to lard and butter.

10. 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.

11. 1931Procter & Gamble

    Brand Management System Invented

    P&G executive Neil McElroy writes a famous internal memo proposing that each brand have its own dedicated management team responsible for competing against all rivals including other P&G brands.

12. 1946Procter & Gamble

    Tide Detergent Launches

    P&G introduces Tide synthetic detergent, which rapidly becomes the best-selling laundry product in the United States and establishes the template for all future P&G brand development: superior product performance, heavy consumer advertising, and sustained mark…

13. 1961Procter & Gamble

    Pampers Diapers Introduced

    P&G introduces Pampers disposable diapers, transforming the infant care category and creating what will become one of the company's most globally significant brands.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

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. 2005Procter & Gamble

    Gillette Acquired for 57 Billion Dollars

    P&G completes the acquisition of Gillette Company for approximately 57 billion dollars in an all-stock transaction, adding Gillette razors, Braun appliances, Oral-B dental products, and Duracell batteries to the P&G portfolio.

20. 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.

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. 2014Procter & Gamble

    Portfolio Transformation Announced

    CEO A.G. Lafley announces P&G's plan to divest more than 100 brands and focus the company on approximately 80 core brands in ten product categories.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. 2019Procter & Gamble

    Portfolio Simplification Completed

    P&G completes the brand portfolio simplification, having divested more than 100 brands and consolidated around approximately 65 core brands.

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. 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.

29. 2024Procter & Gamble

    Fiscal Year 2024 Net Sales Reach Approximately 84 Billion Dollars

    P&G reports fiscal year 2024 net sales of $84.0 billion and net earnings attributable to P&G of about $14.9 billion, and raises its quarterly dividend 7% to $1.0065 per share, its 68th consecutive annual increase.

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. 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

Questions about Church & Dwight vs Procter & Gamble