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Arm & Hammer

Arm & Hammer is a consumer brand best known for baking soda and baking soda-based household and personal-care products.

By Ethan Anderson| Reviewed by Olivia Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead| Updated July 26, 2026|2 min read| Fact-checked

Arm & Hammer is a consumer brand best known for baking soda and baking soda-based household and personal-care products. It is marketed by Church & Dwight, an American consumer goods company, and its logo features a muscular arm holding a hammer inside a red circle. The brand traces its origins to 1846, when Austin Church and John Dwight began commercial production of baking soda.

History

Arm & Hammer originated from the mid-19th-century baking soda business started by Austin Church and John Dwight in 1846. The brand name and arm-and-hammer symbol were later adopted as a trademark and became strongly associated with baking soda products.

Product expansion

From the late 1970s, Church & Dwight expanded the Arm & Hammer name beyond baking soda to include household and personal-care products. This included items such as toothpaste, laundry detergent, deodorant, and cat litter.

Brand symbol

The logo shows a muscular arm holding a hammer inside a red circle. Sources describe the image as representing Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, and it has become one of the company’s best-known trademarks.

Corporate ownership

Arm & Hammer is a brand of Church & Dwight, a U.S. consumer products company headquartered in Ewing Township, New Jersey. Church & Dwight says the brand is central to its consumer and specialty-products business.

Key facts

  • Arm & Hammer is a consumer brand best known for baking soda and related household and personal-care products.
  • The brand traces its origins to 1846, when Austin Church and John Dwight began commercial production of baking soda.
  • Church & Dwight expanded the brand beyond baking soda in the late 1970s to include toothpaste, laundry detergent, deodorant, and cat litter.
  • The logo depicts a muscular arm holding a hammer, commonly described as the arm of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
  • Arm & Hammer is marketed by Church & Dwight, an American consumer goods company headquartered in Ewing Township, New Jersey.
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Canadian context

Arm & Hammer products are sold in Canada through consumer retail channels, making the brand familiar to Canadian shoppers, especially for baking soda and cleaning uses.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arm & Hammer?
Arm & Hammer is a consumer brand best known for baking soda and related household and personal-care products.
Who owns Arm & Hammer?
Arm & Hammer is marketed by Church & Dwight, an American consumer goods company.
When did Arm & Hammer begin?
Its origins trace to 1846, when Austin Church and John Dwight began producing baking soda commercially.
What does the Arm & Hammer logo mean?
The logo depicts a muscular arm holding a hammer and is commonly described as the arm of Vulcan, the Roman god of fire.
What products use the Arm & Hammer name?
The brand has been used on baking soda, toothpaste, laundry detergent, deodorant, and cat litter, among other products.

References

  1. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arm_&_Hammer
    Supports: Brand description, ownership by Church & Dwight, logo description, and product expansion.
  2. Church & Dwight — https://www.churchdwight.com/investors/company-profile.aspx
    Supports: Company profile, founding date, ARM & HAMMER as a major brand, and product categories.
  3. Church & Dwight / ARM & HAMMER Performance Products — https://www.ahperformance.com/about/history/
    Supports: Trademark history and the Vulcan arm-and-hammer symbol.
  4. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_%26_Dwight
    Supports: Parent company identity, headquarters, and relationship to Arm & Hammer.