Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight)

Last Updated: March 6, 2024

How Ethical Is Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight)?

Make a positive impact by supporting companies with the same values and ethics as what matters most to you. To navigate and find ethical brands, here’s a summary of Arm and Hammer’s ethics and initiatives.

Ethical Analysis

Is Arm & Hammer cruelty-free or vegan? We’ve got the answers here! Read below to learn more about Arm & Hammer’s policies.
Arm & Hammer is NOT Cruelty-Free. Arm & Hammer engages in animal testing by allowing its products to be animal-tested.

Arm & Hammer is also owned by Church & Dwight, a parent corporation that does engage in animal testing.
Arm & Hammer claims its toothpaste are “vegan” however since we do not consider Arm & Hammer to be cruelty-free as their products are tested on animals when required by law, we also wouldn’t consider anything sold or manufactured by Arm & Hammer to be vegan, at this time.

Arm & Hammer (Church & Dwight)

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Arm & Hammer is NOT Cruelty-Free!

Arm & Hammer allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law.

In addition, Arm & Hammer is owned by Church & Dwight Co., a parent company that is NOT cruelty-free.

Arm & Hammer’s Animal Testing Policy

While researching to learn more about Arm & Hammer’s cruelty-free status, I couldn’t find the brand’s official animal testing policy anywhere on its website.

So I reached out to Arm & Hammer to ask for more information about their animal testing policy. More specifically, I wanted to know if they commission or allow others to test their products/ingredients on animals, including when selling in countries that require animal testing (like in mainland China).

And Arm & Hammer responded by saying:

“In response to you contacting us regarding your concern for the ethical treatment of animals, below is our policy.

Church & Dwight Co., Inc. is fully committed to ensuring and protecting animal welfare. We use only materials already known to be safe. It is our policy not to test on animals, and we also request that suppliers not test any materials or products on animals, unless required by law or regulation.

We take a detailed and deliberate approach to evaluating our ingredients and products for potential toxic effects from expected sources of exposure. If there is a question about a particular potential toxic effect related to an ingredient, we would look for a substitute ingredient, or conduct testing using a validated alternative (i.e., non-animal) test method such as in vitro and clinical safety studies. All products manufactured and distributed in the U.S. are subject to compliance with local and federal regulations which may require animal safety testing for certain ingredients and product categories. When necessary to conduct such tests to comply with law or regulation, we only select highly qualified contract research facilities that fully comply with animal welfare laws.

Based on their statement, we now know that Church & Dwight owns Arm & Hammer. And Arm & Hammer has the same animal testing policy as Church & Dwight where both state they make an exception to allow their products to be tested on animals if specifically required by law.

Truly cruelty-free brands will never allow their products or ingredients to be tested on animals. Cruelty-free companies have a policy where if the law requires them to test on animals then they will refuse to sell their products under those conditions.

For example, imported cosmetics sold in stores in mainland China are required by Chinese laws to be tested on animals upon registration. Therefore, truly cruelty-free brands have chosen not to sell in China in order to remain committed to their no animal testing policy.

Unfortunately, Arm & Hammer and Church & Dwight state they will allow their products and ingredients to be tested on animals if the law requires it. For those reasons, Arm & Hammer is NOT cruelty-free.

Cruelty-Free Policies

At ethical elephant, we always assess a company’s cruelty-free policy using our Cruelty-Free Checklist. This ensures no animal testing was performed by the brand itself, its suppliers, and by any third parties, including when required by law.

See below for our complete cruelty-free checklist. Since Arm & Hammer states it allow its products to be tested on animals when required by law, we cannot classify the brand as being cruelty-free.

Complete Cruelty-Free Checklist

Is Arm & Hammer Certified Cruelty-Free?

Arm & Hammer is not certified cruelty-free by any third-party cruelty-free certifications like Leaping Bunny or PETA.

Because Arm & Hammer is not certified cruelty-free by a third party, no one is looking into or substantiating Arm & Hammer’s cruelty-free commitments and claims.

Is Arm & Hammer Owned By A Non-Cruelty-Free Parent Company?

Yes. Arm & Hammer is owned by Church & Dwight, a parent corporation that still engages in animal testing in 2022.

Some cruelty-free consumers may choose to purchase and support cruelty-free brands owned by animal-tested parent corporations as they hope it will convince the parent company to become cruelty-free.

But in this case, Arm & Hammer is NOT cruelty-free and neither is its parent corporation, Church & Dwight.

Is Arm & Hammer Cruelty-Free?

To sum up, Arm & Hammer allows its products to be tested on animals when required by law. Therefore, we would NOT Arm & Hammer Company to be a cruelty-free brand.

Currently, Arm & Hammer is on our List of Brands to Avoid – Animal Tested.

Is Arm & Hammer Vegan?

Arm & Hammer claims its toothpaste are “vegan” however since we do not consider Arm & Hammer to be cruelty-free as their products are tested on animals when required by law, we also wouldn’t consider anything sold or manufactured by Arm & Hammer to be vegan, at this time.

In order for products to be considered vegan by ethical elephant’s standards, the products and their ingredients must not be tested on animals anywhere in the world. Also, they must not contain any animal-derived ingredients or by-products.

Cruelty-Free Alternatives to Arm & Hammer

Looking to switch to cruelty-free products? Here are some cruelty-free brands to check out:

For cruelty-free toothpaste:

For cruelty-free laundry detergent:

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