CHURCH & DWIGHT CO INC /DE/

Previous wording

We face intense competition from consumer products companies, both in the U.S. and in international markets. Most of our products compete with other widely-advertised promoted and merchandised brands within each product category and from retailers, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, drugstores, convenience stores, home stores, dollar and other discount stores, pet and other specialty stores and websites and other e-commerce channels, which are increasingly offering private label and retailer-branded brands and generic non-branded products in certain categories, which typically are sold at lower prices, and consumers are increasingly seeking lower cost “private label” products. In China, in particular we face strong competition from local manufacturers offering both generic and branded products. The use of evolving technology to develop more complex pricing models by retailers has led and may continue to lead to pricing pressures in some categories. In addition, an increase in consumers purchasing more “private label” or other lower price brands has increased competition in certain product categories in particular, including dietary supplements, diagnostic kits and oral analgesics, and there has been increased consumer shifts to private label products across multiple categories. In addition to competition across all our product categories, there continues to be significant product competition in the gummy dietary supplement category, which has grown from about 10 competitors a decade ago to more than 60 competitors of significance in recent years, contributing, together with supply chain challenges that resulted in increased shelf space and/ or display for certain of our competitors, to an impairment in our VMS business in the third quarter of 2024. Shifting consumer behavior, including continuing shifts to online shopping, have also increased competition in e-commerce in many of our categories, from our larger legacy competitors and newer digitally native brands which have increasingly moved into consumer products and staples.

Current wording

We face intense competition from consumer products companies, both in the U.S. and in international markets. Most of our products compete with other widely-advertised promoted and merchandised brands within each product category and from retailers, including supermarkets, mass merchandisers, wholesale clubs, drugstores, convenience stores, home stores, dollar and other discount stores, pet and other specialty stores and websites and other e-commerce channels, which are increasingly offering private label and retailer-branded brands and generic non-branded products in certain categories, which typically are sold at lower prices, and consumers are increasingly seeking lower cost “private label” products. In China, in particular we face strong competition from local manufacturers offering both generic and branded products. The use of evolving technology to develop more complex pricing models by retailers has led and may continue to lead to pricing pressures in some categories. In addition, an increase in consumers purchasing more “private label” or other lower price brands has increased competition in certain product categories in particular, including diagnostic kits and oral analgesics, and there has been increased consumer shifts to private label products across multiple categories. Shifting consumer behavior, including continuing shifts to online shopping, has also increased competition in e-commerce in many of our categories, from our larger legacy competitors and newer digitally native brands which have increasingly moved into consumer products and staples.

Previous wording

Many of our competitors are large companies, including, among others, P&G, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Nestle Purina PetCare Company and Nestle Health Science, Haleon plc, Henkel, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, Kenvue Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bayer AG, NBTY, Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Unilever PLC, Sanofi, Pharmavite LLC, Edgewell Personal Care, Panoxyl, Starface and Peach & Lily. Many of these companies have greater financial resources than we do, and these competitors, as well as new market entrants, may therefore, have the capacity to outspend us on advertising and promotional activities and introduce competing products or adopt new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, more quickly, successfully and effectively, and respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions than we can.

Current wording

Many of our competitors are large companies, including, among others, P&G, The Clorox Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Nestlé S.A., Haleon plc, Henkel, Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, LifeStyles Healthcare, Kenvue Inc., Pfizer Inc., Bayer AG, NBTY, Inc., Koninklijke Philips N.V., Unilever PLC, Sanofi, Edgewell Personal Care, Panoxyl, Starface, GOJO Industries, Inc., and Peach & Lily. Many of these companies have greater financial resources than we do, and these competitors, as well as new market entrants, may therefore, have the capacity to outspend us on advertising and promotional activities and introduce competing products or adopt new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, more quickly, successfully and effectively, and respond more effectively to changing business and economic conditions than we can.

Previous wording

Our products generally compete on the basis of performance, brand recognition, price, value or other benefits to consumers. Significant price competition may require us to reduce the prices for some of our products to price levels that do not offset manufacturing cost increases, to respond to competitive and customer pressures and to maintain market share. Increases to our prices, as a result of inflationary pressures or otherwise, could cause declining sales of products whose prices we have increased. In response to inflationary pressures and other factors, we have raised prices on many of our products across our global portfolio of brands in recent years. Ongoing periods of high inflation or increased costs resulting from higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. or other countries could lead to additional price increases on these or our other products, adversely impacting demand for our products. Advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging also have a significant impact on retail customer decisions regarding the brands and product lines they sell and on consumer purchasing decisions. A newly introduced consumer product (whether improved or newly developed) usually encounters intense competition requiring substantial expenditures for advertising, sales promotion and trade merchandising. If a product gains consumer acceptance, it normally requires continued advertising, promotional support and product improvements to maintain its relative market position. If our advertising, marketing and promotional programs, including the use of digital and social media to reach consumers, are not effective, our sales growth may decline.

Current wording

Our products generally compete based on performance, brand recognition, price, value or other benefits to consumers. Significant price competition may require us to reduce the prices for some of our products to price levels that do not offset manufacturing cost increases, to respond to competitive and customer pressures and to maintain market share. Increases to our prices, because of inflationary pressures or otherwise, could cause declining sales of products whose prices we have increased. In response to inflationary pressures and other factors, we have raised prices on many of our products across our global portfolio of brands in recent years. Ongoing periods of high inflation or increased costs resulting from higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. or other countries could lead to additional price increases on these or our other products, adversely impacting demand for our products. Advertising, promotion, merchandising and packaging also have a significant impact on retail customer decisions regarding the brands and product lines they sell and on consumer purchasing decisions. A newly introduced consumer product (whether improved or newly developed) usually encounters intense competition requiring substantial expenditures for advertising, sales promotion and trade merchandising. If a product gains consumer acceptance, it normally requires continued advertising, promotional support and product improvements to maintain its relative market position. If our advertising, marketing and promotional programs, including the use of digital and social media to reach consumers, are not effective, our sales growth may decline.

Previous wording

Despite increasing shifts to e-commerce, sales of our products remain highest in the traditional mass merchandiser, food and drug retail stores, and our products are also sold in club stores and dollar store channels. However, alternative retail channels, including direct to consumer, e-commerce retailers, hard discounters, subscription services and buying clubs, have become more prevalent and the volume of consumer products that are sold through such alternative retail channels is continuing to increase, which may affect customer and consumer preferences, including any pricing pressures for consumer goods as retailers face added costs to build or further expand their e-commerce capacity. In addition, a growing number of alternative sales channels and business models, such as niche brands, native online brands, private label and store brands, direct-to-consumer brands and channels and discounter channels, have emerged in the markets we serve. In particular, the growing presence of, and increasing sales through, e-commerce retailers have affected, and may continue to affect, consumer behavior or preferences (as consumers increasingly shop online and via mobile and social applications) and market dynamics, including any pricing pressures for consumer goods as retailers face added costs to build their e-commerce capacity. In 2024, some of our largest customers launched private label brands that compete with our products and may continue to expand those offerings in the future. Further, consumer preferences continue to evolve due to a number of factors, including fragmentation of the consumer market and changes in consumer demographics, including the aging of the general population and the emergence of Generation Z and Generation Alpha who have different spending, consumption and purchasing habits and are increasingly shifting to “private label” products and new nontraditional brands rather than maintaining allegiance to historical brands; evolving consumer concerns or perceptions regarding ESG practices of manufacturers, including the environmental impacts of products and the sourcing and sustainability of, packaging materials, such as plastic packaging, and their environmental impact; greenhouse gas emissions; waste disposal practices; a growing demand for natural or organic products and ingredients; changing consumer sentiment toward non-local products or sources among different demographic groups; evolving consumer concerns or perceptions regarding the effects of ingredients or substances present in certain consumer products; reduced brand loyalty; and concerns regarding human capital practices.

Current wording

Despite increasing shifts to e-commerce, sales of our products remain highest in the traditional mass merchandiser, food and drug retail stores, and our products are also sold in club stores and dollar store channels. However, alternative retail channels, including direct to consumer, e-commerce retailers, hard discounters, subscription services and buying clubs, have become more prevalent and the volume of consumer products that are sold through such alternative retail channels is continuing to increase, which may affect customer and consumer preferences, including any pricing pressures for consumer goods as retailers face added costs to build or further expand their e-commerce capacity. In addition, a growing number of alternative sales channels and business models, such as niche brands, native online brands, private label and store brands, direct-to-consumer brands and channels and discounter channels, have emerged in the markets we serve. In particular, the growing presence of, and increasing sales through, e-commerce retailers have affected, and may continue to affect, consumer behavior or preferences (as consumers increasingly shop online and via mobile and social applications) and market dynamics, including any pricing pressures for consumer goods as retailers face added costs to build their e-commerce capacity. In 2025, some of our largest customers launched private label brands that compete with our products and may continue to expand those offerings in the future. Further, consumer preferences continue to evolve due to a number of factors, including fragmentation of the consumer market and changes in consumer demographics, including the aging of the general population and the emergence of Generation Z and Generation Alpha who have different spending, consumption and purchasing habits and are increasingly shifting to “private label” products and new nontraditional brands rather than maintaining allegiance to historical brands; evolving consumer concerns or perceptions regarding sustainability practices of manufacturers, including the environmental impacts of products and the sourcing and sustainability of, packaging materials, such as plastic packaging, and their environmental impact; greenhouse gas emissions; waste disposal practices; a growing demand for natural or organic products and ingredients; changing consumer sentiment toward non-local products or sources among different demographic groups; evolving consumer concerns or perceptions regarding the effects of ingredients or substances present in certain consumer products; reduced brand loyalty; and concerns regarding human capital practices.

Previous wording

We and many of our competitors have increased our online sales as a result of shifting consumer behavior, benefiting from scale, brand recognition, and other factors. However, as consumers continue to shift their behavior, retailers may incur higher e-commerce operating costs and will seek to recover those costs by passing them onto customers and manufacturers. Additionally, we cannot predict the extent to which our increased e-commerce demand will continue or the impact on our profits as retailers seek to recover higher e-commerce related operating costs. Any significant changes in consumer preferences or behavior could materially and negatively impact demand for our products and, in turn, our net sales and results of operations. Consumer preferences are also influenced by the perception of our brand images or those of our products, the success of advertising and marketing campaigns, our ability to engage with consumers in the manner they prefer, including through the use of digital media or assets, and the perception of our advertising content, use of social media and extent of engagement in political and social issues. If we are not successful in continuing to adapt to changing consumer preferences and market dynamics or expanding sales through e-commerce retailers or alternative retail channels, our business, financial condition and results of operations and cash flows may be negatively impacted.

Current wording

We and many of our competitors have increased our online sales as a result of shifting consumer behavior, benefiting from scale, brand recognition, and other factors. However, as consumers continue to shift their behavior, retailers may incur higher e-commerce operating costs and will seek to recover those costs by passing them onto customers and manufacturers. Additionally, we cannot predict the extent to which our increased e-commerce demand will continue or the impact on our profits as retailers seek to recover higher e-commerce related operating costs. Any significant changes in consumer preferences or behavior could materially and negatively impact demand for our products and, in turn, our net sales and results of operations. Consumer preferences are also influenced by the perception of our brand images or those of our products, the success of advertising and marketing campaigns, our ability to engage with consumers in the manner they prefer, including through the use of digital media or assets, and the perception of our advertising content, use of social media and extent of engagement in political and social issues. If we are not successful in continuing to adapt to changing consumer preferences and market dynamics or expanding sales through e-commerce retailers or alternative retail channels, consumers may reduce their purchasing of the Company’s products which would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations and cash flows.

Previous wording

The principal raw materials and packaging used by us and certain of our suppliers and contract manufacturers include surfactants (cleaning agents), paper products and resin-based molded components. Volatility, and increases in the costs of raw materials without offsetting price increases, disruptions in production or transportation, or increases in the costs of energy, labor, shipping and other necessary services, or other inflationary pressures, including market conditions, inflation, banking failures, supplier capacity restraints, geopolitical developments (including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and political upheaval in the Middle East and Europe), the impact of the new presidential administration in the U.S., potential tariffs on imported materials or the impact of tariffs on products or materials exported outside of the U.S., federal government spending disputes and government shutdowns, port congestions, strikes or delays, transport capacity restraints, or other disruptions, could significantly affect our profit margins if we are unable to pass along any higher costs in the form of price increases or otherwise achieve cost efficiencies, such as in manufacturing and distribution. General inflationary pressures continued in 2024, and we may still be affected by increased costs impacting our supplies, transportation or manufacturing processes which could impact our gross margin. While we have increased prices on a majority of our products in recent years, there is no assurance that we will be able to fully offset any input costs increases, through cost reduction programs or price increases of our products or enter locked-in price arrangements or hedge agreements, especially given the competitive environment. Sustained, those price increases may lead to declines in volume as competitors may reduce their prices or customers may decide not to pay higher prices or to purchase lower priced alternatives, which could lead to sales declines and loss of market share. While we seek to project tradeoffs between price increases and volume, our projections may not accurately predict the volume impact of price increases. In addition, volatility in certain commodity markets could significantly affect our production cost. Additionally, increased tariffs, or proposed increases to tariffs, imposed by the U.S. or other countries could have the impact of increasing costs on a wide range of products and services, including on our products and items used to manufacture and deliver our products, and could lead to increased prices, price volatility and reduced demand for our products.

Current wording

The principal raw materials and packaging used by us and certain of our suppliers and contract manufacturers include surfactants (cleaning agents), paper products and resin-based molded components. Volatility, and increases in the costs of raw materials without offsetting price increases, disruptions in production or transportation, or increases in the costs of energy, labor, shipping and other necessary services, or other inflationary pressures, including market conditions, inflation, banking failures, supplier capacity restraints, geopolitical developments (including the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and political upheaval in the Middle East and Europe), tariffs on imported materials or the impact of tariffs on products or materials exported outside of the U.S., new regulations or economic policies, federal government spending disputes and government shutdowns, port congestions, strikes or delays, transport capacity restraints, or other disruptions, could significantly affect our profit margins if we are unable to pass along any higher costs in the form of price increases or otherwise achieve cost efficiencies, such as in manufacturing and distribution. While slowing year-over-year, inflationary pressures continued in 2025, and we continue to be affected by increased costs impacting our supplies, transportation or manufacturing processes which could impact our gross margin. While we have increased prices on a majority of our products in recent years, there is no assurance that we will be able to fully offset any input costs increases, through cost reduction programs or price increases of our products or enter locked-in price arrangements or hedge agreements, especially given the competitive environment. Sustained, those price increases may lead to declines in volume as competitors may reduce their prices or customers may decide not to pay higher prices or to purchase lower priced alternatives, which could lead to sales declines and loss of market share. While we seek to project tradeoffs between price increases and volume, our projections may not accurately predict the volume impact of price increases. In addition, volatility in certain commodity markets could significantly affect our production cost. Additionally, increased tariffs, or proposed increases to tariffs, imposed by the U.S. or other countries could have the impact of increasing costs on a wide range of products and services, including on our products and items used to manufacture and deliver our products, and could lead to increased prices, price volatility and reduced demand for our products.

Previous wording

A limited number of customers account for a large percentage of our net sales and/or net sales of specific product lines. Walmart is our largest customer, accounting for approximately 23% of net sales in 2024, 23% of net sales in 2023, and 24% of net sales in 2022. Our top four customers accounted for approximately 43%, 44% and 42% of net sales in 2024, 2023 and 2022 respectively. We expect that a significant portion of our net sales will continue to be derived from a small number of customers and that these percentages may increase if the growth of mass merchandisers continues. As a result, changes in the strategies of any of our largest customers, including a reduction in the number of brands they carry or of shelf space they dedicate to private label products, could materially harm our net sales and profitability. Any loss of or significant reduction in sales to one of our key customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in consumer behavior, including continued shifting to online shopping instead of physical retail shopping, could also impact our sales to our largest customers. Some of our retail customers have experienced and may experience in the future declining financial performance, which could affect their ability to pay amounts due to us on a timely basis or at all. If these impacts are prolonged, they can further increase the difficulty of planning for operations. Moreover, the use of evolving technology by our customers to develop more complex pricing models may lead to category pricing pressures. We could also lose a significant customer due to customer service levels or real or perceived product quality or appearance issues. As our business is based primarily upon individual sales orders rather than long-term contracts and most customer agreements include customer termination rights after short notice, many of our customers could reduce their purchasing levels or cease buying products from us at any time and for any reason.

Current wording

A limited number of customers account for a large percentage of our net sales and/or net sales of specific product lines. Walmart is our largest customer, accounting for approximately 23% of net sales in each of 2025, 2024, and 2023. Our top four customers accounted for approximately 44%, 43%, and 44% of net sales in 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively. We expect that a significant portion of our net sales will continue to be derived from a small number of customers and that these percentages may increase if the growth of mass merchandisers continues. As a result, changes in the strategies of any of our largest customers, including a reduction in the number of brands they carry or of shelf space they dedicate to private label products, could materially harm our net sales and profitability. Any loss of or significant reduction in sales to one of our key customers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Changes in consumer behavior, including continued shifting to online shopping instead of physical retail shopping, could also impact our sales to our largest customers. Some of our retail customers have experienced and may experience in the future declining financial performance, which could affect their ability to pay amounts due to us on a timely basis or at all. If these impacts are prolonged, they can further increase the difficulty of planning for operations. Moreover, the use of evolving technology by our customers to develop more complex pricing models may lead to category pricing pressures. We could also lose a significant customer due to customer service levels or real or perceived product quality or appearance issues. As our business is based primarily upon individual sales orders rather than long-term contracts and most customer agreements include customer termination rights after short notice, many of our customers could reduce their purchasing levels or cease buying products from us at any time and for any reason.

Previous wording

A significant percentage of our revenues come from mature markets that are subject to high levels of competition where product differentiation is more challenging and price competitors can erode profit margins. During 2024, approximately 82% of our sales were generated in U.S. markets. U.S. markets for consumer products are considered mature and commonly characterized by high household penetration, particularly with respect to our most significant product categories, such as laundry detergents, deodorizers, household cleaning products, toothpastes, dietary supplements, antiperspirants and deodorants. Our ability to quickly innovate to differentiate our products (including product packaging and sustainability profiles) to meet changing consumer demands is essential, especially in light of e-commerce significantly reducing the barriers for even small competitors to quickly introduce new brands and products directly to consumers. Even if we are successful in increasing sales within our product categories, a continuing or accelerating decline in the overall markets for our products could have a negative impact on our financial results. We have implemented price increases and may implement additional price increases in the future, including to account for increasing costs, which may slow sales growth or create volume declines in the short term as customers and consumers adjust to these price increases. In addition, our Specialty Products business has been and may continue to be negatively impacted by the entrance of new foreign competition in the United States dairy market. We expect that low-priced imports will continue to enter the market. During the first quarter of 2024, due to declining sales, we exited the MEGALAC supplement portion of our Animal Nutrition business within our Specialty Products Division segment and during the second quarter of 2024, we sold our food safety business, Passport Food Safety Solutions, Inc. During the fourth quarter of 2024, our 50% interest in The ArmaKleen Company was sold to our joint venture partner.

Current wording

A significant percentage of our revenues come from mature markets that are subject to high levels of competition where product differentiation is more challenging and price competitors can erode profit margins. During 2025, approximately 82% of our sales were generated in U.S. markets. U.S. markets for consumer products are considered mature and commonly characterized by high household penetration, particularly with respect to our most significant product categories, such as laundry detergents, deodorizers, household cleaning products, toothpastes, antiperspirants and deodorants. Our ability to quickly innovate to differentiate our products (including product packaging and sustainability profiles) to meet changing consumer demands is essential, especially in light of e-commerce significantly reducing the barriers for even small competitors to quickly introduce new brands and products directly to consumers. Even if we are successful in increasing sales within our product categories, a continuing or accelerating decline in the overall markets for our products could have a negative impact on our financial results. We have implemented price increases and may implement additional price increases in the future, including to account for increased costs, which may slow sales growth or create volume declines in the short term as customers and consumers adjust to these price increases.

Previous wording

Factors that can affect demand include competitors’ products, advertising and pricing actions, inflationary pressures, rates of unemployment, consumer confidence, health care costs, including increased costs as a result of changes in federal regulations, significant shifts in government policies, the deterioration of economic or trade relations between countries or regions, commodity costs, fuel and other energy costs and other economic factors affecting consumer spending behavior, including gasoline and home heating oil pricing, reduced unemployment benefits in periods of high unemployment, restrictions on travel and access to public spaces, and changes in tax policies, other effects of governmental shutdowns or a lapse of appropriations or fear of exposure to or actual impacts of a widespread disease outbreak. In particular, we derive a substantial percentage of our revenues from sales of laundry detergent, and the continued customer demand for these products are critical to our future success. Some products have seen decreasing demand in recent years, including condoms, as a result of demographic and other changes. We believe that inflation is continuing to drive a decline in consumer spending for our most discretionary brands, Waterpik and Flawless, as consumers reduce spending in these categories and shift to lower cost alternatives. Most notably, a growing number of water flosser consumers are continuing to switch to competitors' value-branded products. Moreover, in our vitamin business, we are experiencing significant product competition coming from new category entrants, including private label, which contributed to the previously announced impairment in our VMS business. In addition, our Specialty Products business has been negatively impacted by the return of foreign competition in the United States dairy market.

Current wording

Factors that can affect demand include competitors’ products, advertising and pricing actions, inflationary pressures, rates of unemployment, consumer confidence, health care costs, including increased costs as a result of changes in federal regulations, significant shifts in government policies, the deterioration of economic or trade relations between countries or regions, commodity costs, fuel and other energy costs and other economic factors affecting consumer spending behavior, including gasoline and home heating oil pricing, reduced unemployment benefits in periods of high unemployment, restrictions on travel and access to public spaces, and changes in tax policies, other effects of governmental shutdowns or a lapse of appropriations or fear of exposure to or actual impacts of a widespread disease outbreak. In particular, we derive a substantial percentage of our revenues from sales of laundry detergent, and the continued customer demand for these products is critical to our future success. There has been a decrease in demand for some of our products in recent years, including condoms, as a result of demographic and other changes. We believe that inflation drove a decline in consumer spending for our Waterpik brand, as a growing number of water flosser consumers switched to competitors' value-branded products.

Previous wording

We rely on the policies of our key retailer customers.

Current wording

We rely on the policies of our key retail customers.

Previous wording

Larger and increasingly consolidated retailers have increasing influence, and have sought to obtain lower pricing, special packaging inventory practices, logistics or other changes to the customer-supplier relationship as a result of this influence. To the extent we provide concessions or better trade terms to those customers, our profit margins are reduced. Further, if we are unable to effectively respond to the demands of our customers, these customers could reduce their purchases of our products and increase their purchases of products from competitors. Reductions in inventory by our customers, including as a result of consolidation in the retail industry, or these customers managing their working capital requirements, could result in reduced orders for our products and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows for financial periods affected by such reductions.

Current wording

Larger and increasingly consolidated retailers have an increasing influence, and have sought to obtain lower pricing, special packaging inventory practices, logistics or other changes to the customer-supplier relationship as a result of this influence. To the extent we provide concessions or better trade terms to those customers, our profit margins are reduced. Further, if we are unable to effectively respond to the demands of our customers, these customers could reduce their purchases of our products and increase their purchases of products from competitors. Reductions in inventory by our customers, including as a result of consolidation in the retail industry, or these customers managing their working capital requirements, could result in reduced orders for our products and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows for financial periods affected by such reductions.

Previous wording

In addition, private label and retail-branded products sold by retail trade chains are typically sold at lower prices than branded products. As consumers look for opportunities to decrease discretionary spending, our customers have discontinued or reduced distribution of some of our products to encourage those consumers to purchase the customers’ less expensive and, in some cases, more profitable private label and retail-branded products (primarily in the dietary supplements, stain fighters, diagnostic kits and oral analgesics categories).

Current wording

In addition, private label and retail-branded products sold by retail trade chains are typically sold at lower prices than branded products. As consumers look for opportunities to decrease discretionary spending, our customers have discontinued or reduced distribution of some of our products to encourage those consumers to purchase the customers’ less expensive and, in some cases, more profitable private label and retail-branded products (primarily in the stain fighters, diagnostic kits and oral analgesics categories).

Previous wording

Acquired companies or operations or newly-created ventures may not be profitable or may not achieve sales levels and profitability that justify the investments made. In addition, future acquisitions or investments could result in substantial cash expenditures, the potentially dilutive issuances of new equity by us or the incurrence of additional debt or business acquisition liabilities, or the assumption of contingent liabilities, such as those relating to advertising claims, environmental issues and litigation.

Current wording

Acquired companies or operations or newly-created ventures may not be profitable or may not achieve sales levels and profitability that justify the investments made. In addition, future acquisitions or investments could result in substantial cash expenditures, the potentially dilutive issuances of new equity by us or the incurrence of additional debt or business acquisition liabilities, or the assumption of contingent liabilities, such as those relating to advertising claims, environmental issues and litigation. To the extent that the economic benefits associated with an acquisition or investment diminish in the future we may be required to record impairments of intangible assets. In addition, if the performance of an acquired company or business is less robust than expected, the Company has in the past recorded, and may, in the future, be required to record, impairments of intangible assets. Any impairment charges could adversely affect the Company's financial condition, margins and results of operations.

Previous wording

The Company has divested and may, in the future, divest certain assets, businesses or brands. A divestiture could affect the profitability of the Company as a result of the gains or losses on such sale of a business or brand, the loss of the operating income or sales resulting from such sale or the costs or liabilities that are not assumed by the acquirer that may negatively impact profitability and cash flow subsequent to any divestiture. If the Company is unable to complete a divestiture or successfully transition a divested business, including the effective management of the related separation and overhead costs, transition services, and the maintenance of relationships with customers, suppliers, and other business partners, its business and financial results could be negatively impacted. The Company may also be required to recognize impairment charges or other losses as a result of a divestiture.

Current wording

The Company has divested and may, in the future, divest certain assets, businesses or brands. In 2025, we exited from the Flawless, Spinbrush, Waterpik showerhead businesses and divested of our VMS business. We completed the sale of our VMS business at the end of 2025. These and other future potential divestitures could affect the profitability of the Company as a result of the gains or losses on such sale of a business or brand, the loss of the operating income or sales resulting from such sale or the costs or liabilities that are not assumed by the acquirer that may negatively impact profitability and cash flow subsequent to any divestiture. When we undertake to divest assets or a business, we may encounter difficulty finding buyers or executing alternative exit strategies, which could impact the achievement of our strategic objectives. We could also fail to obtain necessary regulatory approval or incur unexpected or higher costs or charges than planned and could experience unanticipated impacts to our business, any of which could have a negative impact on our results of operations. If the Company is unable to complete a divestiture or successfully transition a divested business, including the effective management of the related separation and overhead costs, transition services, and the maintenance of relationships with customers, suppliers, and other business partners, its business and financial results could be negatively impacted. The Company may also be required to recognize impairment charges or other losses as a result of a divestiture.

Previous wording

Adverse economic conditions continue to impact a portion of our businesses. We believe that inflation and recessionary concerns are continuing to drive a decline in consumer spending for our most discretionary brands, Waterpik and Flawless, as consumers reduce spending in these categories and shift to lower cost alternatives. Most notably, a growing number of water flosser consumers are continuing to switch to competitors' value-branded products. Moreover, in our vitamin business, we are experiencing significant product competition coming from new category entrants, including private label that resulted in increased shelf space and/ or display for certain of our competitors. Overall, we have continued to experience increased online sales. Potential recessionary economic conditions may impact consumer demand for certain of our products and put downward pressure on product prices.

Current wording

Adverse economic conditions continue to impact a portion of our businesses and potential recessionary economic conditions may impact consumer demand for certain of our products and put downward pressure on product prices, and we will continue to evaluate our business portfolio.

Previous wording

Any event that disrupts or otherwise negatively impacts manufacturing facilities, manufacturing systems or equipment, or contract manufacturers or other suppliers could result in the delivery of inferior products or our ability to meet customer requirements or service levels.

Current wording

Any event that disrupts or otherwise negatively impacts manufacturing facilities, manufacturing systems or equipment, or contract manufacturers or other suppliers could result in the delivery of inferior products or affect our ability to meet customer requirements or service levels.

Previous wording

We distribute our products and receive raw materials and packaging components primarily by truck, rail and ship and through various ports of entry. Reduced availability of trucking, rail or shipping capacity due to labor shortages, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, including climatic events (including any potential effect of climate change), allocation of assets to other industries or geographies or otherwise, work stoppages, closure of operations due to government restrictions or sick employees or other impacts of pandemics, strikes or shutdowns of ports of entry or such transportation sources, could lead to inflationary cost pressures, cause us to incur unanticipated expenses and impair our ability to distribute our products or receive our raw materials or packaging components in a timely manner, which could disrupt our operations, strain our customer relationships and competitive position.

Current wording

We distribute our products and receive raw materials and packaging components primarily by truck, rail and ship and through various ports of entry. Reduced availability of trucking, rail or shipping capacity due to labor shortages, adverse weather conditions, natural disasters, including climatic and weather-related events, allocation of assets to other industries or geographies or otherwise, work stoppages, closure of operations due to government restrictions or sick employees or other impacts of pandemics, strikes or shutdowns of ports of entry or such transportation sources, could lead to inflationary cost pressures, cause us to incur unanticipated expenses and impair our ability to distribute our products or receive our raw materials or packaging components in a timely manner, which could disrupt our operations, strain our customer relationships and competitive position.

Previous wording

Our financial success is directly dependent on the reputation and success of our brands, particularly our power brands. Seven of our brands are designated as "power brands" because they compete in large categories, and we believe they have the potential for significant global expansion. Those seven brands are ARM & HAMMER®; OXICLEAN®; VITAFUSION® and L’IL CRITTERS®; BATISTE®; WATERPIK®; THERABREATH®; and HERO® and represent approximately 70% of our net sales and profits. The effectiveness of these brands could suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives do not have the desired impact on a brand’s image or its ability to attract consumers. Our brands could suffer damage to their reputations due to real or perceived, sustainability, quality or safety issues, including as a result of, among other things, significant product recalls, product-related litigation, defects or impurities in our products, product misuse, changing consumer perceptions of certain ingredients or environmental impacts (including packaging, energy and water use and waste management), or allegations of product tampering. In addition, as our sales on various e-commerce platforms grow, we may be unable to prevent sales of counterfeit, pirated, or stolen goods, unlawful or unethical sales, unauthorized resellers online, or sales in violation of our policies. During the third quarter of 2024, the Company continued to experience a decline in market share and a deterioration in the financial performance for its Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (“VMS”) business, which includes the VITAFUSION and L’IL CRITTERS trade names, primarily due to significant product competition coming from new category entrants, including private label, and supply chain challenges that resulted in increased shelf space and/ or display for certain of our competitors. The continued decline in profitability caused management to reassess its long-term strategy and financial outlook of the business. The revised financial outlook reflects lower estimates of future sales growth and cash flows which resulted in a triggering event in the third quarter. The triggering event required the Company to review the carrying value of long-lived assets supporting the business in connection with the preparation of the Company’s financial statements, resulting in impairment charges of $357.1 in the quarter ended September 30, 2024.

Current wording

Our financial success is directly dependent on the reputation and success of our brands, particularly our power brands. Seven of our brands are designated as "power brands" because they compete in large categories, and we believe they have the potential for significant global expansion. Those seven brands are ARM & HAMMER®; OXICLEAN®; TOUCHLAND®; BATISTE®; WATERPIK®; THERABREATH®; and HERO® and represent approximately 70% of our net sales and profits. The effectiveness of these brands could suffer if our marketing plans or product initiatives do not have the desired impact on a brand’s image or its ability to attract consumers. Our brands could suffer damage to their reputations due to real or perceived, sustainability, quality or safety issues, including as a result of, among other things, significant product recalls, product-related litigation, defects or impurities in our products, product misuse, changing consumer perceptions of certain ingredients or environmental impacts (including packaging, energy and water use and waste management), or allegations of product tampering. In addition, as our sales on various e-commerce platforms grow, we may be unable to prevent sales of counterfeit, pirated, or stolen goods, unlawful or unethical sales, unauthorized resellers online, or sales in violation of our policies. As a result of the decline in market share and a deterioration in the financial performance of our Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements (“VMS”) business, which includes the VITAFUSION and L’IL CRITTERS trade names, the Company recorded impairment charges in the third quarter of 2024, and completed the divestiture of the VMS business on December 31, 2025. On May 1, 2025, we announced that we would exit the Flawless, Spinbrush and Waterpik showerhead businesses, which we exited by the end of 2025.

Previous wording

Widespread use of social media and networking sites by consumers has greatly increased the accessibility and speed of dissemination of negative information and misinformation. Negative online consumer reviews or inaccurate posting or comments about us or our brands in the media or on any social networking website, whether accurate or inaccurate, or the disclosure of non-public sensitive information through social media, could generate adverse publicity that could damage the reputation of our brands. In addition, given the association of our individual products with us, an issue with one of our products could negatively affect the reputation of our other products, or us as a whole. In addition, the legal, regulatory and ethical landscape around the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is rapidly evolving. The Company’s ability to timely adopt to and adapt this emerging technology in an effective and ethical manner may impact its reputation and ability to compete, and this technology could be, among other things, false, biased, or inconsistent with the Company’s values and strategies. Further, the use of generative artificial intelligence tools may compromise confidential or sensitive information, put the Company’s intellectual property at risk, or subject the Company to claims of intellectual property infringement, all of which could damage the Company's reputation.

Current wording

Widespread use of social media and networking sites by consumers has greatly increased the accessibility and speed of dissemination of negative information and misinformation. Negative online consumer reviews or inaccurate posting or comments about us or our brands in the media or on any social networking website, whether accurate or inaccurate, or the disclosure of non-public sensitive information through social media, could generate adverse publicity that could damage the reputation of our brands. In addition, given the association of our individual products with us, an issue with one of our products could negatively affect the reputation of our other products, or us as a whole. In addition, the legal, regulatory and ethical landscape around the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning is rapidly evolving. The Company’s ability to timely adopt and adapt to this emerging technology in an effective and ethical manner may impact its reputation and ability to compete, and this technology could be, among other things, false, biased, or inconsistent with the Company’s values and strategies. Further, the use of generative artificial intelligence tools may compromise confidential or sensitive information, put the Company’s intellectual property at risk, or subject the Company to claims of intellectual property infringement, all of which could damage the Company's reputation.

Previous wording

Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs or sanctions by the U.S. and/or other countries or other changes put in place by the new U.S. presidential administration, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing. All the foregoing risks could have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our products on a competitive basis in international markets.

Current wording

Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs or sanctions by the U.S. and/or other countries or other changes put in place by the U.S. presidential administration, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing. All the foregoing risks could have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our products on a competitive basis in international markets.

Previous wording

In addition, in all foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, we are subject to laws and regulations that govern foreign investment, foreign trade and currency exchange transactions. The recent imposition of tariffs on products imported from certain countries in recent years has introduced greater uncertainty with respect to trade policies and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries. The sanctions introduced in response to the Ukraine conflict have further exacerbated these issues. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs by the U.S. and/or other countries, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing behavior which, in turn, could have a material effect on our balance sheet and results of operations. All the foregoing risks could have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our products on a competitive basis in international markets and may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Current wording

In addition, in all foreign jurisdictions in which we operate, we are subject to laws and regulations that govern foreign investment, foreign trade and currency exchange transactions. The imposition of tariffs on products imported from certain countries in recent years has introduced greater uncertainty with respect to trade policies and government regulations affecting trade between the U.S. and other countries. The sanctions introduced in response to the Ukraine conflict have further exacerbated these issues. Major developments in trade relations, including the imposition of new or increased tariffs by the U.S. and/or other countries, and any emerging nationalist trends in specific countries could alter the trade environment and consumer purchasing behavior which, in turn, could have a material effect on our balance sheet and results of operations. All the foregoing risks could have a significant impact on our ability to commercialize our products on a competitive basis in international markets and may have a material adverse effect on our results of operations, cash flows or financial position.

Previous wording

We have a material amount of goodwill, trademarks and other intangible assets, as well as other long-lived tangible assets, which are periodically evaluated for impairment in accordance with current accounting standards. Declines in our profitability and/or estimated cash flows related to specific intangible assets, as well as potential changes in market valuations for similar assets and market discount rates, has resulted in impairment charges from time to time, and may result in future impairment charges. In the third quarter of 2024, due to continued decline in market share and a deterioration in the financial performance for Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements business, which includes the VITAFUSION and L’IL CRITTERS trade name, we reassessed our long-term strategy and financial outlook of the business. The revised financial outlook reflects lower estimates of future sales growth and cash flows resulting in a triggering event which required the Company to review the carrying value of long-lived assets supporting the business and resulted in impairment charges as discussed in more detail in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Current wording

We have a material amount of goodwill, trademarks and other intangible assets, as well as other long-lived tangible assets, which are periodically evaluated for impairment in accordance with current accounting standards. Declines in our profitability and/or estimated cash flows related to specific intangible assets, as well as potential changes in market valuations for similar assets and market discount rates, have resulted in impairment charges from time to time, and may result in future impairment charges. Refer to “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a more detailed discussion.

Previous wording

From time to time, we are the subject of, or party to, various pending or threatened legal actions (including class actions), government investigations and proceedings, including, without limitation, those relating to, commercial transactions, product liability, consumer, employment, antitrust, environmental, health, safety and compliance-related matters. Such proceedings are subject to many uncertainties and the outcome of certain pending or threatened legal actions, investigations and proceedings may not be reasonably predictable and any related damages, injunctions and/or settlements may not be estimable.

Current wording

From time to time, we are the subject of, or party to, various pending or threatened legal actions (including class actions), government investigations and proceedings, including, without limitation, those with allegations relating to commercial transactions, product liability, ingredients, consumer, employment, antitrust, environmental, health, safety and compliance-related matters. Such proceedings are subject to many uncertainties and the outcome of certain pending or threatened legal actions, investigations and proceedings may not be reasonably predictable and any related damages, injunctions and/or settlements may not be estimable.

Previous wording

We must comply with various environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including those relating to the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes and the remediation of contamination associated with the use and disposal of hazardous substances. A release of such substances due to accident or an intentional act could result in substantial liability to governmental authorities or to third parties. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with environmental laws and regulations.

Current wording

We must comply with various environmental laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including those relating to the handling and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes and the remediation of contamination associated with the use and disposal of hazardous substances. A release of such substances due to an accident or intentional act could result in substantial liability to governmental authorities or to third parties. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures and other costs in complying with environmental laws and regulations.

Previous wording

Changing focus and sensitivity by governmental, non-governmental organizations, customers, consumers and investors to ESG issues, including those related to diversity and inclusion, climate change, plastic usage and ingredients, could result in increased operating or manufacturing costs and compliance challenges, which could adversely affect our business.

Current wording

Changing focus and sensitivity by governmental, non-governmental organizations, customers, consumers and investors to sustainability issues, including those related to climate resilience, plastic usage and ingredients, could result in increased operating or manufacturing costs and compliance challenges, which could adversely affect our business.

Previous wording

As climate change and other ESG issues became more prominent in recent years, so has scrutiny by federal, state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and our customers, consumers and investors. This has resulted in new regulatory requirements such as various state-level Extended Producer Responsibility programs, California’s recently enacted climate reporting legislation, the European Union’s (“EU”) Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) and customer and consumer standards. In addition, our stakeholders may continue to demand transparency regarding our diversity and inclusion efforts and they may receive scrutiny from U.S. regulators, investors and policy groups in connection with the new presidential administration’s priorities. Our efforts to mitigate our impacts on climate change, and to eliminate chemicals of concern and otherwise reduce or mitigate adverse effects on the environment, may also continue to be scrutinized. For example, some of our major customers have requested we respond to various questionnaires, including the Carbon Disclosure Project ("CDP") Climate Change, Water and Forests Questionnaires, and use our responses and CDP scores to evaluate us. Compliance with these requirements, standards and disclosure requests may be challenging and could cause disruptions in the manufacture of our products and/or result in increases in operating costs, and additional legal, compliance and regulatory risks and costs. We may also be required to contribute funds to support recycling and other waste management infrastructure, and/or incur costs associated with making necessary changes to our operations and controlling, assessing and reporting on certain ESG metrics. These disruptions and additional costs could make our products more costly and less competitive than other products, which would adversely affect our business.

Current wording

As climate resilience and other sustainability issues became more prominent in recent years, so has scrutiny by federal, state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and our customers, consumers and investors. This has resulted in new regulatory requirements such as various state-level Extended Producer Responsibility programs, California’s climate reporting legislation, the European Union’s (“EU”) Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (“CSRD”) and customer and consumer standards, as well as regulatory actions and executive orders issued by the current U.S. presidential administration that have targeted these areas. In addition, our stakeholders may continue to demand transparency regarding our diversity and inclusion efforts and they may receive scrutiny from U.S. regulators, investors and policy groups in connection with the new presidential administration’s priorities, and certain stakeholders have expressed negative sentiment regarding certain corporate sustainability initiatives. Our efforts to manage environmental impacts including addressing chemicals of concern and otherwise reducing or mitigating adverse effects on the environment, may not align with the expectations of all stakeholders and could expose us to increased regulatory or legal scrutiny. For example, some of our major customers have requested that we respond to various questionnaires, including the Carbon Disclosure Project ("CDP") integrated corporate questionnaires, and then use our responses and CDP scores regarding climate change, water and forests to evaluate us. Compliance with these requirements, standards and disclosure requests may be challenging and could cause disruptions in the manufacture of our products and/or result in increases in operating costs, and additional legal, compliance and regulatory risks and costs. We may also be required to contribute funds to support recycling and other waste management infrastructure, and/or incur costs associated with making necessary changes to our operations and controlling, assessing and reporting on certain sustainability metrics. These disruptions and additional costs could make our products more costly and less competitive than other products, which would adversely affect our business.

Previous wording

Any failure to achieve our ESG goals or to effectively respond to new or current legal, regulatory or stakeholder ESG requirements could adversely affect our business and reputation.

Current wording

Any failure to achieve our sustainability goals or to effectively respond to new or current legal, regulatory or stakeholder sustainability requirements could adversely affect our business and reputation.

Previous wording

While we strive to minimize adverse impacts of our global operations, our ability to achieve any stated ESG goal, target, or objective is subject to numerous factors and conditions, many of which are outside of our control. We could lose revenue if our consumers change brands, major retailers delist our products or our retail customers move business from us because we have not effectively responded to regulatory requirements, complied with their ESG requirements or met their expectations related to our sustainability efforts, including with respect to DEI, climate change, plastic usage, or ingredients. In addition, our actual or perceived failure to achieve or make sufficient progress towards our stated ESG goals or comply with ESG related regulations could result in litigation, regulatory scrutiny or adverse publicity, which could damage our reputation, reduce consumer demand and devalue our brand equity. Further, ESG-conscious investors may choose not to invest in our securities if we do not comply with their expectations, and investment managers may not include our securities in ESG-designated funds. These areas have become increasingly politicized, and our efforts to address the concerns of some stakeholders could cause adverse impact to our relationships with other stakeholders.

Current wording

While we strive to minimize adverse impacts of our global operations, our ability to achieve any stated sustainability goal, target, or objective is subject to numerous factors and conditions, many of which are outside of our control. We could lose revenue if our consumers change brands, major retailers delist our products or our retail customers move business from us because we have not effectively responded to regulatory requirements, complied with their sustainability requirements or met their expectations related to our sustainability efforts, including with respect to climate resilience, plastic usage, or ingredients. In addition, our actual or perceived failure to achieve or make sufficient progress towards our stated sustainability goals or comply with sustainability related regulations could result in litigation, regulatory scrutiny or adverse publicity, which could damage our reputation, reduce consumer demand and devalue our brand equity. Further, sustainability-conscious investors may choose not to invest in our securities if we do not comply with their expectations, and investment managers may not include our securities in sustainability-designated funds. These areas have become increasingly politicized, and our efforts to address the concerns of some stakeholders could cause adverse impact to our relationships with other stakeholders.

Previous wording

We are subject to increasingly stringent privacy and security regulation.

Current wording

We are subject to increasingly stringent privacy and data security regulation.

Previous wording

We collect, use and store personal data of our employees, customers and other third parties in the ordinary course of business, and we are required to comply with increasingly complex and changing data privacy and security laws and regulations, that apply to the collection, storage, use, transmission and protection of personal information and other consumer and employee data, including particularly the transfer of personal data between or among countries. High-profile security breaches of the information systems of a number of government agencies and U.S. companies may result in increased regulations and new security laws. The current administration and Congress in the United States may seek to pass more stringent regulations in these areas, or more aggressively enforce existing regulations.

Current wording

We collect, use and store personal data of our employees, customers and other third parties in the ordinary course of business, and we are required to comply with increasingly complex and changing data privacy and security laws and regulations, as well as self-regulatory regimes, that apply to the collection, storage, use, transmission and protection of personal information and other consumer and employee data, including particularly the transfer of personal data between or among countries. High-profile security breaches of the information systems of a number of government agencies and U.S. companies may result in increased regulations and new security laws. The current administration and Congress in the United States, as well as state legislators, may seek to pass more stringent regulations in these areas, or more aggressively enforce existing regulations.

Previous wording

In Europe, the European Union ("EU") has adopted strict data privacy regulations. Following the passage of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (“GDPR”) and the Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (the “ePrivacy Regulation”), data privacy and security compliance in the EU are increasingly complex and challenging. The GDPR in particular has broad extraterritorial effect and imposes a strict data protection compliance regime with significant penalties for non-compliance (up to 4% of worldwide annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher). It is also important to note that many countries are following the EU in producing a broad omnibus law in relation to privacy protection. In general, the GDPR and ePrivacy Regulation, CCPA, and other local privacy laws, could also require adaptation of our technologies or practices, increased costs and changes to operations to satisfy local privacy requirements and standards.

Current wording

Outside of the USA and globally, legislators and regulators have adopted stricter and more complex privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection regimes. In Europe, the European Union (“EU”) has adopted strict data privacy regulations and similar regimes have been adopted in other jurisdictions (e.g. the UK). Following the passage of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679) (“GDPR”) and the Regulation on Privacy and Electronic Communications (the “ePrivacy Regulation”), data privacy and security compliance in the EU are increasingly complex and challenging. The GDPR in particular has broad extraterritorial effect and imposes a strict data protection compliance regime with significant penalties for non-compliance (up to 4% of worldwide annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is higher). The United Kingdom (“UK”) has adopted the UK General Data Protection Regulation, or UK GDPR; the EU GDPR and UK GDPR are herein collectively referred to as GDPR. The GDPR imposes stringent data protection requirements for the processing of personal data, whenever GDPR applies to such processing, such as certain processing in the EEA, or in the UK. With respect to the personal data it protects, the GDPR requires, among other things, controller accountability, consents from Data Subjects or another acceptable legal basis to process the personal data, notification within 72 hours of a personal data breach where required, data integrity and security, and fairness and transparency regarding the storage, use or other processing of the personal data. The GDPR also provides rights to Data Subjects relating notably to information, access, rectification, erasure of the personal data and the right to object to the processing. Despite Brexit, the UK also has data protection laws equivalent to the GDPR. Uncertainty about compliance with these data protection laws remains, with the possibility that data protection authorities located in different EU Member States may interpret GDPR differently, or requirements of national laws may vary between the EU Member States, or guidance on GDPR and compliance practices may be often updated or otherwise revised. Any of these events will increase the complexity and costs of processing personal data in the European Economic Area, UK or Switzerland or concerning individuals located in these jurisdictions.

Previous wording

We may also face audits or investigations by one or more domestic or foreign government agencies relating to our compliance with these regulations. An adverse outcome under any such investigation or audit could subject us to fines, penalties or orders to cease, delay or modify collection, use or transfers of personal data. We could also face rights requests, complaints, claims, or litigation from those persons whose data we collect, use and store as well as government investigations and fines. Any of these events or other circumstances related to our collection, use and transfer of personal data could also lead to negative media attention, damage to our reputation in the market or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Current wording

Failure to comply with applicable privacy, cybersecurity, or data protection requirements, or failure to prevent or promptly detect and remediate a security incident, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. We may also face audits, inquiries or investigations by one or more domestic or foreign government agencies relating to our compliance with these regulations. An adverse outcome under any such process could subject us to fines, penalties or orders to cease, delay or modify collection, use or transfers of personal data. We could also face rights requests, complaints, claims, or litigation from those persons whose data we collect, use and store as well as related enforcement actions and penalties. Any of these events or other circumstances related to our collection, use and transfer of personal data could also lead to negative media attention, damage to our reputation in the market or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Previous wording

On October 4, 2021, members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) agreed to a global minimum tax rate of 15%. On December 20, 2021, OECD published its model rules on the agreed minimum tax known as the Global Anti-Base Erosion (“GloBE”) rules. The GloBE Rules consist of an interlocking and coordinated system of rules which are designed to be implemented into the domestic law of each jurisdiction and operate together to ensure large multinational enterprise groups are subject to a minimum effective tax rate of 15% on any excess profits arising in each jurisdiction where they operate. On December 15, 2022, the European Council approved its directive to implement Pillar Two of the GloBE rules regarding a 15% global minimum tax rate. Many aspects of Pillar Two will be effective for tax years beginning in January 2024, with certain remaining impacts to be effective in 2025. As Pillar Two legislation evolves and countries enact new legislation, we will continue to evaluate Pillar Two and Pillar Two may increase our future effective tax rate.

Current wording

On October 4, 2021, members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (“OECD”) agreed to a global minimum tax rate of 15%. On December 20, 2021, OECD published its model rules on the agreed minimum tax known as the Global Anti-Base Erosion (“GloBE”) rules. The GloBE Rules consist of an interlocking and coordinated system of rules which are designed to be implemented into the domestic law of each jurisdiction and operate together to ensure large multinational enterprise groups are subject to a minimum effective tax rate of 15% on any excess profits arising in each jurisdiction where they operate. On December 15, 2022, the European Council approved its directive to implement Pillar Two of the GloBE rules regarding a 15% global minimum tax rate. Many aspects of Pillar Two were effective for tax years beginning in January 2024, with certain remaining impacts becoming effective in 2025. On January 5, 2026 the OECD published Tax Challenges Arising from Digitalisation of the Economy- Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two), Side-by-Side Package. The Package includes certain safe-harbors applicable to certain U.S. parented multi-national corporations, and is required to be adopted by OECD member States to be effective. However, if these safe harbors are modified or not adopted, Pillar Two may increase our future effective tax rate. We will continue to monitor Pillar Two legislation as it evolves and and assess its potential impact on our global tax position.

Previous wording

Other financial uncertainties in our major markets and unstable geopolitical conditions in certain markets, including civil unrest and governmental changes, could undermine global consumer confidence and reduce consumers’ purchasing power, thereby reducing demand for our products. Restrictions on our ability to transfer earnings or capital across borders, price controls, limitations on profits, retaliatory tariffs, import authorization requirements and other restrictions on business activities which have been or may be imposed or expanded as a result of political and economic instability, deterioration of economic relations between countries or otherwise, could impact our profitability. In addition, U.S. trade sanctions against countries designated by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism and/or financial institutions accepting transactions for commerce within such countries could increase significantly, which could make it impossible for us to continue to make sales to customers in such countries. The imposition of retaliatory sanctions against U.S. multinational corporations by countries that are or may become subject to U.S. trade sanctions, or the delisting of our branded products by retailers in various countries in reaction to U.S. trade sanctions or other governmental action or policy, could also negatively affect our business. On February 1, 2025, President Trump announced new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China. These additional tariffs, as well as a government’s adoption of “buy national” policies or retaliation by another government against such tariffs or policies, as well as the potential impact of changed purchasing decisions of consumers and retailers in these or other countries in response to these policies, have introduced significant uncertainty into the market and may affect the prices of and demand for our products, which could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Ongoing political uncertainty in many countries, and we have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, the indirect impacts of the conflict in Ukraine and increased hostilities and political volatility in the Middle East, including increases in the cost of raw and packaging materials and commodities (including the price of oil), supply chain and logistics challenges and foreign currency volatility, and it is not possible to predict the broader or longer-term consequences of this conflict or the sanctions imposed to date. Increasing natural disasters in connection with climate change could also be a direct threat to our third-party vendors, service providers or other stakeholders, including disruptions of supply chains or information technology or other necessary services for our Company.

Current wording

Other financial uncertainties in our major markets and unstable geopolitical conditions in certain markets, including civil unrest and governmental changes, could undermine global consumer confidence and reduce consumers’ purchasing power, thereby reducing demand for our products. Restrictions on our ability to transfer earnings or capital across borders, price controls, limitations on profits, retaliatory tariffs, targeted boycotts of U.S. products and services, import authorization requirements and other restrictions on business activities which have been or may be imposed or expanded as a result of political and economic instability, deterioration of economic relations between countries or otherwise, could impact our profitability. In addition, U.S. trade sanctions against countries designated by the U.S. government as state sponsors of terrorism and/or financial institutions accepting transactions for commerce within such countries could increase, which could make it difficult or impossible for us to continue to make sales to customers in such countries. The imposition of retaliatory sanctions against U.S. multinational corporations by countries that are or may become subject to U.S. trade sanctions, or the delisting of our branded products by retailers in various countries in reaction to U.S. trade sanctions or other governmental action or policy, could also negatively affect our business. In February 2025, President Trump announced new tariffs on imports from certain countries, including Canada, Mexico and China. The scope, duration and magnitude of these additional tariffs, as well as a government’s adoption of “buy national” policies or retaliation by another government against such tariffs or policies, as well as the potential impact of changed purchasing decisions of consumers and retailers in these or other countries in response to these policies, have introduced significant uncertainty into the market and may affect the prices of and demand for our products. While the current impact of such actions may vary by market and may not be material in all cases, future changes in trade policies, particularly if escalated or sustained could have a material and adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Ongoing political uncertainty in many countries, has resulted in, and we expect will continue to experience, indirect impacts of the conflict in Ukraine and increased hostilities and political volatility in the Middle East, including increases in the cost of raw and packaging materials and commodities (including the price of oil), supply chain and logistics challenges and foreign currency volatility. It is not possible to predict the broader or longer-term consequences these conflicts or the sanctions imposed to date. Increasing natural disasters in connection with climate and weather-related events could also be a direct threat to our third-party vendors, service providers or other stakeholders, including dis…

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Previous wording

Increased information technology security threats and more sophisticated computer crime, including ransomware attacks, misuse of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, denial of service and phishing attacks and advanced persistent threats, pose a potential risk to the security of our information technology systems, networks, and services, and those of our customers and other business partners, as well as the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data, and the data of our customers and other business partners. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. As a result, our information technology systems, networks or service providers could be damaged or cease to function properly or we could suffer a loss or disclosure of business, personal or stakeholder information, due to any number of causes, including catastrophic events, power outages and security breaches. Although we have business continuity plans in place and have implemented an incident response plan to address cybersecurity incidents, if these plans do not provide effective alternative processes on a timely basis, we may suffer interruptions in our ability to manage or conduct our operations which may adversely affect our business. In addition, if our service providers, suppliers or customers experience a breach or unauthorized disclosure or system failure, their businesses could be disrupted or otherwise negatively affected, which may result in a disruption in our supply chain or reduced customer orders or other business operations. Moreover, any costs related to a breach may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or be excluded under the terms of our cybersecurity policy. As cyberattacks increase in frequency and magnitude, we may be unable to obtain cybersecurity insurance in amounts and on terms we view as appropriate for our operations.

Current wording

Increased information technology security threats and more sophisticated computer crime, including viruses and malware, ransomware attacks, misuse of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies, denial of service and phishing attacks and advanced persistent threats, pose a potential risk to the security of our information technology systems, networks, and services, and those of our customers and other business partners, as well as the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of our data, and the data of our customers and other business partners. The rapid evolution and increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies may intensify our cybersecurity risks. As a result, our information technology systems, networks or service providers could be damaged or cease to function properly or we could suffer a loss or disclosure of business, personal or stakeholder information, due to any number of causes, including catastrophic events, power outages and security breaches. Although we have business continuity plans in place and have implemented an incident response plan to address cybersecurity incidents, if these plans do not provide effective alternative processes on a timely basis, we may suffer interruptions in our ability to manage or conduct our operations which may adversely affect our business. In addition, if our service providers, suppliers or customers experience a breach or unauthorized disclosure or system failure, their businesses could be disrupted or otherwise negatively affected, which may result in a disruption in our supply chain or reduced customer orders or other business operations. Moreover, any costs related to a breach may exceed the amount of insurance coverage or be excluded under the terms of our cybersecurity policy. As cyberattacks increase in frequency and magnitude, we may be unable to obtain cybersecurity insurance in amounts and on terms we view as appropriate for our operations.

Previous wording

Our information technology systems and, our third-party providers’ systems, have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to advanced computer viruses or other malicious codes, ransomware, unauthorized access attempts, denial of service attacks, phishing, social engineering, hacking and other cyberattacks. These risks also may be present to the extent any of our partners, distributors, joint venture partners or suppliers using separate information systems, not integrated with our information systems, suffers a cybersecurity incident and could result in increased costs related to their inability to timely deliver on their commitments to us and/or our involvement in investigations or notifications conducted by these third parties. These risks may also be present to the extent a business we have acquired that does not use our information systems, experiences a system shutdown, service disruption, or cybersecurity incident. Due to the conflict in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war, there is a possibility that the escalation of tensions could result in cyberattacks that could either directly or indirectly affect our operations. Such attacks may originate from nation states or attempts by outside parties, hackers, criminal organizations or other threat actors. In addition, insider actors-malicious or otherwise-could cause technical disruptions and/or confidential data leakage. To date, we have seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks; however, we cannot guarantee that our security efforts will prevent attacks and resulting breaches or breakdowns of our, or our third-party service providers’ databases or systems.

Current wording

Our information technology systems and our third-party providers’ systems, have been, and will likely continue to be, subject to advanced computer viruses or other malicious codes, ransomware, unauthorized access attempts, denial of service attacks, phishing, social engineering, hacking and other cyberattacks. These risks also may be present to the extent that any of our partners, distributors, joint venture partners or suppliers using separate information systems, not integrated with our information systems, suffers a cybersecurity incident and could result in increased costs related to their inability to timely deliver on their commitments to us and/or our involvement in investigations or notifications conducted by these third parties. These risks may also be present to the extent a business we have acquired that does not use our information systems, experiences a system shutdown, service disruption, or cybersecurity incident. Due to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as other evolving geo-political tensions, there is a possibility that the escalation of tensions could result in cyberattacks that could either directly or indirectly affect our operations. Such attacks may originate from nation states or attempts by outside parties, hackers, criminal organizations or other threat actors. In addition, insider actors–malicious or otherwise– could cause technical disruptions and/or confidential data leakage. To date, we have seen no material impact on our business or operations from these attacks; however, we cannot guarantee that our security efforts will prevent attacks and resulting breaches or breakdowns of our, or our third-party service providers’ databases or systems.

Previous wording

In recent periods, several of our peer or similarly situated companies have experienced cybersecurity incidents. In addition, although we have policies and procedures in place governing cybersecurity risk, the secure storage of personal information collected by us or our third-party service providers, data breaches due to human error or intentional or unintentional conduct may occur in the future, especially as we have shifted to more employees and other workers working remotely and having access to our technology infrastructure remotely.

Current wording

In recent periods, several of our peer or similarly situated companies have experienced cybersecurity incidents. In addition, although we have policies and procedures in place governing cybersecurity risk, the secure storage of personal information collected by us or our third-party service providers, data breaches due to human error (including through the improper use of AI) or intentional or unintentional conduct may occur in the future, especially as we have shifted to more employees and other workers working remotely and having access to our technology infrastructure remotely.

Previous wording

We continuously perform enterprise-wide upgrades to our systems and will continue to monitor and upgrade systems as appropriate, legacy systems may be vulnerable to increased risk. Additionally, if a new system does not function properly, it could affect our ability to order supplies, process and deliver customer orders and process and receive payments for our products. This could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. Upgraded or new technology may not function as designed and any such upgrades may not go as planned. Moreover, because the techniques, tools and tactics used in cyberattacks frequently change and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures or fully mitigating harms after such an attack. As such, we may need to expend additional resources and incur additional costs in the future to continue to protect against or address problems caused by any business interruptions or data security breaches. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, are constantly evolving and are being made by groups and individuals with a wide range of expertise and motives, and this increases the difficulty of detecting and successfully defending against them. We have incurred, and will continue to incur, expenses to comply with privacy and data protection standards and protocols imposed by law, regulation, industry standards and contractual obligations. Increased regulation of data collection, use, and retention practices, including self-regulation and industry standards, changes in existing laws and regulations, including reporting requirements, enactment of new laws and regulations, increased enforcement activity, and changes in interpretation of laws, could increase our cost of compliance and operation, limit our ability to grow our business or otherwise harm our business.

Current wording

While we continuously perform enterprise-wide upgrades to our systems and will continue to monitor and upgrade systems as appropriate, legacy systems may be vulnerable to increased risk. Additionally, if a new system does not function properly, it could affect our ability to order supplies, process and deliver customer orders and process and receive payments for our products. This could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows. Upgraded or new technology may not function as designed and any such upgrades may not go as planned. Moreover, because the techniques, tools and tactics used in cyberattacks frequently change and may be difficult to detect for periods of time, we may face difficulties in anticipating and implementing adequate preventative measures or fully mitigating harms after such an attack. As such, we may need to expend additional resources and incur additional costs in the future to continue to protect against or address problems caused by any business interruptions or data security breaches. Cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, are constantly evolving and are being made by groups and individuals with a wide range of expertise and motives, and this increases the difficulty of detecting and successfully defending against them. Cyberattacks have also become more difficult to detect and respond to since they increasingly exploit AI and machine learning techniques, such as generative AI-phishing, deepfake impersonations, automated vulnerability discovery, adaptive malware, and large-scale credential-stuffing campaigns.

Previous wording

The labor market in the United States is very competitive. Our future performance depends in significant part upon the continued service of our executive officers and other key personnel, including at our plants. Competition for qualified plant personnel remain intense. In 2024, we announced changes to our executive leadership team, including that our Chief Financial Officer will assume the role of our new Chief Executive Officer and that we will be appointing a new Chief Financial Officer and President of the U.S. business. The inability to identify and hire qualified candidates for those roles or the unexpected loss of the services of one or more executive officers, the failure to effectively manage executive succession planning, or the loss of other key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. This effect could be exacerbated if any officers or other key employees left as a group or at the same time. Our success also depends, in part, on our continuing ability to attract, retain and develop a diverse and highly qualified workforce. Competition for such talent remains, and there can be no assurance that we can retain our key employees or attract, assimilate and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, and the U.S. labor market has experienced wage inflation, sustained labor shortages, and a shift towards remote work. Factors that may affect our ability to attract and retain sufficient numbers of key employees include employee morale, our reputation, competition from other employers and the availability of qualified personnel in a tightening labor market. We experienced an increase in labor turnover in 2022 (21.5%) but saw this ease in 2023 (17.6%) and in 2024 (15%). We may continue to experience increased personnel turnover in the future compared to 2024, either as a result of our business operations or other broad-based economic or cultural factors.

Current wording

The labor market in the United States is very competitive. Our future performance depends in significant part upon the continued service of our executive officers and other key personnel, including at our plants. Competition for qualified plant personnel remains intense. The failure to effectively manage executive succession planning, or the loss of other key employees could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. This effect could be exacerbated if any officers or other key employees left as a group or at the same time. Our success also depends, in part, on our continuing ability to attract, retain and develop a diverse and highly qualified workforce. Competition for such talent remains, and there can be no assurance that we can retain our key employees or attract, assimilate and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, and the U.S. labor market has experienced wage inflation, sustained labor shortages, and a shift towards remote work. Factors that may affect our ability to attract and retain sufficient numbers of key employees include employee morale, our reputation, competition from other employers and the availability of qualified personnel in a tightening labor market. Our retention rates remain robust. Currently, global voluntary turnover for 2025 was at 6.9%, compared to 7.7% in 2024. Overall turnover for 2025 is 24.9%, up from 14.3% in 2024. This includes one-time involuntary actions within Waterpik and supply chain, the closure of the New Zealand site as well as the divestiture of our VMS business. Due to these large reductions in our workforce, we finished 2025 above the industry average of 18.7%. The overall turnover rate, excluding VMS, would have been 16.8% and below industry average. Global plant voluntary turnover for 2025 was at 6.9%, down from 7.9% in 2024. The total plant turnover was 33%, which is higher than the industry standard for plants at 29.5%. International turnover for 2025 was down to 14.9%, compared to 15.5% in 2024.

Previous wording

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected. Our continuing growth and expansion in domestic and globally dispersed markets, such as our acquisition of the ZICAM, THERABREATH, HERO and other businesses, may place significant additional pressure on our system of internal control over financial reporting and require us to update our internal control over financial reporting to integrate such acquisitions. Moreover, we engage the services of third parties to assist with business operations and financial reporting processes, which injects additional monitoring obligations and risk into the system of internal control, including as a result of cyberattacks. When we are required to comply with new or revised accounting standards, we must make any appropriate changes to our internal control over financial reporting to fully implement the standards, which may require significant effort and judgment. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our results of operations accurately and on a timely basis, or to detect and prevent fraud and could expose us to regulatory enforcement action and stockholder claims.

Current wording

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting cannot provide absolute assurance that a misstatement of our financial statements would be prevented or detected. Our continuing growth and expansion in domestic and globally dispersed markets, such as our acquisition of the ZICAM, THERABREATH, HERO, TOUCHLAND and other businesses, may place significant additional pressure on our system of internal control over financial reporting and require us to update our internal control over financial reporting to integrate such acquisitions. Moreover, we engage the services of third parties to assist with business operations and financial reporting processes, which injects additional monitoring obligations and risk into the system of internal control, including as a result of cyberattacks. When we are required to comply with new or revised accounting standards, we must make any appropriate changes to our internal control over financial reporting to fully implement the standards, which may require significant effort and judgment. Any failure to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting could limit our ability to report our results of operations accurately and on a timely basis, or to detect and prevent fraud and could expose us to regulatory enforcement action and stockholder claims.