Our Purpose

Helping to prevent and treat life-threatening diseases with our drug delivery systems

Adjuvants are used in vaccines to enhance the immunogenicity of antigens, inducing a stronger immune response and improving the efficacy of the vaccine. We are a leading supplier of aluminium and saponin-based adjuvants, used in traditional preventative vaccines, with a growing portfolio of advanced adjuvant systems for use in next generation vaccines. This means we can positively contribute to the growing demand for health and wellbeing. We are making progress towards our target of contributing to the development of at least 25% of vaccines identified as priorities by the World Health Organisation and are also providing adjuvant systems for new therapeutic vaccines such as a personalised vaccine for patients with melanoma.

In 2023 we signed two partnership agreements for the supply of biotechnology-derived Squalene and QS-21 adjuvants. With Squalene commonly sourced from shark liver and QS-21 produced by harvesting the bark of mature soap trees in Chile, these agreements ensure we will positively contribute to both patient health and biodiversity by establishing sustainable supply chains.

Improving agricultural output without negatively impacting nature

The application of coatings makes seeds easier to sow and the inclusion of micronutrients and plant protection products improves the overall performance of seeds while reducing the need for crops to be sprayed after planting. As such, seed treatment has a positive environmental impact, but many seed coatings contain polymer-based binding agents, leaving microplastics in the soil when the seed coatings break down.

Croda has addressed this issue, becoming the first company to develop high-performing microplastic-free seed coatings for use on both vegetable and field crop seeds. The European Union has adopted legislation which bans the use of microplastics in agriculture within the next five years resulting in increasing demand for microplastic-free coatings which have already been applied to seeds covering several million acres. With soil health becoming ever more important, we expect to deliver incremental growth with microplastic-free seed coatings not just in Europe, but in other regions such as Latin America too.

Improving access to clean water, hygiene and sanitation in rural Uganda

In 2021, we established the Croda Foundation, an independent charitable company funded solely by grants from Croda. The Foundation’s priority impact areas include improving access to healthcare, protecting and restoring ecosystems, and reducing hunger and poverty while improving livelihoods. Since 2021, the Foundation has sustainably improved the lives of more than 22 million people, funding 34 projects across 21 countries. One of these projects is improving access to clean water, basic hygiene and sanitation in rural Uganda, upgrading infrastructure, and training 250 people on improving sanitation through building their own household latrine. 

Leveraging biotechnology to deliver advanced ingredients with improved sustainability profiles

Utilising biotechnology, including plant cell cultures and the fermentation of microorganisms, to create innovative ingredients is not new to Croda and is something we have been doing in our Beauty Actives business for more than 30 years. By enabling us to exploit the cellular and biomolecular processes of living organisms outside of animals, biotechnology makes it possible to produce alternatives to ingredients which are currently manufactured with synthetic chemistry using solvents, catalysts and in some cases hazardous materials. The use of biotechnology therefore offers the potential to develop innovative active ingredients, using natural ingredients with sustainable supply chains, while improving certain processes to deliver time savings and higher yields. In 2023, we launched Luceane™, a patented active ingredient that counteracts hypoxia ageing by stimulating and protecting cell respiration and energy production, while also inducing micropollutant removal within cells. Studies have shown Luceane™ slows down the ageing process by five years after just one month of application, reducing signs of fatigue and improving skin radiance. Manufactured using the fermentation of marine microorganisms, Luceane™ is 100% natural, fully biodegradable, RSPO certified and uses sustainable manufacturing with complete waste recovery, demonstrating how our smart science can deliver advanced ingredients sustainably.  

Growing our portfolio of premium beauty actives with the addition of naturally-derived ceramides

With the acquisition of Solus Biotech, which completed in July 2023, we added naturally-derived ceramides to our broad offering of premium beauty actives ingredients. Ceramides help form a protective layer, reinforcing the skin’s natural barrier and improving hydration while reducing free radicals and protecting against damage from pollution. Although ceramides are naturally found in the skin, their concentration depletes with age, and they are increasingly recognised as a ‘miracle’ ingredient with the number of new personal care products containing ceramides doubling over the last five years. The acquisition not only broadens our beauty actives offering to include ceramides, but also expands our biotechnology capabilities and brings a new site in South Korea which will act as a springboard into premium markets in Asia.