100 years of Croda

2025 is Croda’s centenary year. It is a milestone which provides an excellent opportunity to celebrate what we have achieved, the impact we have had, and reflect on the strong foundations it gives us for future success.

Croda was founded in 1925 by Mr Crowe and Mr Dawe at a disused waterworks in Yorkshire, UK. They combined the first letters of their surnames to create our name.

Croda’s first product was lanolin, a unique wax obtained from refining sheep’s wool grease, which established our heritage in using natural raw materials. During the Second World War, lanolin was used for rust preventives, camouflage paints and insect repellents, and increasingly for beauty products.

The postwar period established Croda as a global, public company, with Cowick Hall becoming our headquarters and our listing on the London Stock Exchange.

Our expansion into the USA, including the establishment of a new sales office in New York City, happened in 1950, setting us on the path to becoming the truly global business that we are today.

Croda’s ingredients quickly gained a reputation for being vital to the performance of customers’ products. This was enhanced by the launch of the first in a long line of proteins that changed the hair care market, and a new process developed in Japan that paved the way for our world-leading range of high-purity, pharmaceutical excipients.