FTSE 100 chemicals company Croda International has reported an eight per cent increase in sales in the first quarter of 2025, attributing this to strong performance across all sectors of its business.
The firm, which provides chemicals for cosmetics, detergents and pesticides, recorded positive growth in every division, with life sciences delivering the best performance, according to a stock exchange update, as reported by .
"Good sales growth was driven by higher sales volumes with the price/mix headwinds we saw in 2024 starting to diminish," stated Croda.
Among the four divisions of Croda's consumer care business, only beauty actives saw a decrease in sales, while fragrance and flavours experienced a 19 per cent growth compared to the previous year.
In the life sciences sector of the FTSE 100 company, both crop protection and seed enhancement reported sales growth in the teens, while pharma grew seven per cent compared to the previous year.
Croda's adjusted profit before tax in the first quarter met the company's expectations, leaving profit guidance unchanged at between £265m and £295m for 2025.
"Although our well-balanced local manufacturing and procurement model helps to mitigate our direct exposure to tariffs, we are assessing the likely impact, talking to our customers and intend to apply a tariff surcharge to cover any associated incremental costs," the firm added.
Croda has been grappling with a decline in stock price performance in recent years, plummeting 19 per cent since the beginning of the year and a staggering 74 per cent since its peak in December 2021. The company also noted that it had continued to successfully execute its £25m cost-saving plan, and had enhanced asset utilisation at its 11 shared manufacturing sites.
Croda is based in Yorkshire. It has manufacturing sites in Leek and in Ditton, Widnes, as well as labs in Daresbury and Liverpool.
