Natural ingredients and chemicals company Croda, responsible for Protect and Perfect anti-wrinkle cream, has reported sales of science-based skin care cream has helped push its half-year profits and sales higher.
The company's pre-tax profits came in at £179.2m, up more than 5% on sales of £546.6m. Though personal care saw revenues climb 4.5%, largely thanks to emerging market demand, it was its life sciences division that grew most at 15%. Underlying personal care sales increased 2.8% year-on-year led by growth in Europe, particularly in skin care and strong customer demand from Latin America and Asia, Croda claimed.