[4] Crowe bought an abandoned waterworks facility at Rawcliffe Bridge for £7, which would later be used to manufacture the company's first barrels of lanolin, a natural protective fat present in sheep's wool.

[4] Crowe and Dawe began working on a process to extract lanolin from sheep’s wool for various industries, including uses in cosmetics, as a waterproofing agent, and as a dressing for leather.

[5] To aid in military production during World War II, Croda began producing camouflage paints, gun lubrication and cleaning oils, insect repellents, and other resources the British Empire required.

Leading cosmetics companies started using its products in the 1950s and at that time it also began to expand internationally: it moved to its present location in 1956.

The planned purchase was intended to increase the company's sales of fragrance formulations in various markets including China and the Middle East.