Business · Companies · 2 hrs ago
Croda’s Volufiline sales surge after finding a use for ‘Ozempic face’
British chemicals group Croda has found a new use for an existing ingredient as demand for its beauty products grows.
The company had made Volufiline, a skin-plumping ingredient, for about a decade, with limited sales, mainly for body creams.
Doctors found it can help with facial hollowing associated with rapid weight loss among users of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic.
Volufiline sales revenue rose 270 per cent in the first half of the year, and more than 150 companies signed up to use it in products.
The discovery has helped revive interest in Croda, whose shares had fallen for four years after a rise during the Covid vaccine period.
Croda is now promoting KeraBio as its next beauty product, a synthetic form of keratin developed at its research facility in Cheshire.
Croda’s Volufiline sales rose 270 per cent in the first half of the year after the ingredient found a new use for facial hollowing associated with rapid weight loss.
The skin-plumping ingredient, derived from the root of the anemarrhena plant, had been produced by Croda for about a decade, mainly for body creams.
More than 150 companies signed up to use Volufiline in their products as demand grew.
Videos tagged #Volufiline received 200 million views on the US TikTok Shop app in 12 months.
Croda chief executive Steve Foots said the opportunity created by Ozempic’s arrival had taken the company by surprise.
- Who
- Croda, a British chemical and biotech group, and companies using its Volufiline ingredient.
- What
- Sales of Volufiline surged after it was found to help address facial hollowing associated with rapid weight loss.
- When
- Sales rose 270 per cent in the first half of 2026.
- Where
- Croda is based in Britain; the ingredient is in demand from the French and South Korean cosmetics industries.
- Why
- Doctors discovered Volufiline could combat gaunt facial features reported by some users of GLP-1 drugs.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Croda produced Volufiline, with limited sales success, mainly for use in body creams.
Doctors discovered Volufiline could combat facial hollowing associated with rapid weight loss.
Revenue from Volufiline sales rose 270 per cent, and more than 150 companies signed up to use it.
Videos tagged #Volufiline generated 200 million views on the US TikTok Shop app.
- Sales growth
- Volufiline revenue rose 270 per cent in the first half of the year.
- Product users
- More than 150 companies signed up to use Volufiline.
- TikTok views
- 200 million views for videos tagged #Volufiline on the US TikTok Shop app in 12 months.
- Ingredient source
- Root of the anemarrhena plant.
- Share price
- Croda shares rose 25 per cent from their August 2025 nadir.
What people are saying
Ozempic coming on the market has created a big opportunity, which we’re capitalising on.
It had been in our portfolio for a decade,