Cresmer™ OD SOL: A high‑performance chassis for robust OD formulation

In 2025, OD formulations account for 5% of the global actives market, with adoption growing at a strong 6.5% CAGR. APAC leads global OD demand, with India emerging as a key growth market, contributing ~185 kt (5.9%) of global OD volume in 2024¹.

This growth is being driven by increasingly stringent global regulations that favour low-toxicity, low-residue formulations, thereby accelerating the shift away from solvent-based emulsifiable concentrates (EC) towards safer, oil-based technologies.

Other key market drivers & common challenges

These market drivers have an influence on different types of products for crop protection, where effective application, safety, and control of dose uniformity are essential.

• Rising development of high‑purity and high‑loading formulations
• Increasing demand for stable multi‑active combinations
• Need for robust storage stability (10–50°C)
• Emphasis on local production and supply‑chain resilience
• Growing preference for built‑in adjuvant functionality in modern formulations

However, formulators continue to face challenges such as:

• Surfactant incompatibility leading to separation or thickening
• Instability under cold storage or accelerated aging conditions
• Increased complexity in raw material management and inventory
• Limited formulation flexibility across diverse actives/formulations for existing OD chassis in the market

These challenges make scaling up more resource-intensive and can reduce control over batch-to-batch stability and performance for each formulation.

Introducing Cresmer OD SOL: All-in-one chassis for OD formulations

Cresmer OD SOL is Croda's proprietary OD chassis, engineered to deliver high-performance and stable OD formulations across a broad range of agrochemical active ingredients.

It combines a selected vegetable‑oil methyl ester with an optimised surfactant system, enabling simplified formulation—requiring only the active ingredient and a rheology modifier to complete the system. The chassis is specifically tuned to the included oil, delivering robust emulsification, excellent dispersion stability, and consistent formulation performance in an easy-to-use solution.

For added flexibility, when an alternative oil is preferred, Cresmer OD SOL is compatible with a wide range of vegetable oil methyl esters. This allows formulators to optimise performance by adjusting inclusion levels and balance the oil phase with other suitable oils as required.

Figure 1: Physical appearance of Cresmer OD SOL

Features and benefits

• A single, integrated OD chassis that eliminates need for multiple surfactants and oils — Only an active ingredient and a rheology modifier are required to complete the OD formulation
• Delivers consistent emulsification and superior dispersion performance
• Low-viscosity liquid enables easy handling and accurate dosing at production scale
• Stable across wide range of storage conditions (temperature 10-50°C)
• Compatible with a wide range of vegetable oils methyl esters (eg methyl soyate, methyl oleate, methyl erucate)

Quality specifications

The recommended use rate of Cresmer OD SOL in OD formulations is up to 100% w/w.

Proven formulation recipes using Cresmer OD SOL

Cresmer OD SOL has proven performance in the ten following OD formulations. Each formulation is built around the same chassis structure and control strategy, but the types of active ingredients, oil phase choices, and additives can be changed to achieve targeted performance across different application needs.

1. Penoxsulam 2.67% OD
2. Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD
3. Flubendiamide 5% OD
4. Indoxacarb 14.5% OD
5. Cyantraniliprole 10.26% OD
6. Chlorantraniliprole 7.5% + Thiamethoxam 7.5% OD
7. Nicosulfuron 40g/L OD
8. Nicosulfuron 340g/L OD
9. Nicosulfuron 3% + Mesotrione 7% + Atrazine 20% OD
10. Zinc Oxide 700 g/L OD 

This shows the breadth of performance of Cresmer OD SOL across a wide range of actives.

Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD

One of the representative recipes of “Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD” using Cresmer OD SOL is described below.

Table 1: Sample formulation recipe of Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD

Performance of these samples recorded as per standard CIPAC guideline. All parameters are well within the range.

A slight yellowish discoloration may be observed after the heat stability test (HST). This change in colour is expected under the specified test conditions and does not affect the material's performance or functional properties.

Figure 2: Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD images after stability test

Table 2: Physicochemical data of Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD

As shown in the video below, the Penoxsulam 1.02% + Cyhalofop butyl 5.10% OD formulation exhibits spontaneous bloom upon dilution in water, indicating rapid and uniform dispersion of the oil‑phase droplets, a key indicator of a well-engineered OD system.

This blooming behavior demonstrates that the surfactant system in Cresmer OD SOL is efficiently reducing interfacial tension, allowing the formulation to immediately break and distribute into fine droplets upon contact with water.

Such instant bloom is typically associated with superior emulsification efficiency, improved spray ability, and enhanced bioavailability of the actives, ensuring consistent field performance even at high dilution ratios.

Cresmer OD SOL has been successfully tested in some of the representative pesticide OD formulations registered with CIB-INDIA. Overall, the product delivers excellent stability under extreme temperature conditions and demonstrates strong performance under laboratory testing.

Comparative analysis of lab batch and market samples

The performance of Cresmer OD SOL was benchmarked against widely used market systems in OD formulations under identical conditions in Table 3. The results provide clear, data-driven evidence of its superior stability, dispersion efficiency, and overall formulation robustness.

Table 3: Croda and industry equivalents – sample review and comparison

Figure 3: Cresmer OD SOL product stability under RT, HST, and cold conditions

Conclusion

As agrochemical formulations continue to evolve toward higher active loadings and more complex delivery requirements, the need for versatile and robust formulation aids become critical. Cresmer OD SOL offers a strong solution for such challenges, providing excellent solvent-based dispersion efficiency and improved stability in oil‑based and OD systems.

Its ability to enhance active ingredient compatibility, reduce viscosity, and support high‑loading formulations makes it a strong alternative where traditional dispersants or wetting agents fall short. Furthermore, Cresmer OD SOL aligns with sustainability‑driven formulation needs by reducing reliance on harsher solvents while enabling more efficient, high-performance OD formulations.

To learn more about Cresmer OD SOL, contact us.

*Note: Cresmer OD SOL is currently available in the APAC region, excluding Australia only.

1. Oil Dispersions Formulations Market Research Report 2033, https://growthmarketreports.com/report/oil-dispersion-formulations-market