Rockwood Clay-Based Additives announces a global price increase of up to 20% according to product type effective January 1, 2011.

This action impacts all markets and regions represented by Southern Clay Products and Rockwood Additives, and encompasses all product lines including Claytone® and Tixogel® organoclays for solvent based systems; Laponite®, Optiflo® and Optigel® additives for water based systems. Significant increases across several key raw materials necessitate this move.

Southern Clay Products, Inc, Gonzales, Texas, is part of Rockwood’s Clay Additives division and a leading supplier of smectite-based functional additives to several markets.  The company’s complete line of water- and solvent-based rheological additives includes Advitrol®, Bentolite®, Claytone®, Cloisite®, Encore®, Fulacolor®, Fulcat®, Garamite®, Gelwhite®, Laponite®, Mineral Colloid®, Nanofil®, Nanothix®, Necowel®, Optibent®, Optiflo®, Optigel®, Permont®, Pure Thix®, Rheocin® and Tixogel® rheological additives and Y-Type® anti-settling agents.  For more information on the full range of products, please visit www.scprod.com.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. is a leading global specialty chemicals and advanced materials company. Rockwood has a worldwide employee base of approximately 9,500 people and annual net sales of approximately $3 billion. The company focuses on global niche segments of the specialty chemicals, pigments and additives and advanced materials markets.  For more information on Rockwood, please visit www.rocksp.com.

The information set forth in this press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 concerning the business, operations and financial condition of Rockwood Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates ("Rockwood"). Words such as, "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," "expects," "forecasts," "predicts" and variations of such words or expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although Rockwood believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that its expectations will be realized. "Forward-looking statements" consist of all non-historical information, including any statements referring to the prospects and future performance of Rockwood. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in Rockwood's forward-looking statements due to numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including, among other things, the "Risk Factors" described in Rockwood's Form 2006 10-K on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Rockwood does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which any such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.