Rockwood Press Release

Rockwood Appoints New Board Member
Douglas Maine, former CFO of IBM, joins Rockwood's Board

Princeton, NJ USA (July 27, 2005) - Rockwood Holdings, Inc. (“Rockwood”) has appointed Douglas Maine, former chief financial officer of International Business Machines Corporation (“IBM”, NYSE: IBM), to its board of directors effective August 1, 2005.   He also will chair the Audit Committee of the Board.

“We are pleased to welcome Mr. Douglas Maine to Rockwood's board of directors,” said Seifi Ghasemi, Rockwood's chairman and chief executive officer.   “His extensive financial expertise and notable business leadership success will help drive Rockwood's continued leadership as a world-class diversified, global specialty chemicals and advanced materials company.”

Maine joined IBM, a $96.5 billion information technology company based in Armonk, N.Y., in 1998 as chief financial officer, responsible for all financial, treasury, tax, business development, internal audit and real estate activities, as well as IBM Global Financing Corporation.   In 2000, he was named general manager of IBM.com, IBM's $13 billion direct sales and service organization. From 2003 until his retirement earlier this year, Maine served as general manager of IBM's Consumer Products Industry division, a $2 billion global business.  

Prior to joining IBM, Maine served as chief financial officer and executive vice president of MCI Communications Corporation (“MCI”), then the second-largest long-distance provider in the United States with 1998 revenues of $19.6 billion (prior to its acquisition by WorldCom).   He was with MCI for a total of 20 years, serving in a variety of operating and financial leadership positions of increasing responsibility, including corporate director of planning and financial analysis, senior vice president of finance, and president of the Southern Division.

Maine received his bachelor of science degree from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA and his master of business administration degree from Hofstra University, Hempstead, N.Y.

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. is the ultimate parent company of Rockwood Specialties Group, Inc., a leading global specialty chemicals and advanced materials company. Rockwood has a worldwide employee base of approximately 9,500 people and net revenue of approximately $2.9 billion in 2004 on a pro forma basis. The company focuses on global niche segments of the specialty chemicals and advanced materials markets, including specialty chemicals, performance additives, titanium dioxide pigments, advanced ceramics, custom synthesis, specialty compounds and electronics. 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 Specialties Group, 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 the 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 2004 Form 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.