Rockwood to acquire leading pigments producer

Rockwood Holding, the New Jersey based producer of specialty pigments, says it has bought up Holliday Pigments, a leading producer of ultramarine blue.

Headquartered in Comines, France, Holliday is a leading manufacturer of inorganic ultramarine pigments used for a variety of cosmetics products, most commonly in color make-up.

Rockwood says that Holliday will become a part of its Color Pigments division, which, as well as the cosmetics industry, also supplies the plastics, coatings and inks sectors.

Boosting color pigments

The addition of Holliday, which had a sales turnover of €34.7m in the 2007 financial year, is expected to make a significant addition to the companys top-line in the 2009 financial year.

Rockwood currently has a sales turnover of $3bn and a global sales force of 9,000, making it one of the worlds leading speciality chemical and advanced materials companies.

"The addition of Holliday Pigments is an excellent fit for us," said Seifi Ghasemi, Rockwoods chairman and CEO.

Bolt-on acquisition

"It is a business with strong technical leadership and excellent growth prospects in diverse markets. This is an excellent bolt-on acquisition for Rockwood and an important addition to the Rockwood Color Pigments product line."

Ultramarine pigment is bright blue in color, primarily consisting of an aluminum and sodium silicate that may also contain sulfides or sulfates.

This pigment is often used to create a range of electric or bright blue shades for eye shadow, which have proved to be increasingly popular in recent seasons.