Effective January 1, 2005, Amerchol Corporation, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, will increase all list and off-list prices globally for UCON™ fluids by 3% and POLYOX™ water-soluble resins by 5%.

According to Mark Ballard, marketing manager for Amerchol Corporation, “This price increase is being implemented in order to support the continued investment in our products, processes, and product development. It is also necessary to partially offset the dramatic and sustained increases in cost of raw materials, energy, and transportation.”

Amerchol is a global manufacturer and marketer of performance chemicals for the personal care industry. These products, primarily hair conditioners, thickeners and moisturizers, are sold to end-use producers as ingredients in consumer skin care and hair care products. Amerchol is known for its dedicated service to the industry and its functional product line.

Dow is a leader in science and technology, providing innovative chemical, plastic and agricultural products and services to many essential consumer markets. With annual sales of $33 billion, Dow serves customers in more than 180 countries and a wide range of markets that are vital to human progress, including food, transportation, health and medicine, personal and home care, and building and construction, among others. Committed to the principles of sustainable development, Dow and its approximately 46,000 employees seek to balance economic, environmental and social responsibilities. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted.

For further information, visit our website at www.amerchol.com.