Rohm and Haas is the one to blame if you can't get that paint out of your hair. The company divides its operations among six units, the largest of which is the paints and coatings materials group, which makes additives and binders used by paint makers. There's also the packaging and building materials group and the primary materials division, which makes acrylates. (Those businesses operate within the Specialty Materials segment.) The electronic materials segment makes photoresists and materials for printed wiring boards. Rohm and Haas exited its salt business in 2009 when it sold Morton Salt to German chemicals company K+S for about $1.7 billion. Dow, the nation's largest chemicals maker, owns the company.

Tosoh Corporation evolved from humble beginnings in 1935 as a domestic producer of caustic soda and soda ash in Japan. The Japanese characters for “Tosoh”, in fact, are an abbreviation for oriental soda. Today, the Company is a multinational corporation that generates an array of products to suit modern lifestyles and that contribute to the development of cutting-edge products and technologies. Tosoh is a global supplier of inorganic chemicals, petrochemicals, and specialty materials. As a result, the Group’s customers include the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, health care and food, and many other industries that produce items used daily. The Tosoh Group comprises 136 companies and more than 50 of those firms are located outside Japan. Together, Group companies employ a multiethnic workforce of over 11,000 people and generate net sales of approximately US$7.4 billion.

Formosa Plastics Corp., U.S.A., is the prince of PVC. Affiliated with Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Corporation (one of the world's largest PVC suppliers), the company produces all manner of petrochemicals and plastic resins. Its product roster includes polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl, and chlor alkali products like caustic soda. The company also produces suspension and specialty PVC resins, the former for pipe and fencing, the latter for flooring and insect screening. Other Formosa products are used for packaging and chemical processing. The fully vertically integrated company operates three manufacturing locations that are fed raw materials by oil and gas-producing and transportation subsidiaries.

Robert McBride, named after its founder, is cleaning up in the private-label market for household cleaners and personal care items. The UK-based manufacturer and wholly owned subsidiary of McBride plc earned Best in Class recognition based on The Grocer magazine's survey of UK grocery retailers. Parent company folded McBride Aircare Limited, an aerosol products manufacturer and distributor, into Robert McBride's operations. The firm also runs a joint venture, Aerosol Products Limited. Robert McBride was founded in 1927 as a chemical processing products company complementing the area's cotton industry.

Stepan Company engages in the production and sale of specialty and intermediate chemicals. The company operates through three segments: Surfactants, Polymers, and Specialty Products. The Surfactants segment offers products that are principal ingredients in consumer and industrial cleaning products, such as detergents for washing clothes, dishes, carpets, floors, and walls, as well as shampoos, body washes, fabric softeners, and toothpastes. Its other applications include biodiesel, germicidal quaternary compounds, lubricating ingredients, emulsifiers for spreading agricultural products, and plastics and composites. The Polymers segment provides phthalic anhydride, which is used in polyester alkyd resins; plasticizers for applications in construction materials and components of automotive, boating, and other consumer products; and polyols that are used in the manufacture of laminate insulation board for the construction industry, as well as sold to the appliance, coatings, adhesives, sealants, and elastomers markets. The Specialty Products segment offers flavors, emulsifiers, and solubilizers used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. It principally operates in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. The company was founded in 1932 and is headquartered in Northfield, Illinois.

Wattyl you do to make your home more colorful? Wattyl wants to be the Solver of that puzzle. Operating through two main companies, Wattyl in Australia and New Zealand and Solver Paints in Australia, it makes a variety of paints, lacquers, varnishes, and other coating products that are sold worldwide. Brand names include Solagard, Estapol, and Killrust. In addition to selling directly to homeowners through its 60 company-owned stores, Wattyl markets its products to contract painters and industrial customers. About 90% of its business is done in Australia, with sales to New Zealand accounting for the rest.

At HallStar, our goal is to be the best at providing unique, technically sound solutions that enable our customers to pursue their innovations with confidence. Continuously building upon our expertise in ester chemistry, we look forward to showcasing our innovations on a global scale in the polymer additive and personal care ingredient sectors. As we continue to grow, we will not lose sight of our focus and will continue to help our customers develop their next generation products.

Kuraray's synthetics are for real. The diversified company manufactures chemicals and resins (about half of sales, including copolymer EVAL used in food packaging) and synthetic fibers and textiles (man-made leather, nonwoven fabrics, rayon, and polyester). It also offers engineering and consulting services. Kuraray pioneered the commercialization of several synthetic fibers and resins -- such as its KURALON and Poval products -- for industrial uses. The company, which does most of its business in Japan, is made up of about 80 companies operating in Asia, Europe, and North America.

Sun Chemical Europe wants you to put a coat on -- preferably one its own. The company manufactures inks and coatings for everything from silk screening to food packaging to the printing industry. The European division of Dainippon Ink's Sun Chemical, the company maintains manufacturing facilities throughout the continent, operates in nearly 30 countries, and is headquartered in the UK. Among the brand names Sun Chemical Europe's products are marketed under are Coates Lorilleux, Hartmann, Gibbon, Swale, Kohl & Madden, and US Ink. The company's business is divided among the following units: packaging, publication, commercial, and industrial.

Vertellus Specialties manufactures chemicals for the agricultural, nutritional, pharmaceutical, personal care, and performance material markets. The company's Agriculture and Nutrition Specialties division's products include pyridine, picolines, and vitamin B-3. Vertellus' Specialty Materials operations include the manufacture of DEET (a primary ingredient in mosquito repellent), pharmaceutical intermediates, as well as castor and citrate polymer additives for use in plastics, adhesives, coatings, and sealants. It operates manufacturing facilities in Asia, Europe, and North America. Investment firm Wind Point Partners owns Vertellus.

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