Active Ingredients & Specialty Chemicals Division of Atrium Innovations Strikes out on its own and Becomes UNIPEX Group

Quebec City, Canada (ots/PRNewswire) -

- UNIPEX Group Finalizes Acquisition of Atrium Innovations'
Active Ingredients & Specialty Chemicals Division

UNIPEX Group is pleased to announce the successful completion of
its acquisition of the Active Ingredients & Specialty Chemicals
Division of Atrium Innovations Inc., with the new group being held by
its management team and the AXA Private Equity investment fund.
UNIPEX Group operational headquarters will remain in Quebec City with
the current team under the leadership of Charles Boulanger, President
and CEO.

UNIPEX Group is a global firm specializing in the manufacture and
distribution of active ingredients, specialty and base chemicals for
the cosmetic, pharmaceutical, specialty and industrial chemical and
nutrition industries. It is currently present in over 50 countries
and recognized as a leader in its main areas of activity. In 2007 the
firm achieved sales of over $220 million US, maintaining sustained
growth in Europe, North America and Asia. UNIPEX Group will continue
to operate the firms acquired in this transaction under three
trade-specific identities:

- UNIPEX Innovations, which will include the global operations for
development, manufacture and marketing of proprietary active
ingredients targeted at the cosmetic industry;
- UNIPEX Solutions France, which will incorporate the distribution
companies for active ingredients, specialty chemicals and services in
Europe;
- UNIPEX Solutions Canada, which will encompass the distribution
activities for active ingredients, specialty chemicals and services
in Canada.

"Melding the various firms we have acquired within UNIPEX Group
will enable us to consolidate our operations and provide the
strategic advantage of a comprehensive solution ranging from active
ingredient research and development to manufacturing and marketing,
distribution, logistics, and cosmetovigilance services; this grouping
under a single brand will help create a more uniform relationship
with our clients and promote stronger synergy among our teams.
Overall, we will be able to further develop our expertise, increase
our ability to innovate, and thus realize the full potential of our
strategic plan," said President and CEO Charles Boulanger.

About UNIPEX Group

UNIPEX Group specializes in the development, manufacture, and
distribution of active ingredients and specialty chemicals for
world-class producers in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, specialty
chemical, consumer and nutrition industries. UNIPEX Group is also
active in the areas of cosmetovigilance and consumer testing through
its cosmetics evaluation services. Its distribution and marketing
network serves more than 50 countries in North America, Europe, and
Asia and boasts over 150 employees in 5 offices in North America and
Europe. Additional information regarding Groupe UNIPEX is available
at http://www.unipex.com.

About AXA Private Equity

AXA Private Equity - an AXA Investment Managers company - is one
of the world's leading private equity firms. AXA Private Equity
offers investors a broad selection of high performance funds for
every market segment: Buyout, Expansion Capital, Venture Capital,
Co-investments, Infrastructure, Mezzanine, Primary, Early Secondary
and Secondary Funds of Funds. The firm manages and/or advises on more
than US$22 billion of funds on behalf of leading international
investors. Backed by its offices in Paris, Frankfurt, London, Milan,
New York and Singapore, AXA Private Equity stands out from the
competition through the expertise of its teams and its broad
international presence. The firm maintains a constant focus on
transparency, performance and sustainable profitability. Additional
information about AXA Private Equity is available on its Web site at
http://www.axaprivateequity.com.

For further information:
Investor and media relations:
Charles Boulanger,
President and CEO,
+1-418-652-1116,
cboulanger@unipex.com;
AXA Private Equity:
Catherine Gros,
+33-1-53-70-74-70,
Catherine.gros@image7.fr;
Flore Larger,
flarger@image7.fr

ots Originaltext: Unipex Group
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information: Investor and media relations: Charles
Boulanger, President and CEO, +1-418-652-1116, cboulanger@unipex.com;
AXA Private Equity: Catherine Gros, +33-1-53-70-74-70,
Catherine.gros@image7.fr; Flore Larger, flarger@image7.fr