Ecolab Announces Pricing of Offering of Its Common Stock by Henkel

Ecolab Inc. announced that Henkel has priced the previously-announced offering of shares of Ecolab common stock held by Henkel at $30.50 per share. Ecolab will not receive any of the proceeds from the offering. The offering is expected to close on November 18, 2008, subject to customary closing conditions.

Ecolab further announced that it has agreed to purchase $300 million of its shares directly from Henkel in conjunction with Henkel’s sale of Ecolab shares.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated are acting as joint book-running managers, and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities Inc. are serving as co-managers for the offering.

With sales of $5.5 billion and more than 26,000 associates, Ecolab Inc. (NYSE:ECL) is the global leader in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services. Ecolab delivers comprehensive programs and services to foodservice, food and beverage processing, healthcare, and hospitality markets in more than 160 countries.

This news release contains various "Forward-Looking Statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements, including the potential impact of the company’s stock repurchase on earnings per share in 2009, represent Ecolab’s expectations or beliefs concerning various future events, and are based on current expectations that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those of such Forward-Looking Statements. We caution that undue reliance should not be placed on Forward-Looking Statements, which speak only as of the date made.

Risks and uncertainties that may affect operating results and business performance are set forth under Item 1A of our most recent Form 10-K and Item 1A of Part II of our subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and include the vitality of the markets we serve; the impact of economic factors, such as the worldwide economy, interest rates and foreign currency exposure; our ability to develop competitive advantages through innovation; fluctuations in raw material costs; restraints on pricing flexibility due to contractual obligations; pressure on operations from consolidation of customers, vendors or competitors; the impact of acquisitions, divestitures and investments to develop business systems or to optimize our business structure; changes in regulations or accounting standards; the costs and effects of complying with laws and regulations relating to the environment and to the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and use of our products; the occurrence of litigation or claims, acts of war, terrorism, severe weather or public health epidemics; the loss or insolvency of a major customer, supplier or distributor; our ability to attract and retain high caliber management talent; and other uncertainties or risks reported from time to time in our reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Except as may be required under applicable law, we undertake no duty to update our Forward-Looking Statements.

A shelf registration statement relating to these securities became effective upon filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of any securities, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. The offering of securities will be made only by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained by contacting the prospectus department of Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Eleven Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10010, (1 800-221-1037).

(ECL-C)