Kraton Polymers Announces Plans to Showcase New Products Engineered for Higher Performance and Environmental Sustainability at The 18th International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber Worldwide (K 2010)

October 27-November 3, 2010, Dusseldorf, Germany

HOUSTON, October 19, 2010 - Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc. (NYSE: KRA), a leading global producer
of styrenic block copolymers or "SBCs," announces plans to exhibit at The
18th International Trade Fair for Plastics and Rubber Worldwide (K 2010),
from October 27-November 3, 2010 in Dusseldorf, Germany. The company plans to
showcase six of its latest innovations including alternatives for PVC, TPU,
and natural rubber in automotive slush molded interior soft skins, medical
and personal care, wire and cable, and protective films; and NEXAR(TM)
polymers for water transport, filtration and separation, and performance
fabrics applications.

"K 2010 provides Kraton with the perfect venue for our scientists and
market development managers to meet and exchange ideas with innovators from
across the globe," said Lothar Freund, Vice President, Technology at Kraton
Polymers. "These meetings often lead to collaborative efforts, which result
in innovative and specialized product solutions designed to meet even the
most rigorous industry demands for higher-performance, lower-cost and
environmentally-friendly solutions. Kraton developed SBCs almost fifty years
ago and continues to lead the market driving innovation and developing new
families of these highly-engineered synthetic elastomers," he concluded.

Kraton scientists and executives will be at the company's showcase in
Booth C80, Hall 6 to discuss the company's latest innovations in the
following applications:

    - Automotive Slush Molded Interior Soft Skins (PVC & TPU alternative):
      This innovative development, resulting from a strategic alliance with
      SO.F.TER (www.softerspa.com), provides a major technology and
      performance leap for the automotive industry. Our new innovation can be
      used to replace PVC, which has been the predominant material for
      interior soft skins using the slush molding process. PVC has many
      limitations including a high level of plasticizer (which tends to
      migrate) and flexible PVC becomes brittle and loses functionality over
      time. Our SBC product allows manufacturers to achieve significant
      improvements in low temperature performance, fogging, and recyclability
      while still using existing slush molding equipment and standard
      processing conditions. The additional benefits realized also include
      lower manufacturing costs due to reduced service temperatures and
      decreased processing time;

    - Medical (PVC alternative): Kraton G1645(R), a polymer product, creates
      new opportunities to replace PVC in medical and other applications
      including IV bag film and medical tubing. Our polymers are
      phthalate-free and provide high-performance, non-allergenic, and proven
      alternatives to PVC;

    - Cariflex(TM) IR (high end natural rubber alternative): Kraton's
      breakthrough Cariflex IR is a synthetic polyisoprene rubber that can be
      formulated to replace many solid natural rubber (NR) applications.
      Kraton Cariflex IR Latex is an ideal substitute for NR latex,
      particularly in medical applications with high purity requirements.
      These products offer outstanding elasticity, skin comfort and
      mechanical properties;

    - Personal Care (Elastic Nonwovens): Kraton's innovative and
      award-winning bicomponent fiber technology has been proven ideal for
      high-speed processing in nonwoven manufacturing for performance
      fabrics. Our polymers offer increased comfort, flexibility and
      durability, as well as multi-directional elasticity and strength in
      soft, quiet, and breathable materials. These attributes can be
      delivered in light and heavy basis weights often required in personal
      care, medical and protective apparel, waistbands and cuffs, and wound
      dressings. Kraton Polymers was the recipient of the 2009 Frost &
      Sullivan North American Elastic Nonwovens Technology Leadership of the
      Year Award. This technology was also recognized by peers in the field
      with the 2008 INTC Best Paper Award;

    - Wire & Cable (PVC alternative): Kraton polymers offer a variety of key
      attributes important in wire and cable applications. Superior
      electrical properties make them excellent candidates for insulation
      applications, and they are versatile enough to be used for jacketing
      and molded parts. Kraton ERS polymers provide low hardness and high
      flow for injection molded connectors and plugs. Kraton A polymers can
      achieve the best balance in strength, processability, and compatibility
      with various ingredients. Our polymers stand up to heat-they can be
      flame retarded to a V-0 rating and exhibit resistance to thermal aging.
      Kraton FG polymers can enhance compatibility between flame-retardant
      fillers and the polymer matrix. Our polymers are lightweight due to
      their low specific gravity, are halogen-free, recyclable and can be
      easily colored. Their excellent low temperature flexibility and UV and
      ozone-resistance make them suitable for outdoor applications as well;

    - Protective Films: Kraton co-ex technology offers the latest
      technological advancements in adhesive polymers for surface protection
      films. This technology offers unique features that can be formulated
      into adhesive compounds covering a broad range of processing and
      performance properties. Compound properties can be tailored to achieve
      unique performance requirements specific to end user applications. Our
      technology prevents moisture permeation, preserves the integrity of
      finished surfaces and protects against marring and scratching. It also
      allows for customizable peel strength that sustains tack on curved and
      textured surfaces while resisting dimples and rigid wrinkles;

    - NEXAR(TM) Polymers: Kraton's development using sulfonated block
      co-polymers, features unique nonporous membrane technology allowing for
      substantial moisture vapor and water transport rates. NEXAR polymers
      are ideal for a variety of applications including performance fabrics,
      capacitive deionization, humidity control, and energy recovery
      ventilation. NEXAR selectively permeable membranes for high performance
      breathable fabrics help the human body maintain its energy balance by
      quickly transporting large amounts of moisture outside and away from
      the skin. This helps maintain a comfortable microclimate for the body
      and allows optimum moisture management performance over time. NEXAR
      polymers offer selective permeability, which allows a tremendous amount
      of water to pass through while blocking potentially harmful chemicals.
      They can also be formed into nonporous membranes and can be processed
      using existing equipment.

We invite you to visit Kraton at the K 2010 in Booth C80, Hall 6. To
schedule a personal consultation, please contact Vaneese Bell at
+1-281-504-4792 or Vaneese.bell@kraton.com. For more information about Kraton
products please visit our website at www.Kraton.com or e-mail
info@Kraton.com. You may also visit www.nexarpolymers.com or email
nexar.polymers@kraton.com to learn more about NEXAR(TM) polymers.

About Kraton

Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., through its operating subsidiary
Kraton Polymers LLC and its subsidiaries, is a leading global producer of
engineered polymers and, we believe, the world's largest producer of styrenic
block copolymers ("SBCs"), a family of products whose chemistry was pioneered
by us almost fifty years ago. SBCs are highly-engineered thermoplastic
elastomers, which enhance the performance of numerous products by delivering
a variety of attributes, including greater flexibility, resilience, strength,
durability and processability. Our polymers are used in a wide range of
applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care
products, sealants and lubricants, and medical, packaging, automotive,
paving, roofing and footwear products. We currently offer approximately 800
products to more than 700 customers in over 60 countries worldwide, and are
the only SBC producer with manufacturing and service capabilities on four
continents. We manufacture products at five plants globally, including our
flagship plant in Belpre, Ohio, as well as plants in Germany, France and
Brazil, and a joint venture plant operated in Japan.

Kraton, the Kraton logo and design, Cariflex, Nexar and the "Giving
Innovators their Edge" tagline are all trademarks of Kraton Polymers LLC.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements," which are
statements other than statements of historical fact and are often
characterized by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates,"
"projects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans" or "anticipates," or by
discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. All forward-looking statements
in this press release are made based on management's current expectations and
estimates, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could
cause results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking
statements. These risks and uncertainties are more fully described in "Part
I. Item 1A. Risk Factors" contained in our Annual Report on 10-K, as filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission and as subsequently updated in
our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and include risks related to: conditions
in the global economy and capital markets; our reliance on LyondellBasell
Industries for the provision of significant operating and other services; the
failure of our raw materials suppliers to perform their obligations under
long-term supply agreements, or our inability to replace or renew these
agreements when they expire; limitations in the availability of raw materials
we need to produce our products in the amounts or at the prices necessary for
us to effectively and profitably operate our business; competition in our
end-use markets, by other producers of SBCs and by producers of products that
can be substituted for our products; our ability to produce and commercialize
technological innovations; our ability to protect our intellectual property,
on which our business is substantially dependent; infringement of our
products on the intellectual property rights of others; seasonality in our
Paving and Roofing business; financial and operating constraints related to
our substantial level of indebtedness; product liability claims and other
lawsuits arising from environmental damage or personal injuries associated
with chemical manufacturing; political and economic risks in the various
countries in which we operate; the inherently hazardous nature of chemical
manufacturing; health, safety and environmental laws, including laws that
govern our employees' exposure to chemicals deemed harmful to humans;
regulation of our customers, which could affect the demand for our products
or result in increased compliance costs; international trade, export control,
antitrust, zoning and occupancy and labor and employment laws that could
require us to modify our current business practices and incur increased
costs; our relationship with our employees; loss of key personnel or our
inability to attract and retain new qualified personnel; fluctuations in
currency exchange rates ; the fact that we do not enter into long-term
contracts with our customers; a decrease in the fair value of our pension
assets, which could require us to materially increase future funding of the
pension plan; and concentration of ownership among our principal stockholder,
which may prevent new investors from influencing significant corporate
decisions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update such
information.

    For Further Information:
    Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc.
    Media: Marcie Coronado +1-281-504-4975

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Marcie Coronado of Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., +1-281-504-4975