Few things transform an interior as quickly as a fresh lick of paint, but with so many paint brands on the market, how do you know which one to choose?
As someone who talks frequently about paint, I thought it was about time that I did a deep dive into search data across all the paint brands on the market to reveal the most popular paint brands in the UK.
This guide that I’ve compiled ranks the UK’s top paint brands based on their google search data in 2024, this ranking is solely based on popularity, not on quality.
I will not be held responsible for your reactions to the rankings, after all, it has been chosen by us…
The UK’s Favourite Paint Brands Exposed
I used Google search volume data to find out the UK’s favourite, and most searched for paint brands over the course of 2024.
There is actually a huge range of paint brands on the market in the UK, and for the purposes of this, I have only included the top 20 paint brands which were the most searched for in 2024.
If there is a UK paint brand not featured on the list, this is because its volume of monthly searches were too low to be included.
God Tier
2. Crown Paint
3. Dulux
4. Lick
As I work with paint brands on a daily basis and have for a number of years, the god tier was absolutely no surprise to me. We have both luxury leaders and more affordable, household names here.
But, the results speak for themselves, and there is a clear winner for the most loved, favourite paint brand in the UK. According to Google data, Farrow and Ball has on average a whopping 135,000 monthly searches, with searches peaking to 165,000 during the months February and March 2024.
Farrow and Ball is what we could call a truly British, quintessential brand. There is meaning behind their product names, their highly unique shades are difficult to achieve with other brands, and they have a huge following across social media. Sharing a gorgeous interior shot is simply enough to get people saving and wanting to recreate it in their own home, and their marketing works.
Coming in at second place is Crown. Whilst they have a somewhat limited range of colours, they are a budget, affordable paint brand that makes transforming your home on a budget possible. Unsurprisingly, Crown are closely followed by Dulux, a household name for the budget conscious. They have a very similar price point to Crown and are readily available in stores such as B&Q, which represents that they could have a much larger market share offline too.
Despite their infancy in the paint market, Lick came in at number 4, they have on average 33,100 monthly searches, not bad for a 5 year old paint brand!
Lick only launched in 2020, their target audience is the next generation of homeowners, DIYers and renters, so it’s no surprise they have excelled in their growth, mostly fuelled by social media and influencers. When they initially launched, this was the ONLY paint brand I kept seeing being advertised, and every influencer and their dog was sent a tin of the paint which used to be housed in a metal paint container. It almost made me more convinced to avoid them as a paint brand, but there is no denying that their marketing works!
Top Tier
5. Coat
7. Rust O-leum
Not dissimilar to Lick, Coat Paints only launched in 2020. Unlike Lick’s drive to go after the latest generation, Coat Paints was founded to create a more sustainable paint, and reduce their environmental impact.
I have actually used Coat Paints a lot over the last year, mainly in our own home renovation. They fall between Lick and Farrow and Ball for a price point and they have a gorgeous range of colours that offer great coverage. Coat has partnered with a variety of influencers, celebrities, and interior designers to create exclusive colour palettes, including Millie Mackintosh, ex Made In Chelsea Star.
Johnstone’s came in at a tie on monthly searches with Coat, closely followed by Rustoleum. Coming in at the end of top tier is The Little Greene Paint Company. Little Greene is a high end paint brand, and personally one of my faves! The quality and colours of their paint are exceptional, but they do have a certain target market and are not designed to appeal to the masses.
Mid Tier
10. Dulux Heritage
11. Zinsser
12. Valspar
Benjamin Moore is one of the biggest US paint brands, but they only launched into the UK 9 years ago. Benjamin Moore has one of the best stories to tell, and they were actually the very first paint brand to invent the eggshell finish in 1984. Their paint is currently available in 120 locations across the UK and can also be purchased online. Positioned at the premium end of the market, it reflects their commitment to quality.
Dulux’s counterpart, Dulux Heritage finds itself at the mid point of the paint rankings. This premium range only launched in 2021, comprising of a classic collection of 112 colours. The result is a quintessential colour palette which is targeted more at professional decorators, designers and those with a bigger budget.
Unlike other paint brands in this list, Zinsser does not offer endless colours, they purely sell problem solving products such as mould and mildew solutions and stain blocking paints. They have always been a decorators favourite.
I always hold Valspar in a similar standing to Dulux, they share very similar price points and are easily available to purchase from B&Q. As they also offer an in-store colour match service, Valspar is used to a certain extent, but is often the fall back when you realise just how expensive other paint brands can be if you’re redecorating a large space.
Low Tier
13. Edward Bulmer
14. Frenchic Paint
16. Craig & Rose
A brand I have only become aware of over the last few years, Edward Bulmer drives on average 6,600 searches a month. The British paint brand is considered a paint pioneer, creating plant based paints that look beautiful too. They’re proud to be lifting the lid on mainstream paint and all of their paint can exclusively be purchased online.
Frenchic paint are best known for their chalk based furniture paint, and despite only being 10 years old they have carved out a huge following for themselves online, with their very own Frenchic fan forum to boot. Despite being known for their furniture paint, they do also produce chalk wall paint.
The Paint and Paper Library was founded over twenty years ago, but don’t be fooled by their low tier position. Their high end colours and price point position themselves at the Farrow and Ball end of the spectrum. Paint & Paper Library is also in very good hands. Little Greene acquired the brand in 2018 to expand its portfolio and enhance its offering in the premium paint and wallpaper market.
Joined by good company, Craig and Rose is the UK’s oldest manufacturer, founded in 1829. After lockdown they had a brand reboot, perhaps which was needed as the paint industry has adapted and taken itself more online since the pandemic.
Bottom Tier
17. Annie Sloan
18. Mylands
19. Earthborn
20. Leyland
There is a real mash up of paint brands in the bottom tier, and perhaps we should be asking ourselves how familiar we are with these paint brands.
In at number 17 is Annie Sloan. A manufacturer of chalk paint, Annie herself is considered one of the worlds leading authorities in paint, colour and style, and is best known for her revolutionary chalk paint that can achieve endless decorative effects without having to wait a large period of time to see the results.
Often we can become blindsided by specific brands, or have a true loyalty with our favourites. But there really are so many amazing choices on the market in the UK. Mylands has on average 1,900 monthly searches putting it in the bottom tier for the top UK paint brands. According to Mylands, they’re the oldest family run-paint manufacturer in the UK, but perhaps one that hasn’t adapted to the times?
Leyland is best known for its trade paints, and those huge tubs of brilliant bright white paint – I am holding Leyland Trade responsible for developers who only know how to paint in this colour. It’s loved for its price point, and availability.
Coming in at number 20 is Earthborn, eco-friendly paints with over 70 colours to choose from. I’ve never used Earthborn paint so can’t comment on their coverage, they aren’t as prolific on social media as other paint brands so largely go unnoticed among some of the other big players.
What Makes A Paint Brand Popular
This guide to your favourite paint brands in the UK was derived purely from Google search data which is a good indicator for how popular a brand is, but of course, not the only avenue that consumers use to search.
BUT, it’s important to remember that so many variables could be at play here as to what makes a brand popular, and this is why I have tried to break this down to give a more unbiased view.
- Price – price is a hugely indicative factor with the cost of living when it comes to what paint you choose today. The difference between the low price points and the higher end paint brands is huge, and it often doesn’t matter what colour you want, you end up having to default to a cheaper alternative. I know this because of how popular my Dulux dupes for Farrow and Ball paints post is.
- Colour Range – it goes without saying that you’re doing it wrong if you don’t pick paint by colour! This is one of the main reasons I am drawn to certain paint brands, impossible to recreate and colour mixing does not result in the exact shade and coverage.
- Durability and finish quality – this is key for both professional decorators (they often have their favourite brands they use) and for those decorating themselves. Having decorated an entire home ourselves in the last year, you quickly become aware of how easy it is to apply paints over other brands, buy cheap, buy twice springs to mind here. You’ll often have to do more coats with a cheaper paint for better coverage, in my experience.
- Marketing and social media presence – we live in an online world, and Gen Z are becoming the new homeowners. They grew up with social media and like it or not, it influences what we do, buy and see on a daily basis, maybe without us even knowing. From Instagram worthy interiors to being influenced by a celebs colour palette, how things look and who is using them is important to this generation.
In Summary
Whilst Farrow and Ball topped the charts by a country mile, price point is still sensitive, and household names such as Crown and Dulux are still very popular in 2025.
Homeowners want to create beautiful interiors, but it can be done on a budget too. The age of the brand is not important, with relatively new players, Lick and Coat topping the paint brand charts, leaving some of the oldest paint brands in the UK battling it out at the bottom.
Price is an important factor, but it seems we are being largely influenced by what we see online, whether it be what you’ve recently pinned to your board or reacted to on Instagram. We see what we like, and we want it. We are in an influencer era, so whoever is the biggest player on social media is generally winning right now.
Above all, these rankings are based on popularity, and not quality. I am not a paint brand snob, nor do I exclusively use a specific brand, I love to try and use different paint brands, but my current top three favourites based on colour offering and durability are Farrow and Ball, Coat and Benjamin Moore.
Are you surprised by the rankings? Do you have a favourite paint brand? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
*All prices mentioned are accurate as of January 2025.
