Lick paint is made in the UK. The company itself is a relatively young British outfit — launched in 2019 — built around the direct-to-consumer model: peel-and-stick samples, a curated colour range, and online ordering rather than a trade counter. The paint is manufactured here in Britain, formulated to be low-VOC and water-based across the standard interior lines.
What you're really paying for with Lick is the experience and the editing. The range is deliberately small — we've got 99 Lick colours in the FiniSpec library, with greens and neutrals doing the heavy lifting — so there's no overwhelming wall of fan decks. The whites are where it shines for a lot of people: White 01 is the clean, bright one; White 02 softens it a touch; and White 07 is warmer again if you want something with a bit of cosy depth rather than gallery-cold. They're sensible, liveable whites, and the peel-and-stick samples genuinely help you judge them on your own wall in your own light.
Now, the honest bit. Lick's emulsion is decent — good coverage, pleasant to roll, no fuss — but it sits in the mid-market on durability and depth of pigment. If you want the chalky, light-eating finish of Farrow & Ball or the pigment richness of Little Greene or Mylands, you'll notice Lick is a step below that. It's not trying to be those brands, and it doesn't price like them either. For a rental refresh, a kid's room, or a quick whole-house repaint where budget matters, it's a sound, honest choice made on home soil.
My practical advice: order the peel-and-stick samples, tape them up, and live with them for a couple of days through morning and evening light before committing. With whites especially, that few quid of sampling saves you repainting a whole room.