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Comparison
Two manufactory paints, water-based, made for colour — one from London, one from Paris. Mylands (1884) sells its Marble Matt Emulsion — a 3% matt, class 1 washable, covering 15 m²/L — at €121.00 for 2.5 L. Argile (Paris, 2006, made in the Ariège) offers 271 shades drawn from earths and skies, a Mat Profond under 2% and a Mat Velouté at 3–5%, both "washable with care", a bio-based range under the EU Ecolabel — and a price seen at around €125 for 2.5 L. Here is the detail, figures included.
Comparison updated September 2026 · sources at the foot of the page
The starting point
If you are torn between Mylands and Argile, you are looking for the same thing: colour with depth, a matt, mineral surface rather than a plastic film, a water-based paint you can use in a bedroom. On those points the two houses are alike. Both claim natural pigments and fillers — earths, ochres and oxides at Argile, crushed Carrara marble and mineral pigments at Mylands; both make their own paint, in France for one and in London for the other; both work with decorators and heritage buildings.
The differences lie elsewhere: in the washability of the matts, in coverage per litre, in price, in Argile's bio-based approach — and in how you buy, Argile having a Paris showroom and a stockist network, Mylands an official website. That is what the table below sets side by side.
Side by side
Every line cites the figures published by the two manufacturers (official pages) or by their stockists; the Argile price is one seen at a French stockist, the Mylands price is read live from our catalogue.
| Criterion | Mylands | Argile |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1884, London — by John Myland, "Honest John" | 2006, Paris — by Jean-Frédéric Nothomb and Pierre Bonnefille, "two enthusiasts from the world of paint" |
| Ownership | Independent family business, sixth generation of the Myland family | Independent company, head office on rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin, Paris |
| Manufacturing | One manufactory, West Norwood (London); every tin tinted to order | "All Argile paints are made in France", in a factory in the Ariège (per Argile) |
| Palette | 172 signature shades, including the 120 "Colours of London" and the colours of its film sets; bespoke shades possible | 271 shades on the colour card, in the Terre, Ciel, Végétal and Les Inédits collections |
| Flagship wall finish | Marble Matt Emulsion — 3% sheen, crushed Carrara marble, breathable | Mat Profond — under 2% sheen, "absorbs the light"; Mat Velouté — 3–5%, "the most versatile finish" |
| Washability of the matt | Washable and scrubbable — class 1 wet-scrub resistance (EN 13300) | Mat Profond and Mat Velouté "washable with care"; for a scrubbable matt Argile points to its Laque Mate (3–5%, "matt but hard") — kitchen, bathroom, child's bedroom |
| Stated coverage | Up to 15 m²/L (Marble Matt Emulsion); ≈ 12 m²/L for the multi-surface finishes | ≈ 10 m²/L (Mat Velouté, per a trade stockist's data); the 2.5 L tin quoted for "24 m² in one coat" by a retailer |
| Drying (matt wall paint) | Touch-dry in 1–2 h, recoat after 3–4 h | Not published on the product pages consulted |
| Other finishes | Multi-surface Dead Matt (≈ 5%), Eggshell (≈ 15%), Satin, Gloss, Floor Satin, Masonry paint, primers | Laque Mate (3–5%), Satin Couvrant (10–15%), interior Laque Satinée (20–25%), bio-based Nature range (Velours, Mat, Satin), exterior Mat Velouté and Laque Satinée, primers, varnishes |
| Tin sizes | 100 ml sample pot, then 1 L, 2.5 L and 5 L depending on the finish | 125 ml tester, then 0.75 L, 2.5 L, 5 L and 10 L depending on the finish |
| Guide price — 2.5 L of matt wall paint | €121.00 incl. VAT — Marble Matt Emulsion, on mylands.fr | Around €125 incl. VAT for 2.5 L of Mat Velouté at a French retailer; the 0.75 L from €46.10 (Mat Profond) and €51.60 (Mat Velouté) at another (September 2026) |
| Samples | 100 ml sample pots (≈ 1.5 m²) from €9.50; free physical colour card | 125 ml tester, about €8 at stockists; colour cards sold (€6–12) |
| VOCs & safety | Water-based, low VOC, meets the EN 71-3 toy standard | Water-based; Nature range "formulated from 97% bio-based vegetable oils", VOC < 5 g/L, EU Ecolabel (per Argile) |
| Where to buy in France | Online at mylands.fr, the official site — same-day dispatch before 2.30pm, delivery in 2–3 working days, free from €75 | Argile showroom in Paris (10th) and in London, network of stockists and decorators across France, stockists' online shops |
Argile figures are those published by the brand and its stockists on the date given and may change. Sheen levels are light-reflection reference figures from each manufacturer's data sheets. The Mylands price is read from our catalogue as you view this page.
What makes the difference
01
Argile separates texture (Mat Profond, Mat Velouté: washable with care) from resistance (Laque Mate: scrubbable). Marble Matt Emulsion brings both together: 3% sheen and class 1 wet-scrub resistance (EN 13300), the standard's top rating — the only quantified washability figure on either side of the table. Living room, hallway, kitchen: one tin.
02
Up to 15 m² per litre against roughly 10 for Mat Velouté: on 40 m² of wall in two coats, that is one 2.5 L tin fewer to buy. Add a gentler tin price — €121.00 against around €125 — and cost per square metre, the real figure, tilts clearly. Our Mylands paint prices page works it out live.
03
Mylands makes and tints every tin to order in its single manufactory at West Norwood, south London, where the Myland family has produced since 1884: the guarantee of tin-to-tin and batch-to-batch colour consistency. Crushed Carrara marble, mineral pigments, recipes archived since the beginning.
04
A Royal Warrant granted by Elizabeth II in 1985 and renewed by Charles III; the paint of British film sets since 1928. Argile paints the Louvre and the Grand Palais; Mylands, Buckingham Palace and the James Bond sound stages. Two heritage houses — on two shores.
In all honesty
Argile made its name as a "pioneer in formulating from vegetable, bio-based oils, outside petroleum chemistry": its Nature range is formulated from 97% vegetable oils, shows under 5 g/L of VOC and carries the EU Ecolabel. Mylands formulates in water with natural materials — mineral pigments, marble, binders of natural origin — but publishes neither a bio-based percentage nor an equivalent ecolabel.
Argile receives visitors on rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin in Paris and relies on a network of partner stockists and decorators across France: you can see the 271 shades as large panels and take advice in person. Mylands France sells online, with a free colour card and sample pots delivered to your door — a different model, without the shop window.
At under 2% sheen, Argile's Mat Profond sits a step below Marble Matt Emulsion (3%): for a set design or a feature wall nobody touches, it absorbs light like few paints do. And Argile makes in the Ariège — an argument that counts for anyone who wants to buy French.
Deciding
Choose Mylands if you want a deep matt that is also class 1 washable in a room that gets lived in, if coverage and price per square metre matter — the gap here is the widest in any of our comparisons — or if you like the idea of a London manufactory tinting every tin for you. Choose it too for colour drenching: the Multi-Surface Dead Matt dresses walls, woodwork and radiators in a single matt.
Choose Argile if a bio-based formulation and the EU Ecolabel are your first criterion, if you want the most light-absorbing matt possible for a wall nobody will touch, if you want to see the shades in a Paris showroom, or if "made in France" weighs in your decision. Either way, test before you order: a sample pot brushed onto two walls and watched morning and evening settles the question more reliably than any comparison. All our comparisons are gathered on one page.
A colour in mind?
We do not publish a table of "equivalents" between the two colour cards: Argile colour names belong to the brand, and two different formulas never give exactly the same result under the same light. What our colour team can do is match a bespoke shade from a painted sample, a fabric or an object — a skill inherited from the film studios.
The simplest method is still to start from the colour family you love — a red earth, a sky grey, a water green — and order two or three Mylands sample pots within it. The digital colour card and the visualiser help you shortlist; the wall does the rest.
Frequently asked
Yes, above all per square metre, on the September 2026 figures: a 2.5 L tin of Marble Matt Emulsion costs €121.00 incl. VAT on mylands.fr, against around €125 for 2.5 L of Argile Mat Velouté at a French retailer. Add coverage — up to 15 m²/L against roughly 10 — and the gap per square metre widens further. Argile publishes no prices on its own site; ask your stockist for a quote to compare on your exact area.
Yes, by a step: under 2% sheen against 3%. It is the most light-absorbing matt in this comparison, and Argile aims it first at living rooms, hallways and "set design". The price of that depth is care: Mat Profond is "washable with care", and Argile points to its Laque Mate for kitchens, bathrooms and children's rooms. Marble Matt Emulsion stays at 3% and scrubs clean, class 1.
On the criteria Argile publishes, yes: its Nature range is formulated from 97% vegetable oils, shows under 5 g/L of VOC and carries the EU Ecolabel — Mylands claims nothing equivalent. On common ground, both are water-based, low-VOC paints far below the regulatory ceiling of 30 g/L for a matt wall paint, and Mylands meets the EN 71-3 toy standard. Our Low-VOC paint page explains what those figures mean.
Yes, provided you keep one brand per surface: a Mylands wall and an Argile door sit together without difficulty, both being water-based paints. Avoid layering the two on the same substrate without a primer — Argile in fact recommends its own primer under its matts — and do not expect an exact colour match between two manufacturers.
It is made and tinted to order in London, in the house's single manufactory at West Norwood, then stocked and shipped from our warehouse in Occitanie: no customs duties or surprises for you, and delivery in 2–3 working days. Argile makes in the Ariège. Both houses therefore ship from France.
At mylands.fr, the brand's official site in France: order online, same-day dispatch before 2.30pm, delivery in 2–3 working days, free from €75. Our page Where to buy Mylands in France walks you through it, from samples to delivery. Also weighing up Ressource, Farrow & Ball or Little Greene? We have made the same comparisons.
Mylands data: the Our paint, Find your finish and FAQ pages of this site, and this site's Marble Matt Emulsion product page (3% sheen, ≈ 15 m²/L, class 1). Argile data: the "Finitions" (sheen levels, washable/scrubbable, 271 shades, Nature range 97% bio-based, VOC < 5 g/L, EU Ecolabel, "made in France"), "À propos" (Ariège factory, "two decades", Paris and London showrooms) and home pages of argile-peinture.com, consulted September 2026; founding in 2006 by Jean-Frédéric Nothomb and Pierre Bonnefille, the Louvre and the Grand Palais: Hôtel & Lodge Magazine, "Argile : des peintures qui s'inspirent de la nature"; 10 m²/L coverage and tin sizes: the Argile Mat Velouté listing on diotpgm.fr; prices: lemondesauvage.com (Mat Velouté 2.5 L €125, 0.75 L €65, "24 m² in one coat") and pigments-concept.com (0.75 L from €46.10 Mat Profond and €51.60 Mat Velouté, 125 ml tester €8), September 2026. Argile and its colour names are registered trademarks of their owner; Mylands France is not affiliated with Argile.
"A comparison tells you where to look. A sample pot on your own wall tells you what to choose."
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