MERIT built its name on minimalist makeup you can apply in minutes, so it makes sense that the brand’s fragrances follow the same idea: One scent that will become the signature you reach for every day. Today, the brand launches New Wave L’Extrait de Parfum ($92 for 30ml), which has an entirely different personality than MERIT’s first fragrance, Retrospect, which launched in 2024. I met with the brand and the perfumers responsible for the new scent to get the inside scoop.
The Inspiration
New Wave was created in collaboration with French master perfumer Dominique Ropion (the nose behind dozens of iconic fragrances) and Irish perfumer Meabh McCurtin (part of the industry’s new guard), both of IFF. “The warm, spicy-floral scent was inspired by surrealist art and feelings of power, sensuality and optimism,” says Lola Gonzalez Marra, vice president of creative at MERIT Beauty.
“One particular week, the [MERIT] team came over, it was very intensive, almost like a workshop,” says McCurtin. “Every day we’d make a tweak, smell it on the skin, and it was so nice that it was such a collaborative experience. The whole message they kept giving back to us was about confidence, sensuality and something that is contemporary, but also somewhat classic—they weren’t afraid not to follow the trends.”
MERIT
New Wave L’Extrait de Parfum
What New Wave Smells Like
This scent makes a statement. “We were trying to capture this idea of something that feels very classic and familiar, but is kind of pushed into the future in a way that feels newer, pristine, exciting and confident,” says Gonzalez Marra. The perfumers achieved this with top notes of crisp pink pepper and herbal angelica seed; a floral heart of Tunisian orange flower and Madagascan ylang ylang; and a bold dry-down of benzoin, labdanum, olibanum, patchouli, Ambroxan, musk, cypriol, vetiver, a tobacco accord, cedarwood, oakwood, vanilla bean and tonka bean.
The result is a smoky, resinous warmth with a gentle gourmand sweetness from the vanilla and tonka. “We wanted to start with a classical base with patchouli and add new raw materials to this starting point,” says Ropion.
If you like amber florals with some heft (the territory between a classic oriental and a modern skin scent), New Wave is one to try. As an extrait (the most concentrated tier of fragrance), it’s also a great pick for anyone who wants their perfume to last longer. MERIT says the formula contains close to 30 percent perfume oil, which is far higher than a typical eau de parfum (15 to 20 percent). It’s a fitting choice for fall and winter, too, with its warmth and big sillage.
