MERIT Introduces its First Fragrance, Retrospect

The renowned makeup and skincare brand brings its patented intentionality to the crowded fragrance market.

NEW YORK, Oct. 8, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Leading minimalist beauty brand MERIT is set to expand into fragrance with its first scent, Retrospect, later this month. The brand, known for its industry-defying approach to product development and storytelling, is again taking the unexpected step into a new category less than four years after its launch. Retrospect, a complex, layered scent that took more than two years and over 200 rounds to develop, is MERIT’s first foray into the highly trend-driven fragrance industry, and will be available starting October 22nd.

MERIT has quickly become one of the defining voices in modern beauty, with its luxury quality and approachable, skin-safe formulas fueling its rapid growth. The brand, known for its easy everyday routines that stand in contrast to the constant newness touted by the modern cosmetic industry, drove over $100M in sales in 2023 and is a top growth makeup brand at Sephora. Going against the grain of the expected beauty industry playbook, MERIT quickly expanded outside of color cosmetics with the launch of Great Skin Instant Glow Serum in 2022. This unconventional approach paid off, with Great Skin Instant Glow Serum becoming an instant success, joined most recently by Great Skin Priming Moisturizer, which amassed a 15,000 person waitlist and immediately launched into the top 10 moisturizers at Sephora North America.

Now, MERIT is making its boldest move yet with the introduction of Retrospect, a nuanced scent that runs counter to the linear, one-note fragrances dominating the market today. Inspired by the complex, expertly crafted fragrances of the past, MERIT worked with master nose Fanny Bal in Paris to develop Retrospect – a rich, balanced scent that evolves and changes as you wear it. A unique blend that mediates nostalgic vintage notes with a modern sensibility, Retrospect is instantly familiar yet difficult to describe.

With top notes of bergamot, pear, and aldehydes, a heart of jasmine, synthetic rose, rosemary, violet, and orris, and a bottom of vanilla, musk, and moss, Retrospect eschews any single category in favor of balance and nuance. In contrast to the overly literal scents that have become a favorite of the fragrance industry due to their marketability, Retrospect opens with soft, clean notes, evolves to a subtle floral center, and settles into a rich base for a warm, second-skin finish.

A concentrated extrait de parfum, Retrospect is nearly 30% fragrance oil, double the concentration of most perfumes on the market. This means that Retrospect only requires one spray to last all day — a crucial detail for the MERIT customer, who doesn’t have time for touch-ups throughout their day.

Retrospect – meaning to reflect on the past – was named to honor the centuries-old craft of fragrance making and the way our individual experiences shape our perspective on scent. After hundreds of rounds and years of perfecting, Retrospect embodies the meeting place between old and new, softness and depth – it’s not just a fragrance for right now, but something you’ll keep coming back to for years to come. It’s a new perspective on modern fragrance.

Retrospect retails for $92 USD, $125 CAD, and £79 GBP and will be available at meritbeauty.com (excluding Australia and the US’s noncontiguous states and territories) and at all Sephora retail locations and sephora.com in North America on October 22, 2024.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE MERIT