MERIT Launches New Wave L'Extrait de Parfum at $92 for 30ml

MERIT launched New Wave L'Extrait de Parfum today at $92 for 30ml, the brand's second fragrance after Retrospect debuted in 2024. The new scent takes a different direction from its predecessor and arrives positioned for fall and winter wear.

The fragrance was built with two perfumers from IFF: French master perfumer Dominique Ropion, the nose behind dozens of iconic fragrances, and Irish perfumer Meabh McCurtin, part of the industry's new guard. MERIT, a brand known for minimalist makeup applied in minutes, applies the same one-signature-scent philosophy to its perfume line.

Lola Gonzalez Marra, vice president of creative at MERIT Beauty, said the warm, spicy-floral scent "was inspired by surrealist art and feelings of power, sensuality and optimism."

How was the scent developed?

The creation process ran as an intensive, workshop-style week at IFF. "Every day we'd make a tweak, smell it on the skin, and it was so nice that it was such a collaborative experience," McCurtin said. "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."

Ropion described the construction logic: "We wanted to start with a classical base with patchouli and add new raw materials to this starting point."

What does New Wave smell like?

The formula opens with top notes of crisp pink pepper and herbal angelica seed. The floral heart uses Tunisian orange flower and Madagascan ylang ylang.

The dry-down carries the weight:

• benzoin, labdanum and olibanum
• patchouli, Ambroxan, musk and cypriol
• vetiver and 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 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," Gonzalez Marra said.

Why the extrait format matters

New Wave is an extrait (the most concentrated tier of fragrance). MERIT says the formula contains close to 30 percent perfume oil. A typical eau de parfum runs 15 to 20 percent. The higher concentration means longer wear on skin.

The scent sits in the territory between a classic oriental and a modern skin scent—an amber floral with heft. The warmth and big sillage (the trail a perfume leaves in the air) make it a fitting choice for the colder months.

What does this change for shoppers? It gives MERIT a second, contrasting pillar in fragrance: Retrospect for one register, New Wave for a spicier, smokier signature—both at the accessible-prestige price point of $92.