Merit launches bold new fall fragrance with artistic depth
MERIT introduced New Wave L’Extrait de Parfum at a price of $92 for a 30 ml bottle, positioning it as a daily signature scent distinct from the brand’s 2024 launch, Retrospect.
The new perfume was created with French master perfumer Dominique Ropion and Irish perfumer Meabh McCurtin, both of IFF. According to Lola Gonzalez Marra, MERIT’s vice-president of creative, the scent draws on surrealist art and aims to convey power, sensuality and optimism.
McCurtin described the development as an intensive workshop where the team made daily adjustments and tested each version on skin. She said the collaboration emphasized confidence, sensuality and a blend of contemporary and classic elements, deliberately avoiding fleeting trends.
Composition details list crisp pink pepper and herbal angelica seed as top notes, a heart of Tunisian orange flower and Madagascan ylang-ylang, and a dry-down featuring benzoin, labdanum, olibanum, patchouli, Ambroxan, musk, cypriol, vetiver, tobacco accord, cedarwood, oakwood, vanilla bean and tonka bean.
The top notes of pink pepper and angelica seed create an immediate bright, spicy impression. The heart of orange blossom and ylang-ylang adds a floral richness that bridges the opening and base. In the dry-down, benzoin and patchouli provide depth, while Ambroxan, warm woods and vanilla give a lingering, amber-like trail.
Ropion explained that the formula starts with a traditional patchouli base and incorporates newer raw materials to update the profile, aiming for a balance between classic orientation and a modern skin-scent feel.
For consumers accustomed to minimalist beauty lines, the brand’s focus on a single, high-impact fragrance mirrors its streamlined makeup approach, offering a versatile option that can transition from everyday wear to colder seasons without the need for multiple bottles.
As an extrait, the perfume contains close to 30 percent perfume oil, markedly higher than the 15-20 percent typical of eau de parfum concentrations, which contributes to its longevity on the skin.
The warm, resinous character and pronounced sillage make the scent especially suitable for fall and winter wardrobes, delivering a smoky depth paired with a subtle gourmand sweetness from vanilla and tonka.
