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Merit New Wave is Merit’s second fragrance, and it launches October 22, 2026. I own Merit’s first perfume, Retrospect, and I’m honestly way more excited for this one.
Here’s everything to know about Merit New Wave before it drops: what it smells like, the notes, the price, who made it, and how it compares to Retrospect.
Merit New Wave: the quick facts
- Launch date: October 22, 2026
- Where to buy: meritbeauty.com and Sephora
- Price: $92 for 30 ml (1 oz), with a mini size too
- Type: L’Extrait de Parfum
- Scent family: Warm amber with honeyed florals
- Perfumers: Dominique Ropion and Meabh McCurtin
What does Merit New Wave smell like?
New Wave is a warm, spicy amber. Merit describes it as a scent about power, sensuality and optimism. It changes as you wear it, in three stages:
- First spray: Spicy pink pepper and fresh green notes.
- The heart: A sunny floral of ylang ylang and honeyed orange blossom.
- The dry down: A rich base of incense, woods and musk that leaves a warm trail.
Fragrantica lists its main accords as amber, sweet, vanilla, warm spicy, musky, yellow floral, honey and balsamic.
The ylang ylang story
My favorite detail: Merit shared that the scent was stuck for months. They had the base, but not the top and middle. Then they looked back at their first mood board and realized ylang ylang had fallen out of the formula. It also happens to be one of Dominique Ropion’s favorite flowers. They added it back, and everything clicked. It gave New Wave the creamy, fruity, sweet floral note it was missing.
Who made Merit New Wave?
Master perfumer Dominique Ropion created New Wave with perfumer Meabh McCurtin. Ropion is a legend. He’s the nose behind fragrances like Alien, Euphoria and Portrait of a Lady. That’s a big deal for a beauty brand’s second perfume.
Merit calls it an unconventional take on classic perfume: it honors the old rules of fragrance-making while breaking them. Even the bottle is different. It’s inspired by surrealist art and shaped to look like a moving wave.
Merit New Wave vs. Retrospect
If you love Retrospect, you’re probably wondering if you need New Wave too. Here’s the difference. They are very different scents.
| Retrospect | New Wave | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | Fresh, soft floral | Warm, spicy amber |
| Top notes | Pear and bergamot | Pink pepper and green notes |
| Heart | Jasmine, rose and violet | Ylang ylang and honeyed orange blossom |
| Base | Vanilla, musk and moss | Incense, woods and musk |
| Perfumer | Fanny Bal | Dominique Ropion and Meabh McCurtin |
| Price | $92 | $92 |
How Retrospect smells to me
Retrospect is floral, and the first thing I notice is pear. I love that because it’s fresh. It’s not sweet, and I like my perfume like I like my white wine: fresh, but not sweet.
It does have a hint of vanilla, but it’s not strong. I like that, because I actually don’t love vanilla. It’s a scent that can overwhelm me.
Shop Merit Retrospect
Why I’m more excited for New Wave
I tend to love amber and muskier fragrances. New Wave’s base is incense, woods and musk, and it’s described as warm and spicy. That sounds amazing to me.
The one thing I’m watching: Fragrantica lists sweet and vanilla among its accords. Since vanilla can be a lot for me, I’m curious how strong it is next to the spice and incense. I’ll update this post with my honest review once I try it.
Which one should you get?
- Get Retrospect if you like fresh, soft florals that aren’t too sweet.
- Get New Wave if you love warm, spicy, ambery scents with more presence.
- Not sure? Start with the mini size of New Wave before buying the full bottle.
Merit New Wave: quick answers
When does Merit New Wave come out?
October 22, 2026, at meritbeauty.com and Sephora.
How much is Merit New Wave?
$92 for a 30 ml bottle. There’s also a smaller mini size.
Is Merit New Wave sweet?
It has sweet notes from honey and vanilla, but they sit with pink pepper, incense and woods. Expect warm and spicy-sweet, not sugary.
Is Merit New Wave a fall fragrance?
With its warm amber, incense and woods, it’s a natural fit for fall and winter. The sunny floral heart could make it work year-round too.
Is Merit New Wave a flanker of Retrospect?
No. It’s a completely new scent, not a version of Retrospect. Even Merit’s own caption had fun with it, sharing a Fragrantica comment that it “could be amazing, could be awful.” Their answer: you’ll just have to try it.
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