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Okay, I have to talk about this one.
Some context first. Le Labo Santal 33 has been my signature scent for seven years. It’s my favorite smell, ever. I love anything warm, woody, and a little smoky. So when a new perfume lands on my desk, I’m comparing it to Santal whether I mean to or not. Most don’t come close.
Merit New Wave came close.
The quick answer
- What does it smell like? A spicy floral up top, a warm smoky amber underneath.
- Is it sweet? A little, but in a cinnamon-and-tobacco way. Not sugary.
- Is it like Santal 33? No, but if you love Santal’s smoky warmth, you’ll get why I love this.
- Price: $92 for 30 ml, at Sephora and meritbeauty.com.
First spray: spicy floral
The first spray is spicy and bright. You get pink pepper right away, then a soft floral comes in underneath. Merit calls it a spicy floral, and that’s exactly right. It’s not a pretty, girly floral. It has an edge to it.
The dry down: the smoky part I fell for
Then it dries down, and this is where I fell in love. There’s a smokiness in the base that reminds me of why I love Santal so much. It’s warm and woody and a little dark, but it never feels heavy.
That cinnamon-like tobacco sweetness
And there’s this sweetness I couldn’t stop sniffing. At first I thought, is that coffee? Cinnamon? So I dug into the notes.
It turns out it’s the tobacco and benzoin working together. Benzoin is a tree resin that smells warm and spicy, almost like cinnamon bark. Perfume tobacco isn’t like a cigarette. It smells dry and sweet, a little like coffee grounds. Put them together and you get this cozy, cinnamon-like sweetness that sits right on your skin.
Here are the notes I think make that sweet, spicy smell:
| Note | What it smells like |
|---|---|
| Benzoin | Warm resin, almost like cinnamon bark |
| Tobacco accord | Dry and sweet, a little like coffee |
| Tonka bean | Warm almond and caramel |
| Honey floral accord | Soft, golden sweetness |
| Pink pepper | A spicy tingle that makes it all feel warmer |
Here’s the thing. I usually don’t like sweet perfumes. I like my fragrance the way I like my white wine: fresh, not sweet. But this sweetness is different. It’s spicy and smoky, not sugary. There’s a little vanilla in the base, but it stays in the background.
The full list of notes
New Wave has a long list of notes, which is rare these days. It was built on a classic amber structure, and the perfumers (Dominique Ropion and Meabh Mc Curtin) call it a “Neo Golden Amber.”
- Bright and spicy: pink pepper, angelica seed
- Floral: orange flower, ylang-ylang, honey floral accord
- Amber and resins: benzoin, labdanum, olibanum, ambrarome, ambroxan
- Woods and smoke: patchouli, cypriol, vetiver, tobacco accord, cedar, oakwood
- Soft and warm: musk, vanilla bean, tonka bean
Will it replace Santal 33?
Nothing will replace Santal 33. But New Wave might be the first perfume that sits right next to it on my shelf.
It’s also an extrait, which means more perfume oil than a normal perfume. A little goes a long way.
Who should buy it
- Buy it if you love warm, smoky, ambery scents like Santal 33.
- Buy it if you want a fall and winter scent with real presence.
- Skip it if you want something light and fresh. Try Merit Retrospect instead.
Want the launch details and how it stacks up against Retrospect? Read everything to know about Merit New Wave.
FAQ
Is Merit New Wave sweet? A little. The sweetness comes from benzoin, tobacco, tonka and honey, so it smells spicy-sweet, like cinnamon or coffee. It’s not sugary.
Does Merit New Wave smell like vanilla? There is vanilla bean in the base, but it stays in the background. I don’t love vanilla, and it didn’t bother me.
Is Merit New Wave smoky? Yes, softly. The tobacco, woods and resins give it a warm smoky base without feeling heavy.
Is Merit New Wave like Santal 33? They don’t smell the same. Santal is creamy sandalwood. New Wave is a spicy amber. But they share that warm, smoky feel.
How much is Merit New Wave? $92 for 30 ml at Sephora and meritbeauty.com. There’s also a travel size.
How I tested it
I got New Wave on launch day and wore it on my skin. I paid attention to the first spray and how it changed as it dried down. Then I checked what I smelled against Merit’s full note list, and compared it to Santal 33, the scent I know best.
Why trust me
I’m Sofia de Diaz. I work in e-commerce for beauty brands, and I test products the way shoppers use them. Santal 33 has been my signature fragrance for 7 years. I’m not paid by Merit or Le Labo other than affiliate links.
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