New Wave

New Wave is the extrait de parfum that Merit launched on October 22, 2026, the brand’s second fragrance after Retrospect. Dominique Ropion and Meabh McCurtin open pink pepper and angelica onto orange blossom and ylang-ylang, above an amber base of benzoin, labdanum, olibanum, tobacco and vanilla.

Brand: Merit Beauty
Launch year: 2026
Perfumers: Dominique Ropion
Meabh McCurtin
Gender: Women
Olfactory family: Oriental
Secondary family: Floral
Concentration: Extrait de Parfum

Published October 28, 2026

Where to buy

Merit launched New Wave on October 22, 2026, on its website and at Sephora. It is the brand’s second fragrance, after Retrospect, its first, released in 2024. It comes as an extrait de parfum, in a 30 ml bottle.

The brand says it drew inspiration from surrealist art, right down to the design of the bottle. The perfumers Dominique Ropion and Meabh McCurtin signed the composition.

What is still missing

Sephora files New Wave under women’s fragrances in France, though the brand does not specify an audience. No campaign is credited for the fragrance, and its ingredient list is published only by Sephora in the United States.

Olfactory pyramid

Top notesThe first minutes
- Pink pepper
- Angelica
Heart notesThe heart of the perfume
- Orange blossom
- Ylang-ylang
Base notesWhat lingers

Composition

Read the full composition

What critics say

Lottie Winter of Marie Claire UK finds it warmer, richer and more assertive than Retrospect; Britt Fallon of NewBeauty recommends it to lovers of substantial amber florals.

Read what critics say