MERIT

MERIT is an American clean-beauty and minimalist makeup company founded in 2021 by Katherine Power [4]. Built around a small range of multi-use essentials, the brand positions itself as a counterpoint to a beauty market crowded with trends and products that, in its words, demanded expert-level skill. Power launched it as her second beauty venture, after the skincare line Versed, and it has since grown into a multi-channel business selling directly online and through Sephora.

The company's corporate base is usually placed in Los Angeles, where editorial directories list a West Hollywood address [4]. MERIT's own about page declines to name a single headquarters, describing itself instead as "a global brand with teams in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, London, and Paris" [2]. Both framings reflect the same multi-region footprint.

MERIT was founded by Katherine Power, cofounder and chief executive of the media company Who What Wear, with Nancy Wu credited as co-founder. It debuted in January 2021 with seven products that Power considered essential for a five-minute makeup routine [3]. In a pre-launch interview, she framed the gap she saw in the market plainly: "There was a huge opportunity [for] minimalist beauty for women just like myself who are professional and driven and have not a lot of time."

The launch was Power's second move into beauty. She had earlier brought Versed, a vegan, "clean" skincare brand, to drugstores, and in 2020 cofounded the wine label Avaline with the actress Cameron Diaz. According to the brand, MERIT was created as "the antidote" to an industry "crowded with fleeting trends and products that demanded expert-level skills" [2].

In September 2021 MERIT completed a $20 million Series A funding round led by L Catterton's Growth Fund, with participation from Marcy Venture Partners and Sonoma Brands [5]. The company later reported more than $100 million in sales in 2023 [4].

In February 2024 MERIT appointed Philippe Pinatel as chief executive, with Power moving to the role of chairperson [4]. Pinatel had previously held senior positions at MAC Cosmetics, Sephora and Guerlain. The following year the brand widened its retail reach, with editorial coverage placing it in Sephora in the United States and the United Kingdom as of March 2025.

MERIT operates as an independent company. L Catterton, a consumer-focused private-equity firm, led its 2021 Series A round as lead investor rather than as a controlling parent, and no acquiring owner is recorded [5]. Founder Katherine Power serves as chairperson following the 2024 leadership change.

The brand describes its approach as "Beauty With Intention" and frames its range as "a considered collection of beauty and lifestyle essentials designed to bring ease to your everyday." Its stated mission is to offer "thoughtfully designed essentials to help you do more with less," with an emphasis on timeless quality over passing trends. MERIT's products are described by editorial sources as clean, vegan, cruelty-free and formulated to comply with European Union cosmetics rules [4]. WWD characterised the early line as minimalist luxury and "the antidote to the 50-pan eye shadow palette."

The intended audience, in Power's own description, was professional, time-pressed women looking for a fast, pared-back routine. That positioning placed MERIT within the wider "clean beauty" and "no-makeup makeup" currents of the early 2020s.

MERIT's catalogue spans makeup, skincare and a fragrance line. Among its signature items are The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick, the Flush Balm Cheek Color, the Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara and The Great Skin Instant Glow Serum. The original 2021 assortment was built deliberately small, with seven products covering the essentials of a quick routine. The company says its formulas are clinically proven, and most products are made in the United States, with some formulated in South Korea [3].

On packaging, MERIT offers a reusable, washable Signature Bag intended to reduce single-use waste, and frames its products as items meant to be kept and used "for years to come" rather than discarded.

MERIT is active. The brand runs a fully operational international e-commerce site and editorial coverage records continued retail expansion into Sephora in the United States and United Kingdom as of March 2025 [4]. Combined with its 2023 sales figure and the appointment of an industry chief executive in 2024, this points to an established, ongoing operation.