There’s a new beauty brand heading your way and you’re going to want details. Merit Beauty has already been busy recruiting loyal fans stateside since it launched in January 2021. Celebs, including Mandy Moore, Cameron Diaz and Bella Hadid, have been queuing up to try it (Bella debuted the brand’s first-ever lipstick at New York fashion week last February). Now, it’s set to launch in the UK on the 2nd of February and, naturally, we’re gagging to know what the hype is about.
So, in an already oversaturated beauty-sphere, what does it bring to the party? The brand leans heavily into the “clean”, “minimal” and “glowy” aesthetic that’s dominating beauty trends at the moment, offering luxury products that are safe for the body, the skin and planet. Its vegan ingredients include plant-based squalane and plant oils, and its products are shipped in recyclable, reusable or biodegradable packaging.
Our pals over the pond are all over it. Already #meritbeauty has over 52 million views on TikTok. And each product launch – like Minimalist Stick, Flush Balm and Blending Brush – has generated huge waitlists. The Minimalist stick alone had a waitlist of 10,000 in the US, and in launch week, the brand sold one product every 17 seconds online. So, it was only right that the Brits got a slice of the pie.
And, because we need options, the features everything from skincare essentials (like The Great Skin Instant Glow Serum), makeup heroes (like The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick and the Bronze Balm), and tools like the blending Brush No1.
FOMO aside, the brand is finally about to launch in the UK and since we had first dibs on trying out the products. Here are the heroes we think you need to know all about. In true GLAMOUR form, five GLAMOUR staffers try out five products, to see which ones are really worth the money, so you won’t have to. Here are their truest and most honest thoughts.
The Products:
The Reviews:
Shei, GLAMOUR’s Beauty Writer