MERIT’s second fragrance began with an afternoon in Paris. Wandering the Musée Picasso, the team became fascinated by how cubism and surrealism looked at the rules they inherited and then broke them. That spirit shaped New Wave, an extrait de parfum meant to feel like a departure from everything that came before it.

Created with renowned French master perfumer Dominique Ropion, the nose behind Alien, Portrait of a Lady, Euphoria and Dior Pure Poison, and perfumer Meabh McCurtin, New Wave balances bright optimism with a deep, sensual base. It opens with pink pepper and angelica seed, moves into orange flower, ylang ylang and a honey floral accord, then settles into benzoin, labdanum, patchouli, vetiver, a tobacco accord, vanilla bean and tonka bean. Rather than a flanker of Retrospect, it’s a standalone scent that shares Retrospect’s complexity but is a completely new experience, layered and slow to reveal itself

For Ropion, the goal was to honor the classic amber compositions he admires, like Ambre 83, without copying them. “The challenge was not to recreate the past, but to preserve its strength and sophistication in a fragrance that feels more radiant, and relevant to a modern audience,” he says. McCurtin adds that she wanted it to feel “empowering and alive, evolving on skin in a way that feels deeply personal.”

New Wave launches October 22 at meritbeauty.com, $125 CAD for 30 ml.

Images courtesy of MERIT.