LEADING US MINIMALIST BEAUTY BRAND MERIT EXPANDS TO THE NETHERLANDS
Known for its edited essentials and effortless routines, MERIT arrives in the Dutch market with a focus on skin-first beauty and community.
EMBARGOED September 9, 2025 – MERIT, the US-based beauty brand known for its impossible-to-mess-up makeup, skincare and fragrance, announces its official arrival in The Netherlands. From September 16, 2025, Dutch consumers can explore and shop MERIT’s award-winning collection exclusively at meritbeauty.com, marking the brand’s first launch in the Benelux and a continued step in its European expansion.
Since launching in 2021, MERIT has quickly solidified its reputation for creating effective formulations that merge skin-safe ingredients with luxury quality and ease of use. The brand’s unique approach, prioritising ready-made routines that match the realities of daily life, has driven rapid growth, achieving over $100M USD in net revenue in 2024. MERIT expanded into the United Kingdom in 2023, doubling revenue projections in its first year, and into Australia in 2024, where it surpassed expectations and built a devoted local following.
At four years old, MERIT’s expansion into a new European market underscores its momentum and cultural resonance, further cementing its status as a global beauty brand. The Dutch consumer’s preference for practicality, efficiency and skin-first beauty aligns naturally with MERIT’s philosophy – edited essentials designed to do more with less, without compromising on quality or luxury feel.
MERIT CEO Philippe Pinatel says,“Entering The Netherlands is an exciting step for us, as it marks the continuation of MERIT’s presence in Europe – a region with great opportunity for growth. The Dutch consumer is particularly aligned with our values of practicality and efficiency, and we look forward to becoming a part of their daily routine.” MERIT’s philosophy of skin-first beauty and edited essentials is uniquely suited to Dutch culture, which values quality, simplicity, and efficiency in equal measure."
Founded as a curated alternative to the overwrought routines often promoted by the industry, MERIT offers an edited assortment of seventeen award-winning formulations across makeup, skincare and fragrance – featuring skin-loving ingredients such as plant-based squalane, niacinamide, vitamin B5 and antioxidants. In 2024, the brand entered fragrance with Retrospect, which sold through eight months of inventory in its first month on the market. MERIT is committed to products that are vegan, Leaping Bunny-certified cruelty-free, and formulated without pore-clogging or skin-irritating ingredients.
MERIT products include:
- The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick, €39 – a foundation and concealer in one, available in 30 shades; buildable coverage that maintains the dimensional quality of real skin.
- Great Skin Instant Glow Serum, €39 – a lightweight, bi-phase serum that absorbs quickly to hydrate, plump and prep skin for makeup (niacinamide + multi-weight hyaluronic acid complex).
- Great Skin Priming Moisturizer, €39 – a lightweight cream that instantly blurs and preps while supporting long-wear hydration (Great Skin™ Complex).
- Great Skin Double Cleanse Face Wash, €35 - a bi-phase foaming cleanser that effectively removes sunscreen and face makeup while providing gentle daily exfoliation for skin that feels soft and smooth, never stripped.
- Flush Balm Cheek Colour, €29 – a cream tint in 12 shades; soft-melting texture deposits a transparent veil of colour.
- Day Glow Highlighting Balm, €35 – a hydrating highlighting balm in 4 shades; micro-fine pearls illuminate while squalane smooths.
- Brush No. 1 Blending Brush, €35 – densely packed vegan bristles for a softly blurred finish.
- Bronze Balm Sheer Bronzer, €29 – sheer, buildable warmth in 5 shades for a natural wash of depth.
- Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara, €29 – lengthens and lifts with no smudging; panthenol + fruit-nutrient complex to nourish lashes.
- Brow 1980 Volumising Pomade, €26 – soft volume and tint with light hold, in 4 shades.
- Brow 1990 Ultra Fine Eyebrow Gel Pencil, €26 – micro-fine gel pencil for soft, natural-looking fullness; conditioning extracts.
- Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color, €26 – buildable cream-to-powder shadow for a soft-matte wash.
- Brush No. 2 Eyeshadow Brush, €21 – dual-ended vegan brush for diffusing and precise lining.
- Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil, €26 – 16 shades across three finishes; oils and butters nourish while adding sheer colour.
- Signature Lip Lightweight Lipstick, €29 – soft mattes with blurred payoff and sheer satins with buildable colour.
- Signature Lip Sheer Lip Liner, €26 – non-drying, buildable liner for soft definition; supports barrier function.
- Retrospect L’Extrait de Parfum, €98 – a nuanced, evolving second-skin scent with notes of musk, vanilla and moss.
With its Netherlands debut, MERIT will support the launch through selective press and creator touchpoints, while focusing on direct-to-consumer access via meritbeauty.com with national shipping.
About MERIT
MERIT is a minimalist beauty brand that makes impossible-to-mess-up makeup and skincare products. Designed by makeup consumers, not artists, MERIT simplifies what it takes to get ready by creating only well-edited essentials that help you do more with less. The brand is intentional about what it creates, spending years perfecting every detail to ensure that each of its products become a beloved part of your routine for years to come.
For press inquiries, please reach out to paiman.azizi@redgertcomms.com. All imagery available here.