Two years ago, Merit changed the face of fragrance trends in 2026 when it launched Retrospect—a punchy extrait that leans on the traditions of vintage perfumery and swaddles the wearer in a cloak of powdery warmth. It created a world where new perfume rules could be torn up—extraits can cost under £100, complex blends can still make an impact in a sea of single-note scents and punchy, powdered florals do still have a place in the 21st century.
Since its launch, Retrospect has gone on to break records. It has proved, without a shadow of doubt, to be our most purchased perfume on Who What Wear UK in the past two years. And now, Merit has announced that on 22 October, it will launch its next perfume—introducing New Wave L’Extrait de Parfum.
Over the past two months, I have been lucky enough to trial New Wave. It has been concealed in a small, unlabelled vial in my handbag, and whenever someone has asked me about my fragrance (which has happened a lot), I have been unable to tell them the details. But now, I can.
What Does Merit New Wave Smell Like?
Before we get into the new scent, I feel inclined to lay out something very clearly: New Wave is notably different from Retrospect. If you are expecting something overtly feminine and floral in its profile, you will not find that in New Wave.
Even I, as a perfume expert, struggle to fully explain the complexity of New Wave with words—and I’ve been wearing it almost every day for two months. So, to help me out, I enlisted the help of perfumers Dominique Ropion and Meabh Mc Curtin.
Key notes: Pink pepper, angelica seed, orange flower, ylang ylang, honey floral accord, benzoin, labdanum, olibanum, patchouli heart, ambrarome, ambroxan, musk, cypriol, vetiver, tobacco accord, cedar wood heart, oakwood, vanilla bean, tonka bean
My struggle to define New Wave is, as it turns out, by design. New Wave possesses a complex list of notes—something rare in the modern day. “We started with Ambre 83, one of the great classical amber structures in perfumery, which provided a rich and complex foundation. A structure like this creates depth, texture and evolution,” says Ropion. “Rather than expressing itself in a single direction, the fragrance continually reveals different facets over time. Our role was to preserve that complexity while making it feel more luminous and contemporary.”
To put it plainly, on first impression, New Wave feels intense—it’s deep, it’s ambery and it’s entirely unique. But do not be fooled—New Wave is not overpowering or headache-inducing. “Amber is such an iconic structure in perfumery that it naturally feels familiar, but our approach was very contemporary. We introduced more brightness, transparency and movement while preserving the warmth and depth people associate with amber,” says Mc Curtin. “We wanted an amber that felt alive and forward-thinking, which is why we reimagined the architecture through brighter ingredients and a more contemporary construction. We call it a Neo Golden Amber—a fragrance that balances power, optimism and sensuality for today’s wearer.”
And this makes sense as soon as you smell it. The heavy notes (like amber) that exist in New Wave never feel overly powerful or intense. They maintain a cool lightness that sparks intrigue. Take, for example, the leathery note of labdanum that runs throughout. “Labdanum is one of the key materials in a classical amber structure and naturally contributes warmth, richness and depth. The challenge was to preserve those qualities without allowing the fragrance to become too dense, smoky or leathery. That’s where balance becomes important,” says Ropion. “The lift from pink pepper and angelica, the radiance of Ambroxan and the transparency introduced throughout the composition help create a more luminous effect. The labdanum remains an important part of the architecture, but it is expressed in a way that feels lighter, more fluid and more contemporary.”
“The key characteristic is confidence. [The wearer] has a strong sense of self and personal style. She’s looking for a fragrance with presence and character, but not something that overwhelms. There’s an ease to her confidence. New Wave feels like an extension of who she already is rather than a transformation into someone else,” says Mc Curtin.
And that really sums it up: New Wave is a bottle of confidence. It is intense, deep and mysterious, but it’s also interest-piquing, approachable and wearable. It is soft enough to comfort and hard enough to straighten you out. It is, in short, the very definition of a 2026 power scent.
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