In the beauty landscape that feels oversaturated and often overwhelming, minimalist makeup brand Merit Beauty is a breath of fresh air. Developed by Katherine Power (who you might recognize as cofounder of Who What Wear and Versed Skincare) while she was pregnant, the line was created to offer a curated five-minute makeup routine for anyone who wanted to look natural but needed to run out the door. The 10-product catalog features a mix of complexion products, cheek and lip options and mascara and eyeshadow sticks that are essentially the capsule wardrobe for your makeup bag.
Clean:
The formulas, which were developed in partnership with celebrity master esthetician Biba de Sousa, are rife with good-for-skin ingredients like squalane and antioxidants and free of the over 73 acne-causing ingredients on her hard no list. The brand also prioritizes sustainability, using as much plant-based material as possible and minimizing virgin plastic in their packaging and operations. All orders are shipped in recycled materials, and the brand is vegan and Leaping Bunny certified.
That said, while many of the brand’s products are free of ingredients that are commonly linked to breakouts and irritation (like Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate found in the Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick and the Flush Balm Cheek Color), there are a few that could use some improvement. One of those is the Ceresin, which is a paraffin wax made from ozokerite—an ore extracted from coal or shale and processed with animal charcoal called bone char. This ingredient has tested for contamination by residual PAH carcinogens and is on TNK’s No Thanks list. Merit Beauty Reviews