LONDON — The minimalist beauty brand Merit was always bound to end up in France since its inception in 2021, but like its products, it’s been taking its time and laying low.
This week the brand will enter the French market through its direct-to-consumer channel and it will include Merit’s full range of makeup, skin care and fragrance.
It’s a growing step for the brand which has already entered North America, the U.K. and Australia.
“There is an influence of French beauty on the brand, it’s timeless chic. Sometimes people think we’re a French brand, which we’re not, but we’ve had quite a lot of demand from the French consumer to launch Merit in France,” said Philippe Pinatel, chief executive officer at Merit, in an interview.
Philippe Pinatel
Courtesy of Merit
“I think we’re going to learn a lot about international deployment by launching in France,” he added.
Merit will be ramping up its consumer facing activities in France to test the waters for its expansion with a wholesaler. When the brand launched in the U.K., it took them two years of studying the market until partnering with Sephora.
Pinatel is confident the French market will respond positively to the brand.
Merit hosted a dinner during Paris Fashion Week to soft launch the products in the region with an audience of tastemakers in the beauty and fashion industry.
“They all felt that there is a white space for an effortless and minimal beauty brand in the market,” Pinatel said.
Merit’s Signature Lip Liner.
Courtesy of Merit
Even though France is home to the biggest beauty brands that also dabble in fashion, Merit is chasing a different type of consumer.
“We’re different from other brands because we’re not led by a personality that’s either a celebrity or makeup artist. We’re addressing a group of consumers who are less engaged with the market,” Pinatel said.
According to the brand, more than 50 percent of Merit’s website visitors are between the ages of 25 to 45, while those over the age of 55 make up just under 25 percent.
The average Merit customer is spending more than $100 on three to four products.
The brand’s pricing ranges from $18 for a mini-size Instant Glow Serum to $92 for a 30ml of the Retrospect fragrance, but a majority of the products sit between $20 to $40.
Merit’s holiday 2024 campaign.
Courtesy of Merit
“We price our products by minus 30 percent of what luxury brands are charging in order to allow our customers to be able to buy several products and complete their routine,” said Pinatel, reiterating that Merit is a routine-based brand for busy women who want to spend five minutes getting ready.
Pinatel hopes that launching in France will be a leeway to opening across Europe and it will replicate the same level of success it has had in the U.K.
“We are getting very close to the double-digit million dollars in the U.K., we are growing very fast,” he said.
Merit reached a net revenue of more than $100 million in 2024 and in 2023 the brand made $100 million in retail sales.
The brand has found a sweet spot of success by partnering with Sephora in its other regions.
Merit’s fragrance Retrospect.
Pia Riverola
Pinatel said that the brand doesn’t have any plans of entering any other retailers to expand its presence.
“Our [business] model is to be direct-to-consumer led and to have one retail partner for each market. Beauty is still an offline category, therefore stores are still very important. Only 25 percent of the market is online and 75 percent is offline, that’s why retail,” he said.
The possibility of opening a stand-alone Merit store is something that has crossed Pinatel’s mind, but it’s a move that will happen “where it makes sense.”
“In the Middle East or Asia, it’s very frequent to have a brand store, but for the U.K. or North America consumer, it’s not a must,” Pinatel said.
The brand has no plans of opening in the Middle East or Asia as of right now.
Merit’s collaboration with Tove.
Courtesy of Merit
“We are not racing to grow the brand. We are very intentional in how we grow,” Pinatel said.
Pinatel has been in his role for more than a year now, he previously spent six years at MAC Cosmetics, where he was global president for four years and global general manager for two years.
Pinatel has worked in China, South Korea, England, Germany and France.
“I am a different boss in America than I have been every time before in my career. The type of leadership you develop in France is very top to bottom and hierarchical. In America, you cannot work this way — you have to change and be about leadership and developing a vision with empowerment and [also] coaching the team,” he said.
