MERIT is finally coming to Sephora Australia and New Zealand in huge beauty news for ‘clean girl’ makeup fans

Beauty lovers who have spent years watching MERIT products dominate beauty Instagram and the vanities of impossibly polished women, celebrities and your favourite beauty influencers everywhere are about to get something they have been asking for: the chance to actually shop the brand in person.

From Wednesday, September 30, 2026, MERIT will be available exclusively at Sephora Australia and New Zealand, marking the brand’s much-anticipated bricks-and-mortar debut with the beauty retailer.

That means the era of trying to work out a shade match from a screen is about to be over.

Following the success of MERIT’s first Australian consumer pop-up earlier this year, the cult minimalist beauty brand is expanding its local footprint, giving shoppers the opportunity to discover, swatch and shop its pared-back edit of makeup, skincare and fragrance in real life.

For anyone devoted to the polished-but-not-too-polished aesthetic, this is big news.

Founded in 2021, MERIT has built its reputation around a deliberately edited approach to beauty . Rather than encouraging shoppers to accumulate an enormous collection of products, the brand focuses on a smaller array of considered essentials designed to slot into everyday routines.

Its signature Five Minute Morning Routine is at the centre of the philosophy , with products designed to make getting ready feel less like a project and more like a quick, satisfying ritual.

It’s fresh-looking skin, softly defined features , effortless colour and that elusive ‘I just look like this’ finish.

It’s the beauty equivalent of the clean girl aesthetic , but with considerably better packaging.

MERIT’s appeal also lies in its sense of restraint. The formulas are designed to be intuitive and easy to use , while the packaging has become part of the brand’s recognisable visual language.

The range includes complexion products, colour cosmetics, skincare and fragrance, with formulas featuring ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and plant-derived squalane.

For Australian and New Zealand customers, the biggest change is access.

MERIT will be available across 37 Sephora stores in Australia and New Zealand, as well as online through Sephora Australia and Sephora New Zealand and via the Sephora app.

That means customers will finally be able to see the shades, test textures and get a proper feel for the products before committing.