MERIT is officially launching at Sephora in Australia and New Zealand this September (!!), which means we can actually try it, before we buy it. 

But I’m going to be real… why Sephora?

On the surface, feel similar: glowy skin, flushed cheeks, brushed-up brows, a little lip colour… that whole I woke up like this~ thing, but the way they’ve built their brand is an entirely different story.

rhode is deeply founder-led. Hailey Bieber isn’t just the face of the brand, she is the brand itself - from her aesthetic, audience and cultural influence are intrinsically tied to what rhode is.

MERIT on the latter feels much more product and aesthetic-led. It has its own “five-minute morning” philosophy and doesn’t rely on one person being the reason you want the products. 

Remember MERIT's pop-up and how they're already available online? They've been putting in the hard yarns to build their audience in our hemisphere already. Their Sydney pop-up was proof interest was already there, with queues around the block. 

With their already existing global relationship with Sephora across North America, the UK and Europe, MERIT can give credit to their growth over the years. 

So expanding without need for a new relationship reduces barriers to their launch, and they can thank Sephora for putting their products in front of people IRL, once again. 

This is where the comparison gets interesting; rhode came into Australia and New Zealand it was MECCA’s biggest launch ever, with more than one million store visitors around the launch. 

But just because rhode chose MECCA, it doesn't make them the “better” retailer.

MECCA has huge local cultural authority, and when you combine that with Hailey Bieber, the launch becomes a major beauty moment. 

MERIT doesn’t necessarily need that same local co-sign - they have an audience and brand identity for themselves, not Hailey.