The 7 Best Merit Beauty Products, Without a Doubt

An editor's top picks from the sustainable beauty brand.

woman applying makeup
(Image credit: Getty)

The sheer number of beauty products on the market can often feel overwhelming. Consumers are advised to adopt new products that promise to provide that perfect lift, flush, complexion, or facial structure, and with so many competitors, it's hard to say which options are right for each individual. For that reason, minimalist brand Merit Beauty was founded on the principle of offering a capsule collection of "well-edited essentials" so that customers don't need to pore over dozens of options that (essentially) do the same thing. Plus, Merit Beauty's products are vegan and cruelty-free, and many feature sustainable elements and packaging.

And the icing on the cake? Their makeup is formulated so that it doesn't clog pores or irritate sensitive skin, and many of their products provide substantial, long-term nourishment so that you can feel confident about what you're applying to your skin.

Below, I've rounded up the best Merit Beauty products. Each one is mindfully made to enhance your natural beauty and supports the health of your skin.

Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art