Merit Beauty built a minimalist makeup brand on the editorial credibility of its founder, turning 'less is more' into a Sephora bestselling positioning against maximalist color cosmetics.
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See all ads on AdLibrary →Merit Beauty is an LA-based minimalist clean makeup brand launched in January 2021 by Katherine Power, co-founder of Who What Wear and Versed. Backed by L Catterton with $20M, Merit focuses on everyday essential makeup — foundation, mascara, balms — with clean ingredients and Sephora exclusivity. Also searched as Merit.
Merit's ads embody the brand's philosophy — clean, restrained, editorial in aesthetic. Katherine Power's Who What Wear background means the creative instinctively mirrors what performs well in beauty editorial. Browse Merit Beauty ads on AdLibrary. Sephora launch events generated concentrated earned media that reduced cold prospecting costs in the first year.
Instagram is Merit's primary paid channel, where minimal aesthetic and model-in-natural-light creative aligns with the platform's editorial feel. Facebook targets clean beauty and Sephora interest audiences aged 25-50. Sephora co-op ads reinforce retail presence. The brand's following leans editorial and media-savvy, driving higher-than-average engagement on product education content.
Copy themes: 'do less, look better,' 'clean everyday makeup,' 'effortless essentials.' Anti-maximalist positioning is a recurring theme — Merit explicitly pushes back against the 30-step routine. Clean ingredient credentials (no talc, no parabens, EWG verified) appear in mid-funnel copy. 'Your new staples' framing positions products as wardrobe essentials, not trend items.
Merit demonstrates that launching with a differentiated POV against the category norm (minimalism vs. maximalism) creates immediate media narrative. Katherine Power's existing platform meant Merit launched with organic editorial coverage most brands pay for. Positioning that is explicitly 'anti' something (anti-maximalist, anti-routine overload) is as powerful as traditional benefit claims — it defines the brand by what it's not.
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