InStyle readers can exclusively shop Merit’s new Retrospect Extrait de Parfum a day ahead of its official launch. Buy it for $92 before it sells out on Merit’s website.

It’s bound to sell out.

There are very few universally agreed-upon beauty products, but they do exist—and many of them happen to be from Merit, a Matha Stewart-, editor-, and shopper-loved brand. The young brand quickly made a name for itself as a skin care and makeup destination for chic, foolproof, and effective products. On October 22, the brand is debuting its first-ever fragrance, Retrospect Extrait de Parfum, but InStyle readers can exclusively shop the perfume today, a day early.  Merit’s launches usually sell out quickly, so I’d take advantage of this rare opportunity to score it before anyone else 

Merit Retrospect Extrait de Parfum

Buy Now for $92

Unfortunately, digital scratch-and-sniff technology doesn’t yet exist, so I’ll try to relay how Merit’s Retrospect Perfume smells: It’s fresh, light, soft, and “feminine,” yet unisex. It has floral notes without smelling floral; it’s like being in a home that always has flowers opposed to the overwhelming smells of a very small flower shop. It also has an unexpected earthiness thanks to the subtlest musk, rosemary, and moss notes—what I imagine Jane Birkin’s iconic basket bag smelled like upon being filled with farmer’s market flowers. 

Merit’s Retrospect Perfume has a presence but it won’t enter a room before you, and it wears exceptionally, too. I put on maybe one or two spritzes and get as many compliments at the beginning of the day as I do at the end. I also appreciate the aesthetics of the bottle, which looks like an abstract expressionist sculpture—although superficial, the design is important since it’s on display on my dresser or vanity. 

There are very few sure things when it comes to fragrances, but Merit’s new Retrospect Extrait de Parfum has all the bearings to become a new classic. Shop it today on Merit ahead of the masses because it’s bound to sell out. Shop more of the brand’s hero products, below. 

The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick

Buy Now for $38

Great Skin Priming Moisturizer

Buy Now for $38

Great Skin Instant Glow Serum

Buy Now for $38