Merit Beauty

Katherine Power built and sold a digital media company. Then in 2021 launched a makeup brand with exactly 11 SKUs. Most competitors launched that many in a single holiday collection. PowerCo founded Digital Publisher Who What Wear. In 2006 and ran it through an acquisition by Click Brands. After selling, she launched Merit with a specific anti-catalog thesis. Women, she argued, were buying 15 skincare and makeup products in an attempt to recreate looks they had seen on professional models. When in reality, a woman with a well-matched foundation, a bronzer, a concealer, and a cream blush could produce 90% of what the professional look required. Merit shipped that shortlist and nothing else. Cosmetics companies have historically treated catalog growth as a proxy for brand growth, adding shades, variants, and finishes to every quarterly launch.