There’s something wonderfully old-school about a beautiful bar of soap. It’s practical, tactile and, when done right, feels like a small luxury rather than another thing crowding our bathroom counters. MERIT’s limited-edition The Retrospect Soap Trio leans into that feeling, pairing the beauty brand’s signature scent with Canadian fashion icon Erdem’s unmistakable romanticism.
Founded in 2021, MERIT built its identity around edited, easy-to-use essentials that simplify our routines. ERDEM, meanwhile, is known for floral prints, precise tailoring and collections that are often shaped by the stories of influential women. The fashion house’s namesake designer, Erdem Moralıoğlu, often mines history for inspiration, transforming those references into his modern, feminine collections. Which is why this collaboration feel less like a random beauty-meets-fashion pairing and more like a natural conversation between two brands that understand the emotional power of beauty.
And beautiful it is. The trio contains three mini, paper-wrapped hand soaps, each stamped with the MERIT emblem. But it’s the scent that we love. Retrospect is warm, intimate and skin-like, opening with bergamot and pear before settling into ambrette, jasmine, rose, violet and orris. Rosemary, vanilla, moss and musk give it a soft, earthy finish that wears close and feels familiar.
Then there’s the packaging. Wrapped in ERDEM’s floral world, the soaps turn an everyday hand-washing ritual into something prettier and more considered. The print echoes the designer’s enduring fascination with flowers, while the compact format makes the set feel collectible without being overly precious. For us, that’s the charm: fragrance, fashion and function, all wrapped into an everyday indulgence.
Merit, Merit x Erdem The Retrospect Soap Trio, Limited Edition, $57 for the Trio, available online at www.meritbeauty.com/en-ca.
