A makeup brand drops skincare and suddenly people are finishing entire bottles? Yeah, I’m investigating. In this video I break down MERIT’s Great Skin launch—specifically the $32 Great Skin Double Cleanse and the Great Skin Instant Glow Serum—to see if this is a real skincare pivot or just expensive marketing with good lighting. I go straight into what matters: the formula choices, what’s actually unusual here (like an oil-free “double cleanse”), and whether the claims hold up when real humans use it. For the cleanser, I cover the bi-phase foaming formula that separates in the bottle, lathers on contact, and claims to replace a full two-step cleanse. The standout is that it’s oil-free (rare), uses oat-derived surfactants, plant-derived humectants, and PHA for gentle daily exfoliation without stripping. Then I get into the consumer study: 52 volunteers, with 100% saying it cleansed effectively in one wash—and 100% saying it didn’t dry them out. For the serum, I dig into the five-year development and 52 formula iterations, plus celebrity facialist Biba de Sousa’s influence on what they avoided. You’re getting four types of hyaluronic acid, 2% niacinamide, and cacao seed extract for that immediate plumping vibe—fragrance-free, oil-free, non-comedogenic. Bottom line: both products do what they claim, and the serum is one of the more thoughtfully built hydration serums at this price point. Period.