LIP SERVICE

Legendary Creative Director Grace Coddington Is the Face of Merit’s Newest Lipstick

The clean beauty brand tapped media legend Grace Coddington to model its new launch.

Scouted/The Daily Beast/Merit.

By Layne Van VrankenUpdated Sep 12, 2025 10:44AM EDT

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In a decidedly saturated beauty market, Merit has found its perfect niche. The clean makeup brand has fine-tuned a well-curated selection of non-toxic yet actually effective products, including its fan-favorite Perfecting Complexion Stick, which all lean into the minimalist beauty aesthetic and the “no-makeup” makeup look.

Recently, the brand tapped a media legend to model its newest lipstick offerings, and they couldn’t have chosen a more iconic face. Renowned creative director Grace Coddington recently modeled Merit’s newest lipstick shade, Ginger, along with its orange-red hue, Vermillion, photographed by seminal fashion photographer Craig McDean.

For many years, makeup brands have exclusively focused on younger faces to model and champion their products, leaving out generations of women who rightfully deserve brands that cater to their beauty needs. Merit is one of the beauty industry’s disruptors leading the charge of changing these outdated standards, and Coddington couldn’t be a better face for the brand’s inclusive endeavors.

Coddington worked for decades at Vogue, working behind the camera to give us some of the most memorable covers and editorials of all time. At 83 years old, the redhead is a brilliant representation of the age-inclusive beauty vision Merit has championed.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Merit represented by a familiar, celebrated beauty over 30 either. In fact, And Just Like That’s Sarah Jessica Parker wore Merit’s products for her show’s season two premiere, and Demi Moore and Julianne Moore have reportedly used the brand’s products.

Merit’s diverse fan base—celebrities and otherwise—shows that beauty has no age limit, especially when you use products that look great on anyone’s skin. Scroll through below to check out some of our favorite products from the clean beauty brand’s lineup.

Merit Beauty

$26

Signature Lip

Coddington rocked this moisturizing, long-lasting lipstick in the newly launched Ginger shade, but the lightweight lipstick is available in over fifteen wide-ranging hues in both satin and matte finishes.

Buy At Merit Beauty

Merit Beauty

$38

Geat Skin Instant Glow Serum

If there’s one serum that does it all, it’s The Great Skin Instant Glow Serum—at least for my skin. This product is one of Merit’s best-selling items, and it’s no surprise why: the plumping and hydrating serum works its magic instantly, absorbing into your skin and bestowing it with a long-lasting glow while plumping up the appearance of fine lines.

Buy At Merit Beauty

Merit Beauty

$32

Flush Balm Cream Blush

A go-to product for style icon Sarah Jessica Parker, Merit’s Flush Balm is an apply-and-go blush that melts into your skin. It won’t leave you with a cakey finish that will irritate your skin or disappear from view—just a buildable, just-pinched flush.

Buy At Merit Beauty

Merit Beauty

$24

Solo Shadow Matte Eye Color

This blendable yet long-wearing cream-to-powder eye shadow is the ultimate answer for an effortless smoky eye, no-makeup-makeup look, or one-and-done eye contour. The versatile formula is available in four neutral colors and four statement shades for a pop of color.

Buy At Merit Beauty

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Layne Van Vranken