You felt it the second you sprayed. That familiar white cloud now lands heavier, wetter, and your roots are crying.
The viral Amika Perk Up just got a silent reformulation, and the internet is split between “savior” and “betrayal.” Here’s the real tea for us fine-haired girls.
It’s still $29 for 5.3 oz, but the vibe is totally different. The old formula was a powdery miracle; this one is a liquid-ish aerosol that feels suspiciously like hairspray before you massage it in.
New Spray Nozzle
Mist is finer, but it clogs by day three. Annoying.
Scent Shift
Gone is the fruity-floral. It’s now a musky “clean girl” scent that fades fast.
The White Cast
It blends clear faster, but only if you rub it in immediately. Wait 10 seconds and you look dusty.
Photo: Gabrielle Henderson / Unsplash
They swapped the old starch base for a rice-starch complex and added a humectant. Sounds fancy, but for fine hair, humectants can mean *weight*.
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch: Oil magnet but heavier on the strand
- Kaolin Clay: Deep scalp absorption, but can feel gritty
- Propanediol: Adds slip, but lingers as tackiness
- Sodium Bicarbonate: The fizz that eats odor, but dries out the ends
Photo: Tim Mossholder / Unsplash
First spray feels like a cool mist, then dries down to a stiff, matte finish. Not the soft, bouncy fluff we used to get — think “hairsprayed at the salon” rather than “slept-in boho.”
By week two, I noticed it absorbs oil faster (like, 5 seconds vs. 30), but it builds up on my crown faster too. My scalp felt tight by day two, which never happened with the OG.
Photo: Adam Winger / Unsplash
My hair stayed oil-free for an extra half day (so, day 3 instead of day 2.5). But the volume? Less “big hair” and more “lived-in texture.” It didn’t make my hair fall out, but it didn’t give me that 2019 bounce either.
Photo: Taylor Smith / Unsplash
The new Perk Up is a good dry shampoo, but it’s not *your* Perk Up anymore. If you loved the OG, stockpile old bottles or move on to a powder-based rival.