The Review
Amika Perk Up Plus Extended Clean Dry Shampoo Review
A full review of Amika Perk Up Plus: the buildable extended clean system, mandelic acid in a dry shampoo, and how it differs from the original Perk Up.
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How this review was made: from the manufacturer's published formula and specifications, the live Amazon listing, and recurring themes in owner commentary. Eclat Press does not claim hands-on testing it has not done, and publishes no scores.
Plus against the original Perk Up
The original Perk Up is the talc free all rounder, rice starch and sea buckthorn, famous for its oomph. Plus changes the brief: the listing describes an extended clean formula infused with a gentle AHA, mandelic acid, and scalp friendly ingredients, with arrowroot named in the product description as the absorbent partner. In practice that reads as a formula meant to be reapplied, where the original is meant to rescue. Buyers cross shopping the two amika cans should choose by routine, not by the word Plus alone.
Living with the layering system
The working method is small passes, starting earlier than instinct suggests: a light application when roots are merely thinking about oil, then top ups as days pass. Because each layer is fine, hair keeps a natural feel that heavier sprays lose by day three, and the invisible finish claim holds across hair colours in owner reporting. The failure mode is impatience: doubling the dose to force a day one rescue loads the root with more powder than the system is designed to carry at once.
What owners report
Owners praise the absence of grit and chalk across repeat applications, the way styles stay workable for days, and a scent many describe as the freshest in the category. Complaints come from two directions: buyers who wanted the original's single spray strength, and fine haired owners who layered generously and found the cumulative feel heavy. Both complaints are really the same lesson about dose, which this review has tried to make impossible to miss.
Perk Up Plus is a systems product disguised as a spray.
From the verdict
In Owners' Hands
Recurring themes, in aggregate and without numbers we cannot stand behind.
What owners praise
- Roots stay presentable across several days with small top ups, per recurring themes
- No gritty or chalky feel even after repeat applications
- The scent is frequently described as fresh rather than powdery
What owners question
- Some owners expected the original Perk Up strength in a single spray
- Fine hair can feel product heavy if layered too enthusiastically
- The fragrance divides opinion among scent sensitive buyers
Consider Instead
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo
A stronger single application cleanse with a softer finish, for buyers whose non wash days are rescues rather than planned extensions.
Kerastase Fresh Affair Dry Shampoo
The other scent led prestige spray, lighter and more perfumed, for buyers who refresh mainly for fragrance and a fine touch.
Questions, Answered
Is Perk Up Plus stronger than the original Perk Up?
Not in a single spray, and it is not trying to be. The original is the stronger immediate refresh; Plus is the longer system, designed so that repeated light layers extend the interval further overall. The listing's own language is the giveaway: buildable, extended clean, further between washes.
What does the mandelic acid do in a dry shampoo?
Amika publishes it as a gentle AHA within a scalp friendly formula story, paired with arrowroot for absorbency, and positions the combination as giving a clean finish without grit or buildup. In cosmetic terms, treat it as part of why the layered finish stays clean feeling rather than increasingly powdery; this topic makes no stronger claim for it than the brand's own published framing.
Keep Researching
Every page in the Dry Shampoos edit.
- 01Dry Shampoos: the hubHub
- 02Best Dry Shampoos 2027Best of
- 03How to Apply Dry Shampoo ProperlyGuide
- 04Dry Shampoo for Dark HairGuide
- 05Dry Shampoo vs Washing: How Many Days It Can BridgeGuide
- 06Living Proof Perfect Hair Day Advanced Clean Dry Shampoo ReviewReview
- 07Klorane Ultra Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat+ ReviewReview
- 08Living Proof Advanced Clean vs Klorane Oat+ Dry ShampooComparison
- 09Briogeo Charcoal Powder vs IGK First Class: Powder vs AerosolComparison
- 10Dry Shampoo Buying GuideBuying guide
- 11Dry Shampoo Mistakes and Fixes: White Cast, Grit and BuildupCare
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Disclosure: links on this page are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Eclat Press earns from qualifying purchases, at no added cost to you. Rankings are never sold. See our affiliate disclosure and methodology.