Dry shampoo is supposed to make life easier, but not every formula gets the balance right.
Some absorb oil brilliantly but leave hair feeling stiff. Others smell wonderful but barely make a difference to greasy roots. And then there are the ones that make dark hair look as though it has been dusted with flour.
amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo aims to avoid all of those problems.
It’s a talc-free dry shampoo designed to absorb excess oil, reduce unwanted odor and restore volume without leaving obvious white residue behind. It’s also suitable for straight, wavy, curly and coily hair, making it one of the more versatile dry shampoos I’ve looked at.
Customer feedback is exceptionally strong too. At the time I checked, Ulta rated Perk Up at 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 1,400 reviews, with 91% of reviewers saying they would recommend it.
So does amika Perk Up deserve all the attention?
I think it’s a particularly good choice if you want oil absorption, volume and a lightweight finish without the heavy powdery feel some dry shampoos leave behind.
Looking for more options? Read our Guide to the Best Dry Shampoo
View more Dry Shampoo Reviews >
What Is amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo?
amika Perk Up is an aerosol dry shampoo designed to refresh hair between conventional washes.
Its main jobs are to:
Absorb excess oil
Reduce unwanted odor
Refresh greasy roots
Add volume
Add a little texture
Help hair look cleaner between washes
Unlike some traditional dry shampoos, Perk Up is talc-free.
Instead, one of its main absorbent ingredients is natural rice starch.
Sephora describes the formula as suitable for all hair types and textures and specifically highlights its ability to absorb dirt and oil while increasing texture and volume.
At a Glance
Best for: Oily or flat roots
Main benefit: Oil absorption with added volume
Hair types: Straight, wavy, curly and coily
Hair textures: Fine, medium and thick
Main absorbent ingredient: Rice starch
Talc-free: Yes
Vegan: Yes
Color-safe: Yes
Adds volume: Yes
Helps reduce odor: Yes
White residue: Designed to leave little or no visible residue when used correctly
Best feature: Lightweight oil absorption without an overly powdery finish
How Does amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo Work?
The key ingredient is rice starch.
Rice starch helps absorb excess oil and dirt sitting around the hair roots. Once the oil has been absorbed, the hair tends to look cleaner, lighter and less flat.
Perk Up also contains sea buckthorn, an ingredient that appears throughout amika’s hair-care range.
Sephora lists sea buckthorn as one of the highlighted ingredients, alongside natural rice starch.
I wouldn’t expect sea buckthorn to be doing the heavy lifting when it comes to oil absorption — that’s really the starch’s job — but it helps distinguish the formula from a very basic powder-only dry shampoo.
Does amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo Actually Work?
Customer feedback suggests that it does.
Ulta currently shows an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 1,400 reviews, with 91% of customers saying they’d recommend it.
Recent reviewers particularly mention:
Strong oil absorption
Fresher-looking hair
Added volume
A lightweight feel
Pleasant fragrance
The ability to extend time between washes
One recent Ulta reviewer described it as their go-to dry shampoo because it absorbs oil while providing extra volume. Another noted that a small amount goes a long way.
That’s exactly what I want from this type of product.
Dry shampoo shouldn’t simply cover greasy hair with another layer of product. It should make the hair look noticeably fresher without feeling worse.
How Good Is It for Oily Hair?
Very good.
Sephora specifically categorizes Perk Up as suitable for an oily scalp, while amika positions the original Perk Up as the everyday option for instantly refreshing roots and adding volume.
If your roots start looking greasy on day two or three, this is exactly the situation it’s designed for.
I’d concentrate application around:
The parting
The crown
The temples
Around the hairline
Under bangs or a fringe
Any visibly oily root sections
There’s usually no reason to spray dry shampoo through the lengths and ends unless those areas genuinely need it.
Does It Leave White Residue?
This is one of Perk Up’s biggest selling points.
Sephora specifically states that the product is designed to leave no white residue behind.
In practice, I’d still use it carefully.
Any aerosol product containing pale rice starch can potentially become visible if you spray far too much into one spot.
The difference is that a good formula disperses those powders finely enough that they can be massaged and brushed through without leaving an obvious chalky coating.
Customer feedback generally supports Perk Up’s reputation for blending well, although application technique still matters.
My rule would be simple:
Start with less than you think you need.
You can always apply more.
Is It Good for Dark Hair?
I think it can be.
Perk Up isn’t specifically tinted for brunette hair in the way Batiste Beautiful Brunette is, but its fine spray and low-residue finish make it more suitable for darker hair than some very powdery dry shampoos.
That said, if your number-one concern is avoiding pale residue on very dark brown or black hair, a tinted dry shampoo may still give you more reassurance.
For most people, though, properly massaging and brushing Perk Up through should help the product disappear.
Does It Add Volume?
Yes.
This is one of the strongest reasons to consider Perk Up rather than choosing a dry shampoo that only focuses on oil absorption.
Sephora lists volume as one of its key benefits, and Ulta describes the original Perk Up as designed to instantly refresh roots and add volume.
That makes it particularly interesting for fine or flat hair.
Oily roots naturally become heavier and sit closer to the scalp.
Once excess oil is absorbed, you often get a little lift automatically.
The starch also adds a touch of texture and grip, which can make hair appear fuller.
Is amika Perk Up Good for Fine Hair?
Yes — I think fine hair is potentially one of the best matches for it.
Fine hair has a habit of showing oil very quickly.
Even a small amount of sebum around the roots can make it look flat and unwashed.
A dry shampoo that combines oil absorption with volume therefore makes a lot of sense.
Because Perk Up is marketed as lightweight and suitable for fine hair as well as medium and thick textures, it shouldn’t need huge amounts of product to work.
The trick is to avoid layering it on repeatedly.
Fine hair can become overloaded quickly, regardless of how good the dry shampoo is.
What About Thick Hair?
Perk Up is also suitable for thick hair.
The main thing I’d change is the way I apply it.
With thick hair, don’t simply spray the top surface.
Instead:
Divide the hair into sections.
Lift each section.
Spray lightly toward the roots.
Work your way around the head.
Massage thoroughly.
This allows the dry shampoo to reach the oil rather than sitting on top of your hairstyle.
Is It Suitable for Curly Hair?
Yes.
Sephora lists Perk Up as suitable for straight, wavy, curly and coily hair.
For curls, however, I probably wouldn’t aggressively brush it through in the same way I might with straight hair.
Instead, I’d massage it into the scalp and roots with my fingertips while trying not to disturb the curl pattern unnecessarily.
What Does amika Perk Up Smell Like?
Fragrance is a noticeable part of the amika experience.
Perk Up contains fragrance, and customer reviews frequently mention the scent positively. Ulta reviewers often praise the smell, although some fragrance-sensitive customers say they notice it more than they’d like.
One recent Ulta reviewer described the scent as light and noted that it didn’t linger strongly, even though they considered themselves scent-sensitive.
That said, fragrance is always personal.
If you strongly prefer unscented hair products, this wouldn’t be my first recommendation.
Does Perk Up Help With Hair Odor?
Yes.
Sephora specifically states that the formula helps reduce odor as well as absorbing oil.
That’s useful because stale hair isn’t always just about visible grease.
Hair can pick up odors from:
Cooking
Sweat
Smoke
Commuting
Hats
Humidity
General day-to-day life
A dry shampoo that helps freshen both the appearance and smell of the hair is more useful than one that simply disguises shiny roots.
Key Ingredients
One of the main ingredients worth highlighting is:
Rice Starch
Oryza Sativa (Rice) Starch provides the primary oil-absorbing effect.
It helps soak up excess oil while also adding texture and body.
Sea Buckthorn
amika includes Hippophae Rhamnoides (Sea Buckthorn) Extract in the formula.
Sea buckthorn is a signature ingredient used throughout many amika products.
Denatured Alcohol
The formula also contains Alcohol Denat.
This is common in aerosol styling products, but anyone with a particularly dry or sensitive scalp may want to use it sparingly.
Fragrance
Perk Up contains fragrance.
That’s an advantage if you enjoy the characteristic amika scent but potentially a drawback if you’re fragrance-sensitive.
The current formula is also marketed as free of ingredients including parabens, phthalates, mineral oil and sulfates SLS/SLES.
Is amika Perk Up Talc-Free?
Yes.
This is specifically marketed as a talc-free dry shampoo.
Instead of talc, the formula relies on ingredients including rice starch for its absorbent effect.
Is It Vegan?
Yes.
Sephora currently identifies amika Perk Up as vegan.
Is It Color-Safe?
Yes.
The product is also marketed as color-safe, which makes it a useful choice for anyone trying to extend the time between hair washes after coloring.
That can be particularly helpful because repeated washing can contribute to faster fading of some hair colors.
How to Use amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo
amika’s directions are straightforward.
Step 1: Shake Well
This is important.
Dry shampoo contains powders that need to be evenly distributed throughout the aerosol formula.
Step 2: Hold the Can Away From Your Hair
amika recommends holding it approximately eight inches away from the hair.
Step 3: Spray the Roots
Focus primarily on oily areas rather than spraying the entire head indiscriminately.
Step 4: Massage It In
Massage the roots in much the same way you would when shampooing wet hair.
Step 5: Brush Through
Brush through where appropriate for your hair type.
I would also give the product a few moments to absorb oil before thoroughly working it through.
Can You Use Perk Up Every Day?
You could use dry shampoo frequently, but I wouldn’t use it as a permanent substitute for washing.
Dry shampoo absorbs excess oil.
It doesn’t rinse the scalp clean.
Over time, your scalp can accumulate:
Sebum
Sweat
Styling products
Dead skin
Environmental debris
Dry shampoo itself
So I see Perk Up as a way to extend the time between washes, not eliminate shampooing altogether.
If your scalp starts feeling itchy, coated or uncomfortable, it’s probably time to wash your hair rather than add another layer.
Can It Dry Your Hair Out?
Potentially, especially if you overuse it.
Perk Up contains both oil-absorbing rice starch and denatured alcohol.
Those ingredients are useful for greasy roots, but they may not be ideal sprayed repeatedly over already-dry hair.
A few Ulta reviewers also mention dryness among their criticisms, although the overall customer rating remains extremely strong.
My solution would simply be to keep it where it’s needed:
the roots.
There usually isn’t much reason to coat dry ends in dry shampoo.
Pros and Cons
What I Like
Excellent oil absorption
Rice starch helps make greasy roots look noticeably fresher.
Adds volume
This is a particularly nice feature for fine or flat hair.
Talc-free formula
It uses rice starch rather than talc as its main absorbent powder.
Designed to minimize white residue
A major advantage if you dislike chalky-looking roots.
Works across different hair types
It’s suitable for straight, wavy, curly and coily hair.
Suitable for different hair thicknesses
Fine, medium and thick hair can all use it.
Color-safe
Useful for stretching out time between washes.
Vegan
Another plus for anyone specifically looking for vegan beauty products.
Highly rated
The current Ulta rating of around 4.8/5 from more than 1,400 reviews is impressive.
What I Don’t Like
Contains fragrance
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragranced hair products.
Contains denatured alcohol
May feel drying on some scalps or hair types.
It’s an aerosol
Some people prefer loose powder or non-aerosol formulas.
Can still become visible if overapplied
“No white residue” doesn’t mean you can spray unlimited amounts into one area.
Some customers report packaging issues
A minority of recent Ulta reviewers mention cans becoming difficult to spray or seeming to lose usable product before they expected.
That’s worth knowing even though it doesn’t appear to represent the majority experience.
Perk Up vs Perk Up Plus
amika now has more than one dry shampoo carrying the Perk Up name.
That can make choosing between them slightly confusing.
Original Perk Up
The original Perk Up Dry Shampoo is designed for:
Fast root refreshes
Oil absorption
Added volume
Everyday use
Perk Up Plus Extended Clean
Perk Up Plus Extended Clean Dry Shampoo focuses more heavily on a lightweight, invisible finish and scalp-friendly ingredients while extending the clean feeling.
I’d choose the original if straightforward oil absorption and volume were my priorities.
I’d consider Perk Up Plus if I particularly wanted that extended-clean feeling.
Perk Up vs Perk Up Ultra Oil Control
There’s also Perk Up Ultra Oil Control Dry Shampoo.
This is the more intensive option for particularly oily scalps.
Ulta describes the difference quite neatly:
Perk Up: refreshes roots and adds volume
Perk Up Plus: lightweight extended clean
Perk Up Ultra: stronger oil removal for very oily scalps
So I wouldn’t automatically choose the strongest one.
For ordinary second- or third-day oil, the original Perk Up may be all you need.
amika Perk Up vs Living Proof Perfect Hair Day
These are two of the stronger prestige dry shampoos I’ve looked at.
Living Proof Perfect Hair Day places particular emphasis on absorbing oil, sweat and odor.
amika Perk Up focuses strongly on refreshing roots, reducing oil, restoring volume and providing a lightweight finish.
I’d lean toward Living Proof if sweat control were one of my biggest priorities.
I’d lean toward amika if I wanted a particularly good combination of oil absorption and volume.
Both have very strong customer feedback.
amika Perk Up vs Batiste Beautiful Brunette
This comparison really comes down to hair color.
Batiste Beautiful Brunette is tinted, making it particularly useful if you have dark brown hair and hate pale residue.
amika Perk Up isn’t a brunette-specific product, but it’s designed to leave minimal visible residue and can be used across all hair colors.
I’d choose Batiste if the brunette tint itself were important to me.
I’d choose amika if I wanted a more universal formula with strong volume and a light feel.
amika Perk Up vs Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak
Not Your Mother’s Clean Freak is a straightforward everyday dry shampoo designed mainly to refresh greasy roots.
amika Perk Up adds more emphasis on lightweight texture and volume.
Both use rice starch as an important absorbing ingredient.
For simple oil absorption, either can work.
For a more noticeable boost in body and volume, Perk Up would be my choice.
Who Would I Recommend It For?
I think amika Perk Up is particularly suited to anyone who:
Gets oily roots between washes
Has fine or flat hair
Wants additional root volume
Wants a talc-free dry shampoo
Dislikes heavy powdery formulas
Has color-treated hair
Wants a vegan option
Has straight, wavy, curly or coily hair
Wants to stretch the time between washes
I might choose something else if you:
Are extremely fragrance-sensitive
Have a particularly dry or sensitive scalp
Prefer non-aerosol products
Need an extremely heavy-duty oil-control formula
Specifically want a tinted dry shampoo for brunette hair
My Verdict: Is amika Perk Up Dry Shampoo Good?
Yes — I think this is one of the stronger all-round dry shampoos I’ve looked at.
What I particularly like about amika Perk Up is that it isn’t concentrating solely on hiding greasy hair.
It combines oil absorption, odor control and volume in a formula designed to feel relatively lightweight.
That makes it particularly appealing for fine or flat hair, where a very heavy dry shampoo can solve the oil problem while creating an entirely new problem by making the hair feel stiff or overloaded.
The customer feedback is also unusually strong.
At the time I checked, Ulta showed an average rating of around 4.8 out of 5 stars from more than 1,400 reviews, with 91% of reviewers saying they’d recommend it.
My main reservations are the fragrance, denatured alcohol and the fact that some users have reported problems with the aerosol can.
But purely in terms of what the formula is designed to do, Perk Up ticks most of the boxes I’d want from a modern dry shampoo.
Beautifully Alive Rating: 4.7/5
Best feature: Excellent combination of oil absorption and volume
Biggest drawback: Fragrance may not suit sensitive users
Best suited to: Oily, fine or flat hair that needs refreshing between washes
Would I recommend it? Yes — particularly if you want your dry shampoo to refresh greasy roots without leaving the hair feeling heavy and powdery.
Read next: 10 Best Dry Shampoo Options for Fresh, Voluminous Hair
