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As a beauty writer, I have a love-hate relationship with the internet. While my love for beauty started with YouTube makeup tutorials, it has grown into something I don’t even recognize anymore. It seems like everyone and their mother has become an expert on everything beauty and shares their opinions that somehow become law on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Lately, all it takes is one person to say anything — good or bad — and the internet just runs with it. So when I discovered that there was a lot of discourse surrounding Huda Beauty’s Easy Bake Intense perfume, I had to do some digging on my own. 

Just in case you didn’t know, Huda Beauty released an intense version of its original Easy Bake fragrance back in May, and it has had the beauty community in a tizzy. Described as “a rich floral gourmand fragrance,” this intense eau de parfum has notes of wild cherry, white flower, vanilla bourbon, cinnamon bark, and caramel milk. It lives in a frosty clear square-shaped bottle that looks somewhat similar to the OG Easy Bake product, just without the black top — and the best part, it’s under $100. So what’s the issue?

Months later, the fragrance is still the talk of the internet, and I have to wonder why. A lot of content creators have gone to TikTok to share their thoughts, and there are a ton of mixed reviews. Some have said that the latest perfume has somewhat of a “fishy” scent, but plenty of others say that’s absolutely not the case. In fact, the majority of the reviews for this month and last are all five stars. “I have no idea why anyone would say this smells bad; I’ve seen tons of negative reviews and almost didn’t try it,” one shopper wrote on Sephora. I smelled it today and bought it immediately! It’s so beautiful and definitely worth it.” 

Another shopper wrote, “Don’t let the TikTok bandwagon trick you and smell it for yourself!” They went on to say, “I am so glad I completely ignored the internet noise and trusted my own nose with this release! It pays to think and smell for yourself instead of just repeating what a popular influencer says for views. To clear the air: it does NOT have any of those weird “fishy” or “feet” undertones that people are claiming online. It smells beautiful, distinctly feminine, and elevated-definitely sophisticated and perfumey, not juvenile at all.”

While I don’t own this perfume (yet), I did go to my local Sephora to smell it for myself, and I’d have to agree with the last shopper. Letting the internet dictate your decisions is never a good idea. To me, the new Easy Bake Intense smells like a delicious cherry bomb at first, then dries down to a soft, almost powdery-like, floral scent that is rather mature. While I didn’t have the luxury of smelling the first iteration of this fragrance, based on its notes and similar scents, I have to imagine it was a tad sweeter and more juvenile. This one, however, is for a grown woman who knows exactly what she wants. And if that sounds like you, then maybe you should try it too. 

Right now you can get the new Easy Bake Intense Eau de Parfum for just $79, but if you want to test the waters for yourself, you can score the travel-size version for $30, which also comes with an adorable holder you can buy separately. Check them all out now down below. 

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