Yazhini ManimudiAnother year, another flanker has become the norm in the fragrance industry. We were pleasantly surprised by the musky, powdery floral Cosmic which came out in 2024. In 2025, we had an ambery fruity floral in the form of Cosmic 2.0. We’re starting 2026 with Cosmic Intense in an opaque red bottle of the same strange, yet appealing shape.
Kylie Jenner Cosmic Intense
Top: Star Jasmine, Blood Orange
Middle: Amber, Benzoin
Base: Vanilla, Musk
Fragrance Family
Ambery Vanilla
A true flanker to the original Cosmic, the sweet jasmine and blood orange return after their absence in Cosmic 2.0. The amber that people loved in Cosmic has also made a return, but is more intense. Barely. But it is more intense comparatively.
The vanilla is more prominent too. Speaking of the fragrance, Kylie said:
“Cosmic Intense is built around my love for vanilla, which we amplified from the original Cosmic with warmer, richer notes that add depth to the fragrance, making it hard to forget.”
Of course, in the height of vanilla’s popularity in the fragrance world, every celebrity releasing a vanilla-based fragrance suddenly has a lot of love for vanilla. But I can’t chalk it purely to marketing since vanilla is just so easy to love. While the vanilla merely added a little depth and balance to the bright floral Cosmic, it has its own role here. Yet the role isn’t as prominent as you’d expect it from the vanilla-centered marketing. As it dries down, you get more of the vanilla. It’s creamier, supported by a creamy but also powdery musk.
I hoped that the usually resinous benzoin would add some intensity and darkness to the blend. But benzoin doesn’t get to do much here. Not as much as you’d expect in a perfume with intense in the name.
There’s also something of a make-up bag vibe to it. That should be the musky base. Like a make-up bag that’s been with you for eons, smears here and there of cosmetics, some touches of glitter from eyeshadow escaping the pan. It was there when you sprayed perfume in the wrong direction in a hurry to leave and maybe caught some.
Bottle and Packaging
The story behind the shape of the bottle is so cute. Created through a hug between Kylie and her sister Kendall when making a clay pot. The pot in between took the shape of their embrace, creating this oddly shaped bottle that does feel out of this world yet is easy to hold in your hand. The ‘cosmic’ character is more evident in the silvery bottle of 2.0. But the PR packaging of Cosmic Intense brings another kind of extraterrestrial feeling to it.
The outer shell of the packaging is moulded to the shape of the bottle within, with line and creases that gives the appearance of the bottle trapped inside. Like an alien thing vacuum sealed inside for its journey to Earth. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on an episode of Doctor Who. With the extraterrestrial vibes and the shiny red, it’s impossible to not think of the red latex suit Britney Spears wore in 2000 in the ‘Oops!…I Did it Again’ music video. While I would’ve liked the PR packaging to be on the shelves, it is better that we don’t have it since the PR package uses more plastic.
The spray top is a metallic red to match the opaque red bottle. A small bit of effort that shows a lot of intentionality and gives the appearance of something high-quality.
I love a good bottle and admit that I do judge a book by the cover. I detest a boring perfume bottle and appreciate when perfume companies go the extra meter if not mile to distinguish their bottles from others’. Unfortunately, the juice inside doesn’t reflect the same out of this world personality of the bottle. Nice to have on your dresser, for sure.
Do you need Cosmic Intense?
Depends on who’s asking. Do you already have Cosmic? If so, no. Layer it with a creamy vanilla and you’ll be very close to the new flanker. If your bottle of Cosmic is over and you can’t go without another but want something slightly different, you can try Cosmic Intense.
There’s nothing different about Cosmic Intense, whether you compare it to the original or other popular fragrances in the industry. But it’s certainly not bad. The same was true for Cosmic and Cosmic 2.0.
It isn’t anything adventurous and that shows in how it doesn’t act intense despite the name. Cosmic was bright, pinky, pretty with some florals and a drydown of a powdery vanilla. A typical girly fragrance, a safe buy for someone who doesn’t think much about the fragrance they’re wearing but likes to smell good. Cosmic Intense is more of a second-skin scent, which is technically more intense than the punchy Cosmic. It isn’t very long lasting, going up to 6 hours on average on your clothes and less on the skin. The projection isn’t anything to write home about, quite average really. But sometimes that is what you want.
Aiming for mass market appeal, Cosmic Intense is afraid of actually being intense. It fails at being a strong vanilla perfume despite the promise in the advertising. It also isn’t too gourmand, which might be a good thing considering the growing fatigue with sweet gourmands. She does have other gourmandsSweet Éclair, Vanilla Dew, Caramel Cloud, her trio of body and hair mists.
Know whether other celebrity fragrances are worth buying right here on Perfume Mag.
Yazhini Manimudi
