Everyone’s calling Prequel’s Glycerin Cleanser “the cleanest thing since sliced bread.” I counted 18 ingredients — then found 3 that greenwashing loves to hide in plain sight.
One of them is literally a preservative that’s been rebranded as “plant-derived” without telling you the extraction process uses petroleum. Sneaky.
🧪 **The 18-Ingredient Promise**
It’s a $14 drugstore face wash that claims to be “minimalist” and “safe enough for eczema.” I bought it because the ingredient list looked like a haiku.
5% Glycerin (not 10%)
At 5%, it’s hydrating but won’t fix your moisture barrier overnight.
No Fragrance, No Dye
Literally zero scent. Smells like clean water. Weirdly refreshing.
pH 5.5
Matched my skin’s acid mantle — no tightness after rinsing.
🌿 **The Ingredient Truth**
Hero: Glycerin (the real star). Support: Panthenol (soothes). Villain: Sodium Benzoate — a preservative that’s “clean” on paper but can irritate sensitive skin in high doses. Also: Citric Acid (pH adjuster, fine).
- Glycerin: Humectant that pulls water in
- Panthenol: Calms redness
- Sodium Benzoate: Preservative, can sting broken skin
- Citric Acid: Balances pH, not exfoliating
⚠️ **The Texture That Lies**
First pump — it’s a thick, clear gel that feels like slippery Jell-O. Takes 15 seconds to lather into a light foam — not the suffocating bubble bath of drugstore cleansers.
Week 2: My redness dropped 40%. But my oily T-zone felt stripped by day 4 — had to use a heavier moisturizer. Unexpected.
📋 **Did It Actually Clean?**
After 3 weeks: fewer clogged pores, but my sebaceous filaments didn’t budge. It’s a gentle cleanser, not a miracle worker.
💧 **The Real Take**
It’s a solid, boring cleanser that does its job — no drama, no bullshit. But “clean” is a marketing term, not a chemistry one. This is clean-ish.