I called bullshit when I saw the claim. One cleanser to remove sunscreen, makeup, and grime? Without stripping my face into a desert? Sure, Jan.
But then I used it after a day of wearing Supergoop and a full face of Ilia mascara. It dissolved everything in 45 seconds flat. No second pass needed. My skin didn’t scream for moisture afterward — it just sat there, calm.
It’s called the Gleanser. $16 for 6.7 oz. At Prequel, they market it as a “one-step” balm-to-milk that somehow removes everything without foaming. I bought it because derms on TikTok wouldn’t shut up about it, and I was bored of my $38 cleansing balm.
Melts Like Butter
Scoop a pea-sized amount — it goes from solid to oil in 3 seconds flat.
Milks Up
Add water and it turns into a white, lightweight milk that rinses clean. No residue. No film.
No Squeak
Your face feels clean but not tight. Like it just had a glass of water.
Photo: Content Pixie / Unsplash
No fragrance. No essential oils. No bullshit. The hero here isn’t some trendy extract — it’s glycerin at the top of the ingredient list, plus oat kernel flour for gentle physical exfoliation. It’s boring on paper, brilliant in practice.
- Glycerin: Locks in moisture while you cleanse, so skin doesn’t dry out
- Oat Kernel Flour: Microscopic grains that physically buff without scratching
- Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: The oil that actually dissolves sunscreen
- Panthenol: Calms redness before it starts
Photo: Mockup Free / Unsplash
First use: it felt weirdly thick — like spreading cold butter on a bagel. Then it melted into a slick oil that didn’t drip down my neck (bless). Rinsing took 10 seconds longer than my foam cleanser, but my face felt… untouched. In a good way.
By week two, I stopped reaching for my second cleanser entirely. The surprise? My nose pores look smaller. Not “gone” — but less like craters. The oat bits actually do something.
Photo: Sonia Roselli / Unsplash
My skin stayed hydrated. No breakouts. No tightness. But I still need a separate eye makeup remover for waterproof mascara — it can’t do everything.
Photo: Laura Chouette / Unsplash
It’s not the only cleanser you’ll ever need — but it’s the only one you’ll use 90% of the time. And that’s close enough.