Let’s talk about the Prequel Gleanser. The internet loves it. I’m into it. But I’m also side-eyeing anyone who uses this same cleanser morning AND night. Your moisture barrier is not a suggestion box.
Using the Gleanser twice a day wrecked my skin in 10 days. Tight. Flaky. Mad at me.
The issue isn’t the cleanser — it’s the frequency. This thing strips better than a Sunday salon wax if you overdo it.
It’s a 5% glycerin cream cleanser. $18 for 8.5 oz. The claim that got me: “gentle enough for eczema.” Bold. I’ve been burned before.
Cream-to-milk texture
Slides on like lotion, rinses off like nothing happened.
No surfactants
No sulfates, no soap. It’s just fat and water doing the work.
The pump lock
Twist to lock. Actually works. No accidental suitcase explosions.
Photo: Clearcut Derby / Unsplash
Short list. No filler. Glycerin is the star at 5% — high enough to hydrate, low enough to not feel sticky. Colloidal oatmeal calms down redness in about 90 seconds flat.
- Glycerin: Locks in moisture without clogging
- Colloidal Oatmeal: Soothes irritation on contact
- Panthenol (B5): Helps repair barrier damage
- Allantoin: Speeds up cell turnover gently
Photo: Viva Luna Studios / Unsplash
Feels like melting cold cream on dry skin. Rinses to a finish that’s clean but not squeaky — that weird tight feeling is absent.
After week 3? My AM-only routine fixed the flakes. PM use with an oil cleanser first? Chef’s kiss. What surprised me: it doesn’t remove eye makeup for shit. Don’t even try.
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
Redness dropped by half in 2 weeks. Oil production? Same as always — it didn’t fix my T-zone. But the texture is smoother. Fewer tiny bumps.
Photo: Kaeme / Unsplash
Best non-stripping cleanser under $20. But use it like a dumbass twice a day and you’ll be begging for your old Cerave back.