I swapped my foaming cleanser for this viral balm and my pores finally stopped throwing tantrums. Day three I almost quit — the texture freaked me out.
But by day ten, the little black dots on my nose that survived every acid toner for years just… slid out. That’s not marketing speak, that’s what happened in my sink.
Prequel calls this a “gleansing” balm — half glow, half cleanse. It’s $17 for a giant 5-oz tube that lasts forever. I tried it because derms wouldn’t shut up about it.
The Tube
Pump dispenser — no digging your nails into a jar like every other balm on earth.
The Melt
Turns into oil the second it hits skin. No grit, no dragging.
The Rinse
Emulsifies white and washes off clean. No cloudy film left behind.
Photo: Clearcut Derby / Unsplash
Squalane does the heavy lifting — it’s literally your skin’s own moisture, just bottled. The niacinamide is there to calm the redness you didn’t know you had.
No fragrance, no essential oils, no BS. Just a short ingredient list that reads like a skincare nerd’s grocery list.
- Squalane: Super-hydrating, skin-identical moisturizer
- Niacinamide: Calms redness, shrinks pore appearance over time
- Glycerin: Draws water into skin, keeps it there
- Green tea extract: Antioxidant that soothes angry skin
Photo: Poko Skincare / Unsplash
It feels like cold butter in your hands — not greasy, more like a thick cream that surrenders to body heat. First wash left my skin feeling “squeaky” but not stripped, which I didn’t think was possible.
Week two, my chin broke out. I almost rage-quit. Then I realized it was purging — the balm was unclogging stuff that was already there. By week three, those bumps were gone and my skin looked like I’d gotten a facial.
Photo: ibnu ihza / Unsplash
My nose pores are visibly smaller — not “poreless” (that’s a filter), but genuinely less noticeable. My forehead texture smoothed out. My dry winter cheeks stayed plump all month.
What didn’t change: my chin still has a few stubborn closed comedones. It’s a cleanser, not a miracle worker.
Photo: ibnu ihza / Unsplash
This is the first cleansing balm I’ve finished without getting bored halfway through. It’s not sexy, it’s just good — like that friend who always has your back.