I have a newfound excitement over a doctor-owned skincare line. You may have heard of it, if not, allow me to introduce you to Prequel. No, this is not sponsored and I don’t receive anything for free from this brand. I would love to, however. This is a skin-healthy nonsense brand.
The ingredients from what I could see on the website are gentle, effective, and well-studied in the dermatology world. Let’s go into what I have tried so far and then we will explore other products from this skincare line.
Prequel skincare line- GLEANSER NON-DRYING GLYCERIN CLEANSER
First of all, this product contains 50% glycerin, which is an ingredient that I enjoy not more than others but in the top 10. Glycerin is a great ingredient for non-irritation, which means skin that is dry, irritated, acne-prone, maturing, has rosacea or other sensitivities can use this cleanser. It is all-inclusive, everyone can use it. I love that.
Prequel Benefits for the skin barrier
“If you have it (Glycerin) in a product in concintrations of over 20% it also acts as a skin protectant. “
Dr Sam (Samantha) Ellis – founder of Prequel and a board certified dermotologiest
Studies to support Prequel’s skincare claims
As I always have to check out the studies, I did find a double-blind study in a low-humidity environment indicating that 20% glycerin was a humectant, didn’t decrease moisture, and found no sensitivities in the skin. That means it added moisturization while also protecting transdermal water loss in the skin.
Why is this important for more than just maturing, dry, or sensitive skin? All skin needs a healthy moisture barrier to turn over cells, keep things out of the skin, and do its job at its best level. Skin that is prone to acne or healing from acne needs this as well. You want to keep the skin healthy without drying it out too much to allow the skin to heal and not dry, crack, or peel allowing bacteria in your skin.
Gleanser vs Cleanser
I bet you thought I misspelled cleanser. No, you saw it right it is Gleanser for the amount of Glycerin in the product. That is cute and I don’t know if there is a product on the market that has this much Glycerin in it.
I looked and I couldn’t find it. However, I did find how much this ingredient has been studied per PubMed. Since 2004 there has been a steady growth in the amount of studies. This year alone there are 3 and the year has just begun.
Prequel Gleanser skincare PH balance
The PH balance of this product is around 4.5 which is the natural pH of your skin. This means that it will keep the natural balance of your skin and not irritate it. Too many cleanser strips that natural moisture barrier, leaving skin tight and dry. Skincare experts have spoken out against over-drying your skin when cleansing for years. A perfect PH is a cleanser is also a good thing for healthy skin.
Other ingredients
Oligosaccharide inulin is an interesting ingredient. As you can tell from the saccharide (it is a sugar), which is usually a humectant. This humectant is also a fermented ingredient with prebiotic action. Prebiotics in skincare are used to restore equilibrium or skin microflora, which stimulates the skin’s natural defense system. Of course, I found you a study, in 2023 this study was conducted on body washes, and the conclusion was that it did increase hydration long after use. Moving the scale towards the fact that the health microflora is working to protect and hydrate the skin at optimal levels.
More skin-friendly ingredients you may have heard of
Aloe, Arginine HCI, and Avena Sativa are also well-known ingredients that are used in this cleanser. you haven’t heard of Avena Sativa? It is oats and this ingredient has been used for centuries for calming the skin. This product is also fragrance-free and vegan.
How does it cleanse? Does it remove makeup?
The big question, is how does it cleanse the face with makeup, sunscreen, and dirt from the day? I have used this product for about a month. While it feels nice on your skin, it does remove all of my makeup, dirt, and sunscreen. It doesn’t take off mascara well at all.
How much to use
The more you put on this cleanser, the more you must remove. In other words, less is better. I used less than a pee-size amount then I added water to my fingers. I lather it up a bit on my fingers, then apply it to my face. I have even double cleanses with this product to see how my face felt after and my face felt great. Not tight or dry.
Price Point
13.5 oz of this product with such a small amount of cleaning it will take me forever to get through it. I am estimating 3 years. It costs $18.00 for this amount which is a great price. The feel of this product is luxurious. I have used it only once on my body and I thought it cleansed well. Currently, I am trying out other body washes so I can’t give this the time it deserves. I think this will become my holy grail face wash and that is saying something if you know how many products I go through.
Prequel’s Urea Advanced Relief Moisturizing Milk
Urea is one of my other top 10 favorite ingredients for the body. (I may have to do a top 15 after seeing this skincare line). Urea is a humectant and an exfoliant much like Lactic acid (milk-derived acid, part of the aha family). This ingredient is one of my favorites because it is a gentle exfoliating and moisturizer. It will exfoliate cracked and dry feet. The hands will feel soft and smooth. This skincare product can also be used on the delicate undereye area. In fact, I have sought out products with this ingredient for the sensitive under eyes.
First impression
When it first arrived, I opened it up and rushed to try it out on my face. That was a mistake. Not, because it didn’t feel nice on the skin and melted right into my skin. It was because of other things I use on my face. An important factor I had forgotten.
Urea and Retin-A
Urea and Retin-A both exfoliate, so if you are using a tretinoin or retinol product, beware—too much exfoliation. My skin peeled like a mild chemical peel. While I don’t think this is a normal reaction even with Tretinoin. I am trying out a new 1% tretinoin and having slightly visible exfoliation regularly.
It is time to try it out on the body. As you may guess previous words. I like it. It is a lightweight moisturizer. My feet look good, not dry or cracked. It has removed some of the dead skin on the soles of my feet, and I am positive they will be baby soft with more applications. This is a nice benefit with it being sandal-wearing season soon.
Other ingredients
It has niacinamide (another top 10), glycerin, shea butter, and jojoba esters. I like all of these ingredients. Niacinamide (B3) is a workhorse of a vitamin/ingredent. Shea butter is an emollient moisturizer for the skin. Jojoba is the closest oil to our sebum. You can tell that someone is more interested in making a well-formulated well-studied skin-loving ingredient at a good price point than making themselves over-the-top rich.
Price point
Again another good price point for an urea product with great supporting ingredients. $22.00 for 13.5 ounces.
What I want to try next
I have my eye on the redness reform, it is $22.00 for 1 oz, which is more spendy than the first two that I tried. In looking at the ingredients I believe it has a good chance of reducing the redness and inflammation in the skin from rosacea. I would need a separate blog page to go over all of the outstanding ingredients in this product.
What I probably will not be purchasing
Although I like the Prequel skincare line their skin ointment which is 2oz for $18.00 is too much like Cerave Healing Gel which is $10 for 3oz and more widely available. Other than that I think it is a good product and it comes in 3 different formulas. If you can’t stand the feeling of the healing gel or an ointment there is more for use in this Prequel line. You may want to try those other products.
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