Index / Prequel / Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil
Prequel

Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil.

Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil
Cleansers

About this product

Prequel Pre Cleanse Cleansing Oil is a lightweight oil-based cleanser designed to break down makeup and sunscreen without leaving residue on the skin.

CleansersOil

Guru Score

84%

Approved

Approved · 84% 5 independent gurus · Moderate confidence

A weighted 0 to 100% score. Not simply the share of gurus who approved, stronger and repeated takes count for more. It is a living number that shifts as more gurus weigh in.

6Gurus
6Approved
0Mixed
0Skip
How it works Independent by design. Every take comes from a creator we have no relationship with. We do not ask anyone to review, and affiliate links never move a score.

What the gurus are saying

This cleansing oil rinses completely clean with no residue, so it works as a single-step cleanser even on tired nights. Gurus praise how it breaks down makeup and sunscreen without that heavy oily feel. It's designed not to trap oil in pores, a real plus for acne-prone skin. Adding water transforms it into a milky texture that washes away completely.
Synthesized from 6 expert reviews · most recent take July 2026
Every take, in full

What the gurus are saying.

Every take we've logged from this product's reviews across YouTube. Click any row to watch the moment they said it.

All takes Approved takes Critical takes Mixed takes Hide sponsored
Approved
"Another option for a cleanser is by Prequel, it's their Glanser. This has 5% glycolic acid in it. Another great entry point to trying this ingredient in your routine."
Approved
"I love this cleanser, it's super light and it rinses really easily. On nights when I was really tired, this stuff was so great that I typically didn't feel like I needed a second step cleanser on those days, it just gets the makeup off enough that I can go to bed and lay down without the makeup sitting on your skin. It's really nice, super lightweight, and affordable, so I loved it, amazing. I will repurchase that again in a heartbeat."
All 2 takes from No BS Beauty
Prequel Skin New! Cleansing Oil & Gleanser Demo & First Impressions Review
"This stuff is pretty affordable. It's got sunflower seed oil, rice bran oil, a couple of fatty acids, centella, and then vitamin E, so it's got a nice short ingredient list, no fragrance in here. For the directions, it's an oil-based cleanser: apply it to your skin when it's dry, massage it on your dry skin, and then rinse it. Literally no scent to it."
June EMPTIES!!!
"I love this cleanser, it's super light and it rinses really easily. On nights when I was really tired, this stuff was so great that I typically didn't feel like I needed a second step cleanser on those days, it just gets the makeup off enough that I can go to bed and lay down without the makeup sitting on your skin. It's really nice, super lightweight, and affordable, so I loved it, amazing. I will repurchase that again in a heartbeat."
Approved
"Overall, I really like this cleansing oil. I think it's fantastic. I would gladly repurchase it over and over again. It's relatively affordable. I mean, it's not the least expensive, it's not the most expensive. It's pretty similar performance-wise to the Kose Softymo Speedy Cleansing Oil, which I frequently repurchase from Japan."
Approved
"It does like to cling to the skin, so you have to wash very thoroughly, and you can't really just splash and go with this cleanser, but I put it in this month's favorites because I tried it just for that video, and it has not left my sink side since. It's stayed in my cleanser spot and I just go for it all the time now, so that's a testament to the product, it's working really nicely. In the summer I like to use a cleanser in the morning because I get a little more oily in my T-zone and my skincare layers feel thicker with the heat and humidity, and this breaks through what I want to wash off my face without stripping my skin or making it feel tight and dehydrated in the middle of the day because it is so gentle. Actually I do feel like it imparts a bit of hydration when you rinse it off, your skin feels more hydrated and soft."
Approved
"The first product I'm going to go in with is from Prequel, my friend Dr. Sam Ellis's brand. This is the Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil. I think it's really good. It feels very juicy for an oil, if that makes sense. I don't know how to explain it, but it's juicy and I like that. I've been using it a lot lately and it breaks everything down so easily. Let me show you how it emulsifies, because we always want to see it do a good job. Now I'm going to rinse it off. This is what it looks like right after I rinse off, and my skin is not sensitive at all now."
Approved
"I will either use my Prequel Cleansing Oil and then go in with the Prequel Cleanser, or I will use my Bioderma micellar water on a cotton pad, and I typically will do this if I'm wearing a ton of makeup, and then I'll go in with my Prequel Cleanser. The beauty of a double cleanse like this is that all the products you're using are super gentle, so you're not stripping your skin even though you're cleansing twice and very thoroughly."
SponsoredFounder Conflict
All 3 takes from Dr. Sam Ellis
Dermatologists' NO FAIL Anti-Aging Skincare Routine | Dr. Sam Ellis
"This is an incredible cleansing oil. I use about four pumps and I just rub it in my palms and then start massaging it over my face. This is going to break down my foundation, sunscreen. I also put a little over my eyes just from the jump to let it marinate on my eyelashes. I rub in the rest of my face and then really scrub down the lashes. I am obsessed with this. It has been tested to not be pore clogging, so big win if you are acne prone. Once everything's been melted down, I add a little bit of water to start to emulsify this so it gets kind of white and milky. I rub for another 10 seconds and then rinse everything off. I love that oil cleanser so much because it not only breaks down your makeup, but after you rinse it off, you don't feel any residue on your skin."
Introducing Prequel's NEW Pre-Gleanse Cleansing Oil! | Dr. Sam Ellis
"What I really like about this is when I'm massaging it into my skin it still has this beautiful slip. I actually kind of want to put this on my face right now. I feel like sometimes people rush through the cleansing process, but this really allows you to pause and be a little more ritualistic because you want to massage this into your skin, it feels that good. You guys know I'm such a stickler for elevating textures, and Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil is really no exception. I'm always going to be using it at the end of the day as the first step to take my day off. I start with dry hands and then I take about three pumps or so, distribute it on my palms, and start massaging it into my face including around my eyes where I might have eye makeup. I do that for about 30 seconds until I can see that my makeup has been thoroughly broken down, and then I add just the tiniest bit of water to emulsify the cleanser. At that point you're going to see it transform from clear to kind of milky, and then go in and rinse it off completely. Oil cleansers are also such a beautiful way to break down sunscreen, not only on the face but also on the body. It's like my dermatologist pro tip, to use something like this if you have sunscreen on your skin. Sometimes it can feel hard to get it off in the shower, so I would, while your shower is heating up, rub some of this onto your skin, your arms, your chest, anywhere you have sunscreen, and then when you step into the water you're going to get a much cleaner rinse of your product. Now, one issue I've had with cleansing oils over the years, and honestly cleansing balms too, is that sometimes they can either sting my eyes or leave a cloudy film on my eyeballs, and I was very much not about that. So when we developed this, I really wanted to make sure that it rinses clean, not just from my skin but also from my eyes."
6 Skincare Hacks I Would Do NOW for Better Skin in 30 Days | Dr. Sam Ellis
"I will either use my Prequel Cleansing Oil and then go in with the Prequel Cleanser, or I will use my Bioderma micellar water on a cotton pad, and I typically will do this if I'm wearing a ton of makeup, and then I'll go in with my Prequel Cleanser. The beauty of a double cleanse like this is that all the products you're using are super gentle, so you're not stripping your skin even though you're cleansing twice and very thoroughly."
Common questions

Frequently asked.

What is Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil?

Prequel Pre Cleanse Cleansing Oil is a lightweight oil-based cleanser designed to break down makeup and sunscreen without leaving residue on the skin.

Is Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil worth it?

Yes. All 6 gurus who reviewed it give it their stamp of approval, for a Guru Score of 84%.

What is Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil's Guru Score?

Prequel Pre-Cleanse Cleansing Oil holds a Guru Score of 84%. That is our read on how warmly the experts talk about it, based on the verdicts of 6 independent expert reviewers we have collected.

Spend less, score well

Cheaper alternatives the gurus rate.

Lower-priced cleansers the gurus still rate highly, versus this mid-range pick.

See how they stack up ›
You might also like

Similar products worth a look.

Other products the same gurus have weighed in on, plus more from this brand and category.

Compare side by side ›

This week's top beauty news, in your inbox.

A weekly read of the takes worth catching up on: the raves, the splits, the ones the gurus won't shut up about. Free, no spam, unsubscribe whenever.

Subscribe to the digest