Ingredient first. Brand second. Always.
I don't think this has ever happened before. I've bought six products from one skincare brand, spent time looking at the formulations, used them, and every single one has made it onto The Shelf.
All six.
And rather than feeling I've seen enough of Prequel, I find myself wondering what else I can buy. Quite the contrast to the last brand I reviewed, where, by the end, I wasn't entirely sure I ever wanted to look at another bottle again.
Founded by dermatologist Dr Samantha Ellis, Prequel describes its philosophy as BASIC+. Established, evidence-informed ingredients, thoughtfully formulated into skincare that's accessible and genuinely enjoyable to use.
And I love it.
What we recommend…
Prequel Gleanser: 50% Glycerin Cleanser
A mild gel cleanser built around 50% glycerin, with aloe and oat flour, designed to cleanse the face and body without leaving the skin feeling tight or dry. Non-drying and suited to dry, sensitive or dehydrated skin.
Prequel Multi-Quench Hydration Mist
A lightweight, fragrance free hydrating mist with polyglutamic acid, glycerin, niacinamide and aloe, designed to refresh and replenish moisture throughout the day. Suited to all skin types, particularly dry or dull skin.
Prequel Half & Half Peptide + Ceramide Fluid Moisturiser
A lightweight fluid moisturiser with a blend of ceramides and peptides, designed to hydrate and support the skin barrier. Suited to dry and sensitive skin, and a good everyday option for those wanting barrier support without a heavy texture.
Prequel AM/PM Modern Moisturiser
A fast absorbing, non-greasy daily moisturiser with ceramides, peptides, hyaluronic acid and glycerin, designed to replenish moisture and support the skin barrier. Suitable for morning and evening use across all skin types.
Prequel Redness Reform Soothing Serum
A lightweight, fragrance free serum with oat kernel extract, vitamin F and soothing molecules, designed to visibly calm redness and sensitivity while supporting the skin barrier. Suited to sensitive, dry and reactive skin.
Prequel Multi-Acid Milk Peel
A milky AHA exfoliating solution with 15% acids, combining glycolic, lactic, mandelic, phytic and malic acids with enzymes and squalane, designed to smooth texture, brighten and refine tone.
The packaging feels considered, almost a little special, without being pretentious. The products are generously sized, too. Gleanser comes in an enormous 400 ml bottle, while Half & Half is 168 ml. Having previously fallen in love with Geek & Gorgeous, only to find myself constantly replacing rather small moisturisers, I appreciate that enormously.
What I particularly enjoy is how Prequel explains its skincare technology. The information is there, on the packaging, in understandable language. You can read it or ignore it, but you aren't left trying to work out what a product is supposed to do.
The brand has also gained independent recognition for selected products through organisations including the National Eczema Association and National Psoriasis Foundation. These are product-specific assessments, not guarantees of suitability, but I appreciate the willingness to have formulations assessed against external criteria.
And then there's the skincare itself.
Gleanser: 50% Glycerin Cleanser
I have inherently dry, rosacea-prone skin, and this cleanser has genuinely made its way into my personal routine. It's wonderfully sensual. The texture almost looks more like glycerin than cleanser, which makes sense when glycerin accounts for 50% of the formulation.
Glycerin is an established humectant, and here it helps create a cleansing experience designed to be less stripping. I'm not suggesting it's changed my naturally dry skin type. It hasn't. But I genuinely enjoy using it.
And it's a huge 400 ml bottle. These things matter.
Multi-Quench Hydration Mist
Hello, glazed donut.
The formulation combines polyglutamic acid (PGA), glycerin, aloe and supporting humectants. PGA isn't an exfoliating acid; it's a water-binding polymer that helps retain moisture at the skin's surface.
The result, on my skin, is this wonderfully plump, dewy finish. It feels like considerably more than water in a spray bottle.
And I love that it tells you exactly what it's trying to achieve. Multi-Quench Hydration Mist. No detective work required.
Half & Half Peptide + Ceramide Fluid Moisturiser
This is such an elegant product.
Ceramides support the skin's lipid barrier, while peptides are included for their potential skin-conditioning and fine-line-related benefits.
But it's the texture that won me over.
It's lightweight, fluid and leaves the skin feeling incredibly soft. Really, really soft.
And I wouldn't automatically treat it as something that needs another moisturiser layered over it. This could absolutely be somebody's everyday moisturiser.
It feels special without being complicated.
AM/PM Modern Moisturiser
AM/PM feels more like what most people would instinctively recognise as a moisturiser.
It's creamier, a little more occlusive, and gives that cushioned, buffered feeling that some people really enjoy.
Where Half & Half is lightweight and softening, AM/PM offers a little more of that protective finish.
Neither is better. They're simply different textures for different needs. And importantly, I don't think you need both.
Redness Reform
Redness Reform has a green tinge, giving an immediate colour-correcting effect. Green can visually counteract redness, so we need to be mindful that an immediate improvement in appearance doesn't necessarily mean inflammation has reduced.
The formulation also includes skin-conditioning ingredients, but I wouldn't confuse their potential benefits with the optical effect.
It doesn't carry the National Rosacea Society seal, either. That doesn't make it inherently unsuitable, just as a seal wouldn't guarantee that everybody with rosacea could use a particular product.
It's about understanding what we're actually seeing.
Multi-Acid Milk Peel
This might be the best example of why Prequel makes sense to me. It's called Multi-Acid Milk Peel Exfoliating Solution. You know what you're buying.
It contains a disclosed 15% acid blend, including glycolic, mandelic and lactic acids. That's a meaningful exfoliating treatment, not something I'd casually introduce to reactive skin because the word milk makes it sound gentle.
Concentration isn't the whole story; pH and the wider formulation matter too. But the product clearly communicates its purpose and the combined acid concentration.
After reviewing products elsewhere that describe themselves rather vaguely as AHA toners, I find that refreshingly straightforward.
Why Prequel has won me over
The last time I felt this excited about an entire skincare brand was Geek & Gorgeous. Before that, probably The Ordinary.
Both made skincare feel more ingredient-led and accessible. Prequel gives me that same feeling, but with something else added. The products feel substantial, the textures are lovely, the packaging feels special, and there's a sense that somebody has thought carefully about the person actually using them.
Not every product will suit every person. A 15% acid peel doesn't belong in every routine, and a green-tinted serum isn't a treatment for rosacea.
Good skincare isn't about everybody buying everything. It's about understanding what a product does, who might benefit and whether it deserves a place in your routine.
For the first time since starting The Shelf, I've found six products from one brand that I can genuinely see a place for.
Six products. Six places on The Shelf.
And instead of feeling I've finished with Prequel, I just want to try more.
The Shelf. Ingredient first. Brand second. Always.
