There’s a lot of talk in skincare about serums, acids and routines. But one of the most important steps often gets overlooked: your cleanser.
It might seem simple, but if your face wash is too harsh, too active, or just not doing its job, it can undo everything else you’re doing right. If your skin feels tight, dry or irritated after cleansing, it’s not working for you.
At Dr. Storm, we keep skincare simple, backed by evidence, and free from the fluff. And it starts with getting this step right.
The Cleansers That Overpromise and Underdeliver
You’ve probably tried the lot: exfoliating scrubs, foaming gels, micellar water. They’re sold as glow-boosting or deep-cleaning, but most of them are overcomplicated, overactive, and overhyped.
✖ Scrubs & Exfoliating Face Washes
These are often packed with gritty particles or added acids like glycolic and salicylic. The problem? They don’t stay on your skin long enough to make a real difference but they do have enough contact to cause irritation, especially if you’re already using actives like tretinoin.
“The idea that you need to exfoliate daily is marketing not medicine. Your skin is a sophisticated organ that already knows how to renew itself.” - Dr Jude
✖ Foaming Gels & ‘Deep Clean’ Washes
If your cleanser foams up like bubble bath, it probably contains strong surfactants (like SLS). These strip your skin of its natural oils and damage your barrier leaving it dry, tight or inflamed.
✖ Micellar Water
This one gets labelled as “gentle,” but it’s often anything but. Micellar water leaves behind a film of preservatives and surfactants on your skin. And unless you’re rinsing it off (most people don’t), it can lead to breakouts, irritation and even reduce the effectiveness of your active treatments. The other gripe we have with micellar water is that people tend to rub their skin with it until their cotton pads are clean, potentially irritating the skin and damaging the skin barrier.
“If you’re not rinsing it off, you’re not really cleansing.” - Dr Jude
What a Good Cleanser Actually Does
Cleansing shouldn’t be complicated. You don’t need acids, scrubs or tingling sensations.
What you do need is a cleanser that:
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Removes sunscreen, light makeup, oil and dirt
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Supports your barrier, not damage it
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Leaves your skin feeling clean and comfortable, not tight or dry
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Prepares your skin for actives like tretinoin by keeping it calm and balanced
“If your skin feels tight after cleansing, that’s a sign of damage, not cleanliness.” - Dr Jude
Why We Created the Basically Brilliant Cleanser
We couldn’t find a cleanser that met our standards, so we made one.
The Basically Brilliant Cleanser is made for real skin. The kind that gets breakouts, dryness, redness, or all three. And especially for skin that’s using proper treatments like our Personalised Prescription.
What’s in it:
Minimal ingredients including:
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Aloe vera to calm and soothe
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Panthenol to help repair the skin barrier
What’s not:
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No fragrance
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No essential oils
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No exfoliating acids
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No unnecessary actives
It’s gentle, effective and designed to support your skin, not overload it.
Final Thoughts: Less Hype, More Help
Skincare doesn’t need to be aggressive to be effective.
If you're using actives like tretinoin, your cleanser shouldn't be doing anything fancy. It should just clean your skin without stripping it, stressing it or getting in the way.
That’s why we made this one. It’s simple, supportive, and designed to work.
Try the Basically Brilliant Cleanser
Your skin will thank you for it.
