Also having no dog in this fight, I will continue using Onzow.
As many have pointed out, there is nothing wrong with occasional brushing & flossing so to speak. Occasional use of a compact brush as supplied by Ortofon/Benz/Lyra/MoFi/Disc Doctor etc as an addition to regular correct use of the aforementioned gel is highly advisable. Gentle lossy brushing of the cantilever could also be considered from time to time.
I agree that hard clear substances can build up on styli. I have seen it and cleaned it. Not rocket science but it does require great magnification and a steady hand (along with support of the cantilever using MacGyver inspired well placed removable scotch tape with the unsticky back side supporting the top of the cantilever). Clear buildup is indicative of cleaning “treatment” fluid whereas brown gunk would relate to wet record playing trash which is typically not as tough to remove.
The clear crust I’ve removed via an exacto knife (Metal blade) & plastic pick were determined, by user/owner query, to be stylus treatments over applied and built up over time. The brown gunk, removed with just the plastic pick, was one of my pickups grunged up after trying to relive my youth using a wet Discwasher record brush - turns out they don’t effectively dry after moistening the brush’s leading edge!
In spite of a potential warranty claim reported for a mistracking cartridge, I completely fail to see how such a soft cleaning gel can cause audible damage despite referenced “deposit” photos.
Just my $0.02 worth . . . Let’s go buy more records!