Thousands Of People Say This $12 Drugstore Moisturizer Improved Their Skin

It'll make your face and your wallet happy.

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As someone with normal-to-dry skin not particularly prone to breakouts, I've never spent more than $15 on a daily moisturizer — and even that's pushing it. So when I noticed that this Garnier Clearly Brighter moisturizer had a whopping 15K customer reviews with a 4.1-star average, I wanted to see what was up.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

I'm 35, and along with the journey into one's mid-thirties comes the journey into dreaded ~dull skin~ territory. I've been using the same basic Olay moisturizer for years (what can I say, being fiercely loyal to solid drugstore brands is in my blood) with no issue, but figured it couldn't hurt to try a product that literally has the word "brighter" in its name, right?

I did notice that a handful of reviews were via a promo where customers received a free sample for an unbiased review, so I was slightly skeptical — but long story short, I have been very pleasantly surprised by how effective this humble little bottle of moisturizer has been, and it's actually become my new go-to! (As a matter of fact, I just placed my next bottle into my Amazon cart while writing this.)

Here's the thing: It's pretty tough to prove that a moisturizer has truly made one's skin more luminous via side-by-side iPhone pics. So the best I can do is this photo of me without makeup or filters, four months into using the product every morning.

Emmy Favilla / BuzzFeed

(Otherwise ruthless commenters, please try to be nice to me.)

Again, I don't have a drastically different "before" no-makeup photo to compare this to — because my skin is basically pretty clear as is, albeit a bit red/patchy in the wintertime, and all the differences this product has made, in reality, wouldn't be very distinguishable in photos several months apart. So you'll just have to take my word that this is what I've noticed since using it:

• It seriously makes my skin feel smooth AF — which, yes, is the one main job of a moisturizer, though compared to what I had been using, the difference has very much been noticeable.

• My nose, which gets very dry and patchy in the colder months, has been visibly more hydrated and even-toned.

• I'm predisposed to under-eye circles; I've had them since I was a teenager, and I have noticed that they don't quite look as dark.

• As customer reviews attest to, despite being a lightweight to mid-weight product, a little goes a long way. One 2.5 oz. bottle lasted me about four months with daily use on my face and neck.

• It has a light, refreshing floral scent that perks me up in the morning! (That said, if you are sensitive to scented beauty products, you might want to spot-test it.)

And, of course, it's got SPF 15 for year-round sun protection (and there's an SPF 30 version of the product as well). The packaging of the TSA-friendly bottle is also perfect for traveling: You can click the pump over to one side to lock in it place so it doesn't leak all over your ziplock baggie or cosmetics case.

And here are are some promising reviews from other satisfied Walmart customers to boot:

Walmart

"I LOVE this product! It has enough SPF for daily use, it is lightweight, but moisturizing, and best of all, my skin looks amazing after one week! I have actually stopped using foundation all over my face and have gotten compliments on how great my skin looks!" —Khara

"After using this product daily for just seven days, I can already see improvement in my skin! My complexion looks more even-toned and smooth, and my makeup seems to be going on more evenly. The dry patches I had a week ago are gone, but my skin is not over-moisturized. 'Brightening' is the perfect word for this moisturizer; my skin has a glow! Bonus points for SPF protection, something I always look for in a day cream. I'm thrilled that my new favorite daytime moisturizer is such a bargain, too. I'm kicking my other day moisturizers to the curb." —Melissa D

"I've been using this for two years and absolutely love it. It makes my skin glow and it goes on very smooth. I have combination skin and it's not too drying or oily — it's just right." —Jriv

So...is this a miracle product? Not necessarily. But based on my experience (and the testimonials of thousands of happy moisturized faces), is it a fantastic choice for anyone with skin that veers into dry/dull territory and doesn't want to drop a ton of money on their daily moisturizer? I would absolutely say so!

Walmart

Get it from Amazon for $11.82 or from Walmart or Jet for $12.44.

Some reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.