September 29, 2011

Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector Review

Props to Garnier for creating one of the first Dark Spot Correctors I’ve every seen at the local drugstore. Spot correctors have been taking the skincare world by storm lately…Clinique started the craze and it slowly trickled down to various brands from high end, to mid end, and now at your local drugstore thanks to Garnier.

This lightweight daily moisturizer is supposed to fade discolorations including dark spots, age ones, and acne marks thanks to a healthy dose of Vitamin C.

Does it work?

Let’s find out!


A daily moisturizer treatment for reversing hyperpigmentation, sun damage, acne marking, dark spots, and aging spots.


Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector sounds like a dream come true as it contains 5% Ascorbic Acid which is a generous dose of Vitamin C for a moisturizer you can find at your local drugstore.

The product comes housed in a squeeze tube which allows the ingredients to remain fresh and effective. The formula is more of a serum than a moisturizer as it as a runny, gel-like consistency which absorbs easily into the skin. My own skin is quite dry so I can’t honestly say this is a good hydrating treatment however I’m more concerned how effective it will be at reversing sun damage rather than its moisturizing properties. The product is heavily fragranced with Garnier’s typical fresh floral scent. I like the scent but if you’re sensitive it will prove irritating.

After several weeks of use and a near tube later….


Like most correctors you have to have ALOT of patience. These products are sometimes successful at lightening problem areas but not reversing them completely. In the case of Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector I saw no difference. It’s been over two months now with a twice daily application and a brief pause in between uses (I had to stop using it briefly because it was causing me to break out which is saying something as I rarely break out when using new skincare). I’m almost completely done with the tube at this point and I can honestly say I see no difference in the small sun damaged area I was seeking to correct nor did I see any benefits on my entire face…I was hopeful that it would ease dullness and possibly brighten or even whiten thanks to the heavy dose of Vitamin C in the mix.

The product is heavily scented and could prove irritating to some. I’m not sure what exactly caused my break out problem…I’m not sensitive to fragrance in my skincare so I assume my skin simply didn’t like the formula on a whole. Thankfully when I stopped and followed up using again I didn’t have any issues but do be aware if you are highly sensitive.

  • Those looking for an over the counter, budget spot corrector.

  • Those expecting immediate results.
  • Those wanting to reverse age spots, sun damage, etc…
  • Those wanting to brighten, lighten, whiten, or ease dullness.
  • Those sensitive to fragrance in their skincare.


For $19.99, I didn’t expect miracles…but I was hopeful. Sadly, Garnier Skin Renew Dark Spot Corrector simply didn’t work for me. I honestly saw no difference in my skin after faithful use for several weeks. I wish I could say run out and buy it but if you want to invest in something perhaps take the twenty bucks to a higher end brand or to your dermatologist who can recommend something that will correct problem areas.

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Available now at drugstores.

About the Muse

Isabella MuseIsabella is just an average everyday geeky girl who doesn’t blend her eyeshadow correctly, wears too much blush, and hopes she never finds her holy grail products because she likes the thrill of the chase so much. Her mission is to bring you super honest reviews on makeup, skincare, fragrance and all things beauty. She’s in no way an expert on the topic and she sure as hell isn’t a super model. But she’s passionate about makeup and is seeking like-minded individuals that like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain, and ones that enjoy spending hundreds of dollars at Sephora without feeling buyer’s remorse. If you’re that person feel free to reach out and leave a comment or follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Bloglovin‘.

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Comments

  • Danielle

    Thanks for the warning about the fragrance, I agree these are heavily scented and advise anyone with sensitive skin to beware. I used one of the products from this line and reacted so badly (likely to the fragrance, according to my doc) that I looked like I had a really bad sunburn. Bright red skin, peeling and blistery looking..no bueno. 🙁

  • Carolyn

    Thanks for this, Muse. It sounds similar to Philosophy’s old ‘Pigment of Your Imagination’ which claimed to lighten dark spots. It didn’t.

    Estee Lauder have recently brought out a serum in their Idealist range which might be better. Fingers crossed!

  • katchimo

    You know you are only supposed to use products with Vitamin C at night right? It’s sensitive to sunlight and I’ve heard that it will make spots worse if you use it in the morning. I only use my Vitamin C serum at night but the same should apply to this too.

  • Ryou

    Products with ascorbic acid as vitamin C source are never stabilized, unfortunately. Ascorbic acid becomes rancid pretty quickly, and while some vitamin C derivatives can be stabilized in creams/serums/etc, the best way to get vitamin C into your skincare regime is to sprinkle some vitamin C powder into your serum/moisturizer RIGHT before you put it on your skin.

  • Jayne

    Whoa, I had never even thought about sprinkling Vitamin C INTO my moisturizer. I’ve never heard that before, either? Sounds messy.

    This looked so promising (I can’t bring myself to shell out for the Clinique – I don’t hate my freckles THAT much.) and I usually really like Garnier skincare. I’m sad to hear it doesn’t work.

    But I was happy to hear about Missha’s two flash sales in a row – 1st was Perfect Cover for 8.99 and today was Signature for 13.99. I ordered both, and got a full-size Perfect Cover with each order free. I’m splitting two of the orders with friends, but STILL. I bought two BB creams (one, the Perfect Cover, was a backup) IN TWO DAYS. MUSE, what have you DONE TO ME?

    • Anna

      Jayne, I just wanted to tell you that it did work for me!!! I was actually dumb not take before pictures! I should have. By reading the reviews, I thought it wouldn’t do any justice either, but I said ‘heck’ it doesn’t hurt to try and so I did. It has been 2 months and not only do I see improvements, but my husband, mother, students, colleagues, etc. have been seeing improvement! I massage the serum onto my face nightly. I still have a few dark spots, but they are lighter than when I started applying the serum. You have to understand some spots will not be removed, whereas they are permanent. This is where plastic surgery, dermabrasion, chemical peels, etc. take place. I hope I helped and hope it isn’t too late!

  • Sarah S.

    Aww, bummer! It was sounding perfect for my acne-prone sunspotted skin. Oh well, moving on!

  • JoElla

    Sadly, most products from Garnier no longer work for me. The creams feel heavy and freak my skin out. I don’t know if it is me, and the ever changing skin or what. And I am bummed because I did like this line.

    the 2 things I do like is the 3 n 1 cleanser for a quick mask and the light green bottle with spf.

  • Blair

    Dang, I was hoping to snag this for my mom for Christmas…OK, guess I’ll take this as a sign and invest in the one from Estee Lauder.

  • Julie

    I, too, used faithfully for 2 months & saw no difference. And I, too, broke out when I never do. Disappointed. 🙁

  • jamie

    Maybe I’m the one person it works for but I love it. I have noticed my past acne marks lightening drastically as well as an overall brightening of my skin. And almost every product I use causes my skin to break out but this seemed to help.

  • Holly

    I’m not sure, but I think this creme caused my face to become numb? Just desensitized to touch, very strange sensation, but using this creme is the only thing I can trace it back to, has anyone every heard of that happening?

    • T

      I thought I was going crazy…been using the Target generic version of this and have had weird numbness in my face. I was starting to think I was getting Bell’s Palsy, but noticed after apply it tonight, maybe forty five minutes later, that the numbness was much more pronounced. I do not have sensitive skin at all, so this is definitely weird.

      • Patricia

        My face has the same weird mildly numb sensation. I thought it must be from something topical. I am going to discontinue using the Bremenn clinical strength dark spot eraser and see if it makes a difference.

    • Joanna

      I bought a Garnier BB creme and conditioning body lotion recently. The face creme caused my skin to erupt in bumps, practically overnight, and the body lotion made my arms and legs tingly/numb and dead-feeling for a week. Everything went away when I figured out what was going on and stopped using them. I am going to ask my dermotologist what ingredients in the products could have caused this awful reaction in me.

  • marlame

    I too used it faithfully for over two months and no reduction in spots. May have brightened up a bit, but the pesky dark spots I wanted gone are still there and just as prominent.

  • Melissa

    Thanks for your input! I have been using it and although my very dark spots didn’t fade, the overall tone of my skin has evened out. I’m allergic to perfume so whatever is in this stuff to make it smell good does not break me out. I can’t use half of the over the counter products because I am allergic to perfume and propelyne glycol. That being said, this is also a sunscreen and so your dark spots don’t get any darker. I had what I call “shady” spots around my mouth and chin area and this stuff definitely cleared that up. After about a month’s use my boss said that my skin looked “cleaner”, not clearer or brighter so I guess it is doing it’s job in an overall way. BTW, I am mixed race, caramel complected.

    Anyways, for real dark spots go for the cheap and effective way. Buy vitamin E in liquid capsule form and break it open and apply it directly to the spots at night. This is the only thing that I have used that gave me very noticeable results.

    I still love the Garnier as a daily moisturizer though, I guess it depends on the person.

  • Dee

    I am an African American female dark complexioned. I tried this product for dark under eye circles and after 1 month, I see a drastic change. Circles 90 percent gone. Will continue to use this product and highly reccommend being nothing else had helped.

    • the Muse

      dee, this isn’t for dark under eyes circles? you shouldn’t be applying this under your eyes. It’s for your face.

  • Nikki c

    It works for me. I dab it only on the spots and freckles and in a few weeks it works.

  • L Crabtree

    I also tried the product, and had no change in my dark marks. But it did, however give me blackheads! I have NEVER had a problem with blackheads before. I also noticed the product was getting a dark look around the tube, almost like a self tanner would. thumbs down on this product.

    • Sarah

      I know this is an old post and an old comment buuuut… This hasn’t been in the UK long so I thought I’d try it and have had the same problem. At first I seriously thought I was imagining it – I’ve had problems with blackheads in the past but NEVER like this. Such a shame because it feels really nice and wasn’t exactly cheap either 🙁

  • Joyati

    I wish I read all these before I bought a tube. It’s just a couple of days that I started using it. I will try one tube and will let you all know if I see any difference. I am from Indian sub-continent so my skin is brownish to begin with.

  • Lucy

    I used this product faithfully for my dark spots and saw absolutely no results. Don’t waste your time and hopes on a product thast does not live up to the hype. These companies prey on our dreams of a spot free complection and then deliver nothing. I am so disappointed.

  • Angie

    I have dark circles under my eyes. Had them since I was a teenager.
    A lady used this cream and it worked. But then someone said its not for th
    Eyes. Can I use it for my eyes? What are the risks?

  • M

    I’ve been wanting to try this product for a while.

    The only thing is, I read somewhere that a product with too much vitamin C in it is not good for the skin’s collagen – does anyone know if this is true?

    Would this product be safe to use if it contains quite a lot of Vitamin C?

    Thanx.

  • Jd

    I’ve been using this product for five days and i do see a difference. It is working for me. I guess in depends of the skin. I have dark and red marks due acne and the red are almost gone and the dark are actually fading and my skin feels great and brighter. I do recommend this product!

  • shami

    i bought this product(garnier skin corrector) today and after arriving at home i read reviews of people about this product,there are 70 pc negative reviews about this product, i think i should not try it and refund it, can someone give me suggestion which cream should i use, i have dark spots of acne on my cheeks and freckles on my nose, i am very stressful about my face problems.

  • Ladyhawk

    Sounds like its not worth it. I have read some articles lately about using lemons directly on skin, which is essentially what this product is plus moisturizers. I recently tried using pure lemon juice on a broken blood vessel on my face and after 2 application– it has already done wonders to reduce the redness.I apply it with a q-tip only on the spot, so not to whiten all my skin. The results have been surprising!!! I have also read that lemons can be used for lightening acne, freckles and age spots. Its natural and definitely worth a try!

    • Steph

      I went and bought this product, and have been using it faithfully every evening for the past 2 months. Absolutely nothing’s changed. I still have these darn dark spots on my face and on the back of my hands. I hear the only way is to have them lasered off…is that true??

  • Marie

    Do NOT use this. It cause me to break out bad and on top of that it made some dark spots worse. I now broke out into eczema all under my chin because of this. If you have really sensitive skin DO NOT i repeat DO NOT use this. A waste of a good $20

  • Yasmin

    This product absolutely works, I had lots of acne scars on my cheeks and chin. I used this product only once a day for about 3 months, it cleared my face completely! You will start seeing results only after 2 months not sooner so stick with it cuz it works!

  • christa fl

    I have a very sensitive skin & pro breakout & have a lot of dark spots due to acne scars. One of my concerns, aging skin around my eyes. after 2-3 days of using the Somaluxe Moisturizer – the results are unbelievable! around my eyes, the line that’s been bothering me for quite a while is lessening & the dark spots on my cheeks wow! start to lighten!