Had heard some hype about the Philosophy line but never used it until I recently received a gift which included this "Hope In A Jar" moisturizer along with "Hope In A Jar Night" moisturizer and the " Purity Cleanser". Agree with the poor (hygiene) packaging but gave all items a try. Very "different" fragrances and weird consistencies but stuck with the regimen per some good reviewer comments. Within a couple of weeks or so I started developing boil - like blemishes deep within the skin - which I had not experienced since pre-puberty, followed by a general bumpiness all over the areas where creams were applied. I then tried eliminating each one over time to find the culprit. The day and night creams were DEFINITELY the main offenders. I allowed my face to completely clear before trying the "Hope In A Jar" day cream by itself and my skin started to break out again. Same experience when the night cream was isolated. The Purity cleanser when used alone even caused issues after a while and felt harsh and chemical on my skin. I feel these products are not worth the marketing hype.
Retuned to my gentle cleanser and moisturizers and my skin is clear and happy again!

UPDATE: recently read an independent research/watchdog site to protect consumers from false claims and also gives the facts about product ingredients on our skin. The "Hope" creams were given poor to average ratings and also did not contain all ingredients claimed, but more importantly contained ingredients that are likely to cause irritation. The cleanser had a POOR rating for containing harsh fragrances and chemicals that strip essential oils in our skin.

I like this product and dislike this product. I used to go into Sephora and rub this all over my hands all the time. I finally purchased a little tub and kept it in my purse for a hand moisturizer. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I noticed it was a facial moisturizer. I felt silly so I started to use this on my face instead. Unfortunately the luxurious feeling it gave my hands didn't translate to my face. It did absolutely nothing for my skin, it didn't even feel moisturized. I don't remember the smell so I can't comment about that but I did really like the consistency. Final verdict: good for hands, bad for face.

I'm in love with this stuff. I hear a lot of complaints about the smell, but I don't mind it. Especially because it is so fabulous for my skin. It keeps my acne prone skin balanced. I have not had a single pimple since I began using this a couple months ago. I have zero flaking and zero overproduction of oil when using this. My skin looks so rosy and healthy!!!! I love that it comes in a jar. The jar makes it easy to know when I'm running low. So convenient. It's quite pricey, but completely worth it. Seriously, I don't get all of the bad reviews. But all skin is different.

This moisturizer receives negative reviews because of the fragrance and the consistency. I happen to not mind the smell and the consistency of the lotion. I have used this moisturizer on and off for a few years now and keep coming back to it. I like to use this when my skin is extremely dry to the point where it actually is cracked and hurts (yes, this really does happen during the winter). I do not use this as much during the summer because it is such a heavy moisturizer but it does feel very nice on sunburns. I think hope in a jar is worth a try and from what i've heard it works for most and disappoints a few.

Ladies this has been the Ultimate Worst facial moisturizer that I had the misfortune of using it at my face! And trust me I had my share of bad moisturizer but like this I had never encountered! First the packaging gives a cheap vibe and its too overpriced for a product that is not even high end, and most importantly it made my face break out in 1 day! Imagine 24 hours after applying and my face is filled with big red bumps and under-skin pimples! And my skin is not even acne prone! I have dry/combination skin so normally for me a bad day would be my skin would dry out not be filled with bumps!! So I think philosophy should really be more honest about their claims for this cream! and not sell false lies!

Used this years and years ago, I thought it smelled odd but I not only got used to it, I grew to love the scent. It was just a moisturizer for my normal skin back then, now years later I wear it under my FoP because I love that it gently exfoliates my skin as well as brightening my skin. I had stopped using it for years but I gave it another go and glad that I did, it just takes a bit of time to reap the rewards of this basic but great product. I have dry skin so this is not enough moisture for me, the HiaJ dry? Meh, the HiaJ Night...LOVE that one!

This cream gets hated on a lot, but I've been using this off and on for 10 years and I keep coming back because it works for me. I will say that the scent is inexcusable, it smells exactly like rotten milk. But the active ingredient is lactic acid so maybe that's why. At any rate, I only ever use this as a night cream because there's no way I'm going to let anyone catch me with that smell on me. That's why I give it 4 lippies instead of 5, because other than the scent, I think HIAJ is a 5-lippie product. This delivers RESULTS. After only a few uses it gives me bright, even, glowy skin that people compliment me on. Provides the right amount of moisture too, hydrating but not greasy. Doesn't break me out. Doesn't cost a fortune either. Have repurchased many times and will continue to do so.

this has got to be the worst cream, for the price paid.
It has an unusually bad smell and after being applied, it caused some spots. I have usually seen these type of spots when I am allergic to some ingredient in a cream.
Not recommended at all, for sensitive skin types.
Oh, and folks, this has parabens and propylene glycol! I'd be willing to use even Desert Essence facial moisturizer over this cream. It costs a fraction of this cream and does not have these objectionable ingredients!

Weird smell, doesn't seem to do much. Luckily I bought the small travel size.

After having troubles with finding a moisturizer that wouldn't break me out, the SA gave me 2 samples of Hope in a jar. Personally i loved the smell, and it did gave my skin enough moisture. But, i got break outs right away. It was awful. These were the type of spots that were caused by the product since they pop up suddenly and are quite painful and grow like mental.

I was a bit disappointed but glad i got a sample instead of the full size product, because i threw them in the garbage right away.