As we all search our kitchen cabinets to make “Chopped”-Esque concoctions to pass the time, you may find a kitchen staple to be a helpful addition to your skincare regimen. Turns out honey goes great on oatmeal — and on your face!

Honey has been used for thousands of years as a facial treatment. Unlike most ancient beauty rituals, this one is actually good. Honey is full of antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral agents that can help calm inflammation, heal scars, and reduce acne.

Even better, it’s easy to find, a lot cheaper than many fancy facial masks, and you can make your own treatments at home. Pretty sweet, right?

The benefits: 5 reasons skin loves honey

Though more study is needed to prove some of honey’s facial effects, there is enough evidence to show the promise of this golden syrup. But what can honey do? Let us count the ways.

1. Heal wounds and minimize scarring

Due to its natural microbe- and bacteria-killing properties, honey can be used to heal wounds and scars. One review found that honey helped stimulate tissue growth and lessen scars when used as a treatment on wounds.

Also, since it does such a good job of destroying bacteria, it helps keep wounds clean as they heal. If you have light scarring, a topical honey treatment may help.

Or, if you have a pimple you got a little too aggressive with, honey can help sanitize the area and speed up healing.

2. Soothe atopic dermatitis

If you have eczema, psoriasis, or another form of atopic dermatitis, honey can help.

One small study had their patients use a pure honey treatment on atopic dermatitis flare-ups for 7 days. After only a week (and no other treatments), the patients had great results. This doesn’t mean honey is a cure-all for eczema, but there’s a lot of promise in the sweet treatment.

3. Clear up acne

Some acne is caused by an overgrowth of bacteria on the skin. Honey naturally fights that bacteria, leaving your pores clean.

Plus, the high antioxidant content helps relieve inflammation and redness that acne might leave behind. Again, there aren’t a ton of studies on honey’s acne efficacy, but preliminary research has been pretty great.

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