Unless you’re a beauty junkie, it can be difficult to keep up with the latest ingredient trends in skin care. Every day it seems as though there’s some new miracle element—usually with a long, scary-sounding, impossible-to-pronounce name—that promises to make your skin glow. But the latest buzzy ingredient isn’t actually new to beauty blends, and it’s probably not unfamiliar to you either, even if you’ve never considered slathering it onto your skin. Yep, you guessed it: The skin savior du jour is mushrooms.

“Mushrooms contain various extracts that have been in cosmeceutical formulations for years,” says board-certified dermatologist Naana Boakye, MD, founder of Bergen Dermatology and the formulation expert behind Naomi Osaka’s new skincare line KINLÒ. “Mushroom extracts have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and brightening properties.”

Several different mushrooms are touted as hero ingredients in skin care, but Valerie Lewis, aesthetician and founder of Natural Skin Junkie, is partial to one in particular. “Reishi mushrooms are known for their hydrating and anti-inflammatory properties,” she says. “They can also help reduce redness and post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, largely due to this superfood’s rich triterpenes, polysaccharides, and peptidoglycan content.”

Triterpenes, she says, are well-known for their anti-inflammatory properties as well as their ability to attract water. “This is one of the reasons reishi mushrooms hydrate your skin so well,” says Lewis. Polysaccharides are beneficial in promoting skin health and the healing of scars, and peptidoglycans are good at keeping acne breakouts under control due to their natural probiotic qualities.

Dr. Boayke also likes reishi for the same reasons, and she’s a fan of two other mushrooms with similar benefits, too. Tremella mushrooms, a.k.a. snow mushrooms, and chaga mushrooms both have moisturizing, antioxidant, and anti-aging effects as well, she says.

Tremella is, in fact, so hydrating that it’s often referred to as nature’s hyaluronic acid—snow mushrooms can hold up to 500 times their weight in water. They’re also packed with fatty acids, which soften and soothe the skin and help to repair its protective barrier, as well as with kojic acid, which blocks production of abnormal pigmentation.

Chaga, meanwhile, is incorporated into skincare products mainly for its antioxidant and skin-lightening benefits, says board-certified dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, MD. “It has been shown to block the enzyme responsible for production of dark spots on the skin, the same target as ingredients like hydroquinone, kojic acid, and arbutin,” he says. “Its antioxidant effects may also protect the skin against free radical damage from environmental exposures like UV light and pollution.”

To take advantage of these benefits, the pros recommend incorporating mushrooms into your own skincare routine. You don’t have to invest in pricey products or become a chemist to do so, either. Mushroom extracts mix well into simple-to-execute at-home masks, like the two designed by Dr. Boakye and Lewis below.

Avocado Reishi Mushroom Facial Mask

Recipe by: Aesthetician Valerie Lewis

‍Ingredients
‍½ avocado, skinned and deseeded
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 tablespoon organic reishi mushroom powder

Directions
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl until you achieve a creamy smooth texture. Then, apply to freshly cleansed skin. Leave on for 20 minutes, and then rinse.

How to incorporate the mask into a glow-oriented routine
Cleanse with a gentle skin cleanser, and then rinse. Apply an exfoliating cleanser, and then rinse. Tone with a neutral skin toner, such as witch hazel or apple cider vinegar. Do not rinse. Apply the avocado mushroom mask, and leave it on for 20 minutes before rinsing. Tone again with witch hazel or apple cider vinegar. Don’t Rinse. Moisturize with your favorite moisturizer.

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Honey & Tremella/Chaga Moisturizing Mushroom Mask

Recipe by: Board-Certified Dermatologist Naana Boakye, MD

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Manuka honey
2 teaspoons tremella or chaga mushroom extracts

Directions
Mix the ingredients well in a small bowl. Apply the mask to your skin, and allow it to sit for five minutes. Rinse with warm water.

How to incorporate the mask into an ultra-hydrating routine
Use a moisturizer with one of your favorite oils for a dewy look. “I recommend adding extra hydration with KINLÒ’s eye cream and finishing your self-care routine with the Golden Rays Sunscreen for protection,” Dr. Boayke says.