If your social feeds are suddenly jam-packed with recommendations about manuka honey, welcome to the buzz. Long a favorite in natural food and wellness circles, this New Zealand export has now risen to the status of “pricey, but worth it” for many health-conscious folks. It’s also a favorite product for Instagrammers and TikTokers who tout its antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They’re using it for wound healing, cough relief, ulcer healing, digestion and oral health, and they’re urging you to try it, too.

Honey that heals? Sounds great, what’s the catch? Well, all this attention doesn’t come without a price. An 8.8-ounce bottle of high-grade manuka honey costs about $75 from Costco, while three 24-ounce bottles of Costco’s Organic Raw Honey in those little squeezy bears only costs about $15 total. But all you can do with that bear honey is pour it in your tea, whereas with manuka, you can make a face mask, apply it to wounds, slather it on pimples and even use it in a throat-saving tonic.