When it comes to skincare trends, it doesn’t take much to make a beauty tool go viral—but jade roller have really taken off. The little stone tool, which looks like a mini paint roller for your face (but prettier), has spawned over 30,000 Instagram posts and is being used by beauty pros in treatments and at home to de-puff and hydrate the skin. The tool is a type of facial massager that’s made of either real or faux jade and is designed to help promote lymphatic drainage—the network of vessels that transport lymph, infection-fighting white blood cells, throughout the body to get rid of excess water and other waste products. People who use jade rollers claim that this helps boost circulation, brighten the complexion, and diminish fine lines and wrinkles.

While it’s impossible to say whether these claims are true, there is some scientific backing to the idea that a jade roller can improve your skin. “The concept of using a facial stone to massage the skin is not new, but jade is different in that it stays cool to the touch and may help encourage circulation,” says Dr. Jennifer Herrmann, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, California. “The fact that it can be used on a dry complexion makes it even more effective.”

In the face, the jade roller is most commonly used to help with puffiness, as it’s said to reduce fluid buildup that causes bloating and swelling. It’s also used to help hydrate the complexion and improve elasticity and firmness. You can use it with a serum or moisturizer or on its own. Because the stone is naturally cold, you can also put it in the fridge or freezer to further enhance its effects.

If you want to give it a try at home, be sure to choose an authentic jade roller: It should feel cool to the touch and warm up slowly. It should also be smooth to the touch without being too rough, and it shouldn’t have a strong smell or stain your fingers. You can test it by scratching the surface—if you see a white line, it’s not jade.

To use a jade roller, start on the lower part of your face—specifically your chin area—and roll in both upward and downward directions. Then, move to the sides of your nose and outward toward your ears. Finally, roll across the cheeks and up toward your hairline. “Then use the jade roller to gently massage in any serum or moisturizer you’re using,” says Dr. Del Balzo.

You can also use a jade roller on other parts of the body, like your hips, but if you’re doing this, be sure to roll upward rather than down, since that’s the natural direction for lymphatic drainage. It’s also important to use a light hand, because if you press too hard, you can rupture tiny capillaries that can leave you with red marks on the skin.