Cucumbers are used in a variety of beauty products due to their anti-inflammatory, moisture-regulating, soothing, and cooling properties.
What it is: Scientifically known as Cucumis sativus, cucumbers are a widely cultivated plant in the gourd family (along with watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, and other types of squash).
Where it comes from: Having an enclosed seed and developing from a flower, cucumbers are scientifically classified as fruits. The fruit grows out of a creeping vine with roots in the ground and large leaves that form a canopy over it.
Properties: Cucumbers are cylindrical and elongated in shape with a very mild, watery taste. The fruit has a high water content (90%), which lends to its unique cooling taste. Cucumber also contains ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and caffeic acid, both of which soothe skin irritations.
What it’s good for: Cucumber beauty products help in providing a cool and a soothing feeling to the skin, along with aiding in the removal of dead skin cells. It also helps in alleviating inflammations and irritants from the skin along with acting as an excellent skin-smoother and skin conditioning agent. The well-known cooling property of cucumbers is generally attributed to the amino acid cucurbitin and fatty oils present in its seeds that provide a soothing effect on the body when used topically. It’s known to soothe itchiness and irritations like sunburns, tighten pores, reduce eye puffiness, and reveal truly radiant, dewy-fresh skin.
Where you’ll find it: Cucumbers are used in a variety of beauty products due to their anti-inflammatory, moisture-regulating, soothing, and cooling properties. Cucumber products include cleansers, toners, and moisturizers.
Other uses: Along with being used externally as an effective beauty ointment, drinking a glass of cucumber juice can also help people get rid of their body heat.