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Beauty Secrets of the Cucumis Sativa

Cucumbers (Cucumis Sativa) have been a food staple since the time of Emperor Tiberius. They even get mentioned in the Bible. Remember the Israelites complaining to Moses that they missed the 'cumbers and melons' they had in Egypt? It's a wonder that the cucumber is cultivated at all since its nutritional value is nil. Cucumbers are over 95% water. Although its juicy and crunchy qualities make it a great addition to a salad, a superfood it is not. Nevertheless, the little green fruit has other properties that make it a great botanical to use in beauty products.

It's common to see someone receiving a facial with cucumber slices over the eyes. That's not hype. The high water content of cucumbers helps to rehydrate thirsty pores, and it feels cool and soothing to sunburned or irritated skin. Home recipes for lotions and facial masks that include cucumber are numerous.

Commercial manufacturers of beauty products are aware of cucumbers benefits as well. Cucumbers are heavily used in the skin care and perfume industry. The secret of the little green fruit is this—cucumbers have the same pH as human skin and the nose perceives the cucumber's light scent as fresh. These two things make it a perfect mixer with other botanicals that have their own great properties. Various concoctions containing well known herbals and oils such as chamomile, aloe, and olive are commonly mixed with cucumbers to make soaps, scrubs, lotions and body butters.

So there you have it. The official reasons for the cucumber's staying power--the cucumber is cool, plays well with others, and has no offensive smells--characteristics we should all strive for. However, there remain some curious facts about how the cucumber is marketed. In researching this article I found that far more women's products are made with cucumber than men's products. Also, women prefer cucumber-based products to any other botanical. Hmm, could it be something about the color green that women especially find attractive? What is it about this phallic-shaped fruit that women find so compelling? Curious indeed. To paraphrase Kermit, 'It's not easy being green.'

2007, Clara Myers. Great-Face.com promotes spa-quality skin care products as well as information from experts on how to maintain great skin.

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