Cucumbers have been known since ancient Greece and Rome. They were used not only for food, but also for skin care.
The pH of cucumber juice coincides with the parameters of the acid-base balance of the skin and is suitable for absolutely all skin types, being a hypoallergenic ingredient
Known since ancient times
Cucumber has been known to mankind for 6000 years. Europeans are accustomed to consider it a vegetable, and the inhabitants of the Asian region call it a fruit. It is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of India, the foothills of the Himalayas, where it still grows naturally. Europe learned about cucumbers as a result of the conquests of Charlemagne.
In India, cucumbers came into use around 4000 BC. Its Sanskrit designation corresponded to the name of the legendary Indian Raja, who, according to legend, was able to give birth to about 60 000 children. To a greater extent, this is due not only to the many grains in the cucumber, but also to the abundance of their fruiting.
In ancient Greece, when Homer was alive, there was even a "city of cucumbers": Sicyon. In those years, the ancient Romans already grew this crop annually in their own greenhouses and even salted it. Since ancient times, cucumber juice has been able to establish itself as an excellent cosmetic product that cleanses and protects the skin. Cucumber seeds were also crushed and mixed with powder, and crushed cucumber, just like now, was used to smooth out wrinkles on the skin.
Good for the face
The bulk of the cucumber is fiber and various types of sugars: monosaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. The main cucumber sugars - glucose, fructose and sucrose - moisturize and nourish the skin, while starch, cellulose and pectin help retain moisture in its surface layers. Cucumber extract also contains organic acids: malic and citric. Possessing high acidity, cucumber extract perfectly cleanses the skin, regulates the production of sebum, and has light astringent properties.
In addition to the acids, cucumber also contains phenolic compounds, flavones and flavonols that protect the skin from premature aging, prevent sunburn, acne, relieve inflammation, and reduce capillary fragility. Flavonoid protection helps maintain skin tone.
Flavonoids show maximum activity in tandem with vitamins with antioxidant activity. The cucumber has more of vitamin C (up to 11 mg per 100 g of weight) than any others, but it also contains B vitamins - riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), niacin (B3) and folic acid (B9). The complex of vitamins enhances the brightening effect of cucumber on the skin, and soothes and softens it.
Antiseptic + antioxidant
Cucumber extract has an antiseptic and sebum-regulating effect on the skin caused by organic acids and vitamins, as well as its mineral composition — it contains of a large amount of potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium, as well as zinc, iron, copper, manganese and phosphorus. Bitter cucumbers contain the substance cucurbitin which is a substance of the triterpene class that, in combination with aromatic aldehydes, tightens pores and evens out the skin.
Enzymes that block the production of melanin are responsible for the whitening effect of cucumber, which effectively lightens pigment spots and softens the manifestations of rosacea.