# Why is cucumber good for the face?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cucumber-good-for-the-face/129119
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [September 22, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cucumber-good-for-the-face/129119 "2002-09-22T13:54:56Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2002, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cucumber-good-for-the-face/129119/1 "2002-09-22T13:54:56Z")
Err… I guess the title really asks the question…
Cucumber is _supposed_ to be good for the skin; especially sliced and placed on the face for a while… but why is it good?
What does it do for the skin? Why does it do that? Or is it all a big hoax?:eek:
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2002, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cucumber-good-for-the-face/129119/2 "2002-09-22T14:25:40Z")
The magic ingredient is supposed to be something called cucurbitacin, often misspelled “curcubitacin”. It’s supposed to lighten up dark patches.
If you spell it right and do a google search, you get references to cucurbitacin being a toxin. If you misspell it and do a google search, you get lots of sites looking to sell you some facial scrubs.
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### Author:  [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)
#### Post date: [September 22, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-cucumber-good-for-the-face/129119/3 "2002-09-22T14:57:48Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Attrayant \*
> \*\*The magic ingredient is supposed to be something called cucurbitacin, often misspelled “curcubitacin”. It’s supposed to lighten up dark patches.
>
> If you spell it right and do a google search, you get references to cucurbitacin being a toxin. If you misspell it and do a google search, you get lots of sites looking to sell you some facial scrubs. \*\*
Thanks **Attrayant**!
But all it does is lighten up dark patches? **AG** will be very disappointed to hear that…