Is Pumpkin the New Super Fruit?

I loved all of the items in last month's Birchbox but the one that really stood out to me was the sample of June Jacobs Perfect Pumpkin Enzyme Polish. It's a gentle, natural scrub for your face and body.  The pumpkin extracts in this scrub, "are full of skin-fortifying amino acids, healing zinc, brightening vitamin C, and line-softening vitamin A." It looks and smells like the filling you'd use in a pie.

From first use, this scrub left my skin feeling soft and hydrated. The sample size was enough for a few applications and each time I loved the way it made my skin feel. That got me thinking. Is pumpkin the new super fruit?

There is little scientific proof that the external application of pumpkin will help skin look and feel younger. However, I find it interesting that many of the active agents in pumpkin are similar to the ones found in popular skincare products. There's got to be a connection.

At the very least what could it hurt to throw on a pumpkin mask or scrub? Below are a couple of recipes for those DIY'ers out there.

Bethenny Frankel's Pumpkin Mask

2 cups canned pumpkin

4 tablespoons Greek yogurt

4 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Combine ingredients. Smooth onto face. Rest for 10 minutes, then rinse off mask.

Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Body Scrub

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey

 Combine ingredients. Smooth onto body, avoiding face then rinse off.