noun
loofah water; loofah extract cosmetic
A traditional liquid cosmetic made from the sap or extract of the loofah plant, used as a skin toner or moisturizer.
祖母は昔からへちま水を化粧水として使っている。
My grandmother has been using loofah water as a skin toner for a long time.
夏になると、へちま水を作って肌につけるのが習慣だ。
In summer, it's a custom to make loofah water and apply it to the skin.
化粧水 is a general term for skin toner or lotion, whereas へちま水 is a specific traditional type made from loofah.
Common spelling using katakana for the plant name and kanji for 水.
Hiragana variant for the plant part; less common than katakana.
Rare kanji spelling using 糸瓜 for loofah; mostly historical or literary.
Compound of へちま (loofah) and 水 (water). The word へちま itself is of uncertain origin, possibly from a Southeast Asian language or a Japanese sound-symbolic root.