Chocolate Anti Oxidant for the skin

Cocoa for the Soul and Skin

The use of chocolate in cosmetics started merely as means to trigger a sensorial experience, as most products from a few years ago contained chocolate-flavored chemicals exclusively and not an ounce of real chocolate. As the studies about the internal effects of dark chocolate progressed (flavonoids, anti-oxidants, happiness hormones, you know all that stuff), a few entrepreneurial, creative minds decided that chocolate would have positive effects when used externally as a beauty aid. Susan Kim, founder of Asiana, a home-spa natural cosmetics company, says that “it was safe to assume that chocolate was good when topically applied,” as the less refined it was, the more anti-oxidants it contained. So spas started introducing chocolate spa treatments that would smooth out the skin and hydrate it and new cosmetics companies introduced real chocolate alongside other natural elements like honey, clay, algae, fruit purees in some of their products. Studies that tried to extract information about the effects of topical use of chocolate or cocoa powder have not been very conclusive, but that does not prevent us from enjoying it more than ever.