For all you chocoholics out there, now there is another way to get that delicious treat without adding those extra pounds. You can enjoy that flavor while staying on your diet. How? In your make-up! It’s no secret that for years cosmetic companies have used cocoa not only for its wonderful fragrance but also for it softening and lubricating properties.

Chocolate can be found in a variety of products these days. In the past, cosmetic companies used the powder prepared from the roasted and cured kernels of ripe cacao as a skin softener in products such as massage oils. Now companies are cashing in on this chocolate fascination, and the delicious flavor of chocolate can be found in products ranging from lip gloss to shampoos and even face powders.

Shampoos, bubble baths, and shower gels containing cacao will moisturize your skin leaving it soft and smooth. There are also a number of sweetly scented body creams that you can use for luxuriant skin. In some instances cosmetic companies have added some texture such as raspberries  to act as pumice for exfoliation. These body scrubs remove dead skin cells and leave you with that wonderful chocolate aroma. Chocolate is also used in some wonderful face powders. Their natural colorings can give you that golden glow and your face that perfect matte finish.

It’s not just about the look, the scent, or its success in softening skin. There are some health benefits to be gained as well. Chocolate is a source of antioxidants that fight the free radicals which are the main cause of aging. Antioxidants also have the potential to reduce the risk of developing certain diseases. While eating chocolate is probably the best way to derive these benefits, it also makes sense to add chocolate to skin care products as another means of getting these protective agents to the tissues.

Each year hundreds of new products infused with cacao appear on beauty shelves. In 2004 over 90 new products were introduced to consumers. Chocolate, which once took the blame for causing acne, has now developed the reputation for maintaining younger looking skin. Spas literally have people soaking in it. Far from causing blemishes, the skin really glows after a chocolate treatment.

You’ll also get a taste of chocolate if you use some of the new lip glosses. You can achieve moist-looking lips as well as get a quick little taste of that delicious chocolate flavor. You can smell like chocolate and at the same time give your skin the emollients it needs.

So if you’ve got a sweet tooth, just check out your favorite cosmetic counter and you’ll see more chocolate than at a confectionary. Perhaps it will attract the candy lover in your life.

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