Willie Wonker Would Be Proud!

When my friends Sarah and Greg got married they honeymooned in Mexico and as a treat brought back samples of spa items made with chocolate for their friends. I was one of the lucky that received a sample cocoa soap and body scrub as well as a pound of cocoa powder to cook with. I loved and used it all, but aside from smelling like a great cup of hot chocolate (yeah, corny I know) I didn't consider any other benefits from their use, I'm really a vanilla smelling kind of girl, and never really investigated the concept of using cocoa for such things. Recently I have run across a few articles discussing the merits of products using Acticoa, a cocoa extract rich in antioxidants called flavanols. Applied topically these products are suppose to have anti aging effects, boosting the production of collagen and moisturizing the skin. Dark chocolate provides the best flavonols. Be prepared for another flood of chocolate boosted beauty products!