Chocoholics have all the fun and flawless complexions!

Remember when beauty magazines told you chocolate was the cause of pimples and acne? Times have changed! Researchers debunked this myth and now claim the cocoa bean encourages clear, ageless skin. Crazy, no? Well then, let’s unfold the mysteries of our misunderstood confectionary treat.

Cocoa is a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao bean, Theobroma cacao, from which much of the fat has been removed.

Cocoa contains large amounts of antioxidants. According to research at Cornell, cocoa powder has nearly twice the antioxidants of red wine, and up to three times those found in green tea. Our super friend also contains magnesium, iron, chromium, vitamin C, zinc and more.*

So what can cocoa do for you?

Plentiful antioxidants protect your skin from the damage of sun exposure. With the cocoa bean’s high-flavanols, skin quality improves to become thicker, denser and better hydrated. The anti-inflammatory properties help soothe skin and protect it from collagen breakdown. Cocoa also contains large amounts of magnesium to balance hormones and detox the epidermis, thus clearing acne.**

Drink some hot cocoa!

If you’re concerned about loading up on chocolate bars, drink some delicious hot chocolate that has fewer calories and less sugar. Try heating up a cup of low fat vanilla almond milk with one tablespoon of raw dark cocoa powder and a splash of agave…yum, yum.

Slather chocolate on your skin!

Chocolate facials are a beauty trend, but if that’s too far out, we have other options. Amala out of Germany, loves organic cocoa! Its skin care collections root fair trade cocoa beans in every bottle to smooth wrinkles and restore skin’s natural moisture. Amala Rejuvenating Face Cream smells like cinnamon creme bruleé–so addicting! Two other delicious products from the Rejuvenate Line are Rejuvenating Face Polish – like a delightful Oreo® cookie shake you’ll want to eat, and Rejuvenating Collagen Mask, which melts into skin.

What’s your favorite cocoa beauty product? Share in the comments below.

YDT Cares! Amala products follow the respected European ECOCERT standard.

*Excerpts from dictionary.com and reference.com

**Claims were published from various studies in the Journal of Nutrition.

Images via Flickr users hannah * honey & jam and joana hard.