The Expanding Chocolate Market

While chocolate is good by itself, it can also be combined with other ingredients to create a more potent product. Ecco Bella, a cosmetic company, created chocolate bars that are targeted toward specific remedies, such as PMS and menopause relief, bone strength and stress relief. "Our Woman's Wonder Bar has chaste tree berry, a hormone balancer and rose oil, a euphoric and skin cell rejuvenator,” Darlene Zembrod, trainer and educator for Ecco Bella said. “It is strange that a cosmetic company would offer chocolate, but we believe in beauty from the inside out, and decided to put our supplements for beauty in chocolate for women." The company's Beautiful Bones bar contains vitamin K, vitamin D and marine calcium for bone strength.

There are many different types of edible chocolate products available, but one company is going beyond the chocolate and outside the box, so to speak. EatPastry packages its chocolates in 100 percent recycled boxes and biodegradable cellophane, in an effort to Go Green and promote responsible living.

In a delicious twist, several companies are now incorporating chocolate into personal care products. "The theobromine of cocoa has a thermogenetic activity; it redensifies and smoothes the skin," explained Salomon Melki, co-founder, Sensation Chocolat Paris. "Cocoa butter nourishes, hydrates and protects the skin by creating a barrier between sensitive skin and the environment, and helps to retain moisture." Melki noted cocoa butter is rich in magnesium, iron and vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E, and cocoa is purported to help fight the effects of UV light-related aging. The company uses cocoa butter in almost all of its personal care products, as well as Cocoa Vegebios®, an extract obtained from the husk of the cocoa bean that is rich in caffeine and known for its stimulating action to fight against stress.

Sweet Beauty, another creator of skin care therapies, harnessed the power of chocolate's antioxidants in a facial masque, combined with other antioxidant-rich ingredients, such as  açaí berry, blueberry and pomegranate oils. Their facial scrub is a similar formula, but with cocoa nibs, which serve as natural, gentle exfoliants for a deep clean. Cocoa butter and cocoa oil are featured in the company's lip balm and body butter.