Addicted to chocolate? Don’t beat yourself up, it’s National Chocolate Week! Not forgetting your habit can actually be good for your skin! 

Dark chocolate (that’s low in sugar and high in cocoa) is rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that nourish skin. Iron, calcium and vitamins A, B1, C, D and E are among the many nutrients that can be obtained, along with significant antioxidant properties (flavonoids) which support the anti-aging process and aid the prevention of cellular damage. Flavonoids also protect and increase blood flow to the skin, improving your complexion, and help your skin protect itself from UV damage and fight Free Radicals (although we’re not suggesting for a second that you forget about your SPF!)

As a rule, the higher the cocoa content, the more flavonoids and the greater the health benefits – dark chocolate with 40% cocoa solids contains five times more flavonoids than white chocolate and twice as many as milk chocolate.

Cocoa also helps reduce stress hormones, which means less collagen breakdown in the skin, and fewer wrinkles, and it has also been shown to even improve skin hydration and thickness!

Look for chocolate containing a minimum of 70 per cent cocoa or cacao. If the first ingredient is milk or sugar, the bar is not going to have 70 percent or more cocoa content. But remember, although the right dark chocolate has clear beauty benefits, you have to keep portion control in mind otherwise you’re getting a lot more than just flavonoids—you’re also getting fat, sugar and lots of calories!