The world's first 'anti-ageing' chocolate

Of all the anti-ageing fads around, this one has got to be our favourite.

Scientists at Cambridge Chocolate Technology have been working on a chocolate bar designed to slow down the process of skin wrinkling and sagging, and it's finally here.

Esthechoc is made from 72.6 per cent cocoa. Its creators claim it promotes a "healthy and luminous" glow.

The scientists claim their dark chocolate will boost antioxidant levels and increase circulation in the skin by using "powerful plant extracts" to keep skin from ageing.

Each box of Esthechoc costs £35 and contains a daily supply to last for three weeks, designed to be used as part of your usual beauty regime.

Dr Ivan Petyaev, its creator, said their chocolate produces results that are "significantly stronger" than any regular dark chocolate, anti-ageing capsules or other "beauty from within" products. The individual bars, each weighing just 7.5g, contain the same amount of astaxanthin - an antioxidant that helps fight the signs of ageing - as 10kg of raw seaweed.

Dr Ivan Petyaev said: "Esthechoc contains more polyphenol eliminating free radicals than cocoa and 100g of dark chocolate. A daily dose helps the skin to regain its firmness, radiance and luminosity, and when regularly used, it protects skin against the ageing process.

"We used people in their 50s and 60s and in terms of skin biomarkers we found it had brought skin back to the levels of a 20 or 30 year-old. So we’ve improved the skin’s physiology."

Though the chocolate is designed to be used as a food supplement, Petyaev says using it to replace your usual dark chocolate fix will have the same results.

The chocolate is exclusively available from the Esthechoc website and Harrods.

Will it work? We're going to enjoy stuffing our faces to find out.

(telegraph.co.uk)