Cadbury takes pampering to a whole new level

The company known for its chocolate sets a foot into the beauty world with a series of flavoured bath products.

It might not appeal to everyone, but who knows, it could be just the thing that those with a serious sweet tooth have been waiting for. If the thought of sliding into a bath of molten chocolate appeals to you, then take note because Cadbury has created a series of limited-edition, chocolate-flavoured bath products.

To do so, they collaborated with the cosmetic company Anatomical and took inspiration from their own recently launched Dairy Milk Bliss bar. This in itself could be viewed as either a bit of canny marketing or some very overt stereotyping (or perhaps a touch of both). The Bliss bar, which originally consisted of vanilla mousse covered in chocolate, was apparently created with a female target audience in mind and was advertised with the tag line, "the world's most pampered chocolate bar". Cadbury is now preparing to introduce three variations to the Bliss bar range (chocolate, hazelnut and toffee truffle). Handily, the new flavours coincide with the new beauty products (in the form of Chocolate Truffle Bath Creme, Hazelnut Exfoliating Wash and Toffee Body Butter).

Staying with the luxury-style theme, these products are only available to buy from John Lewis stores and online at the fashion website asos.com, which ships internationally if you really want to buy them for yourself. Stop for a second and you can almost hear the marketing managers congratulating themselves. What do females like, they must have mused. Oh, well, that's an easy one: chocolate, bubble baths and shopping, of course.

Although this is the first time that Cadbury has made a foray into the world of beauty products, cocoa or chocolate-based goods are nothing new. Scan shop shelves and you're likely to find enough moisturisers, showers gels, body scrubs and face masks to have you smelling and tasting like a double chocolate fondant that's been pulled straight from the oven.

This abundance of cocoa-infused goodies shouldn't really come as a surprise. Chocolate has long been viewed as a signifier of luxury, so what could be more decadent than using this product for a spot of pampering? Unless, of course, you go one step further and indulge in a chocolate-based spa treatment, the likes of which range from modest manicures to full body wraps.

Such experiences are often touted as a calorie-free means of enjoying a chocolate fix. But can this really be the case? Does slathering on a generous amount of cocoa body butter really provide the same level of satisfaction as a Kit Kat Chunky? Is a hot chocolate back massage a calorie-clever way of satisfying a craving for something sweet or will that intoxicating aroma see you seeking out a double choc chip cookie or two the moment you leave the salon? Should a chocolate facial be seen as a temptation-buster or a sure-fire end to healthy eating? Either way, it brings a whole new meaning to the term "feeding your face" and must feel rather ironic for anyone who spent their teenage years fearing that a bar of chocolate would result in a certain breakout of spots.

What about other food-based beauty products? From the expensive creams that seem to purport that ginger is some sort of elixir to the so-called cellulite-busting lotions, which boast grapefruit as a fat-zapping ingredient, consumers are certainly not short of choice. And that's even before homemade remedies enter the equation. It's no secret that tired, puffy eyes can be tended to with a couple of slices of cold cucumber (thought to have anti-inflammatory properties) or that pulverised avocado makes a decent face pack for dehydrated skin, but what about using mayonnaise as a deep conditioning treatment? Apparently, this trick became popular in the 1950s, but has since been largely abandoned. (For those wishing to reignite the trend, all you need to do is comb a generous amount of mayo through dry hair before wrapping it in cling film and leaving for 30 minutes or so. Just don't forget to rinse).

Other tips include creating your own mouthwash from mint and rosemary leaves or making deodorant with liquid chlorophyll, beeswax and baking soda. Tempted?

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