Re-posted from Fresh Cup Online Magazine

August 2010

BEAUTY AND THE BEANS

By Dan Leif
Coffee a hot ingredient
in cosmetics industry

If you’re a coffee lover, you no doubt want quality beans at the heart of your morning latte and maybe in the ice cream or cake you nibble on later in the day. But how about in shampoo or body cream? Thanks to a pair of recently rolled-out cosmetic lines, coffee consumption doesn’t have to stop when the eating and drinking do. Goodbye, aloe. Hello, Arabica.

The two cosmetic brands in question are Seattle-based Sweet Beauty, which has begun pushing its “mocha collection” that includes a sugar scrub using espresso beans from Caffe Vita, and Barista Bath and Body, a company that’s based in Portland, Ore., and uses coffee in a variety of products, including shampoo, conditioner, soap and lip balm.

“Coffee in general is loaded with antioxidants and is also an anti-inflammatory,” says Lisa Francoise, owner
of Sweet Beauty.Not surprisingly, the people behind both lines are longtime coffee drinkers. But both say the choice to bring coffee into a realm traditionally dominated by unpronounceable chemical ingredients is more than just a novelty play. “Coffee in general is loaded with antioxidants and is also an anti-inflammatory,” says Lisa Francoise, owner of Sweet Beauty. “It’s a real gift from nature when it comes to skin care.”

Francoise’s company was built on creating cosmetics using another bean-based food product, chocolate. But within her latest line, she formulated a lip balm, massage oil and body cream from coffee bean butter, which is made by extracting oils from organic coffee beans and adding them to hydrogenated vegetable oil. Don’t worry, though—it won’t lead to a triple bypass. “Hydrogenated vegetable oil is scary when you think about eating trans fats, but for the skin it’s an amazing product,” Francoise says. “It provides an occlusive barrier and seals in the moisturizer and antioxidants from the coffee bean.”

Sweet Beauty’s final coffee-based product, a sugar scrub, has an independent coffee shop at its roots. When Francoise needs a fresh batch of the cosmetic, she heads to a shop in her Seattle neighborhood and buys Caffe Vita espresso beans by the pound. Back at her workspace she grinds the coffee and combines it with coffee bean oil, chocolate and sugar. “We use the organic espresso beans just to add an extra exfoliation to the scrub,” says Francoise. “You’re not getting much benefit other than the feel and the look from the coffee beans.”

All had a wonderful day at the Seattle Chocolate Salon. Check out the video. The baby belongs to me. www.tastetv.com

Retail Notebook: Sweet Beauty adores your skin, and your senses.

By ANDREA JAMES
P-I REPORTER

LISA FRANCOISE has a simple rule for beauty products: “If you can’t eat it, you really shouldn’t put it on your skin.”

It is a test of will not to scarf down the yummy lip balms and face masks that she sells at her Seattle retail store, Sweet Beauty LLC. The main ingredient in all of her products is chocolate. Real, rich, sinful, delightful, brown chocolate from melted bars.

Francoise combined two career backgrounds — restaurant manager and aesthetician — to invent the line of pleasure-inspired products and open a shop.

“What’s good for the inside is good for the outside,” she says. “Chocolate is really your friend.”

Her signature lip balms range in their chocolaty-ness. “Whisper” has a faint hint. “Taste” has more. “Crave” and “indulge” are made mostly of extra-dark, organic, fair-trade-certified chocolate. “Inspire” has mocha.

Francoise adds natural oils to the balms to provide vitamins and moisture. “Indulge” combines chocolate with beeswax, sweet cherry oil, aloe vera oil, avocado oil, meadowfoam oil, cranberry seed oil, black and red raspberry seed oil, pomegranate oil, cocoa absolute, rosemary extract and vitamin E.

To a reporter’s lips, the balm felt like smeared melted chocolate, only a bit lighter and creamier. Francoise says her balms can curb cravings for sweets, though she has only anecdotal evidence to support that.

While the ingredients are natural enough to consume, they’re not meant to be eaten. The label declares, “for external use only.”
Behind the screens

Behind the screen dividers and down the stairs, the shop boasts a clean but cluttered kitchen, full of plastic containers with batches of products, gallons of oils and midprogress experiments for new products.

Francoise grabbed a Rubbermaid vat of “nourish,” a triple-chocolate demera sugar scrub, stuck it in the microwave and hit “heat.”

After heating it, she stirred the sugary granular mixture with a spatula until it was a finished product. Small batches of scrubs are made by hand in a two-day process. Lotions take two weeks to complete, to let the oil soak with cocoa.

“I always let everything sit for one day at least,” she said. “It’s like when you make a soup, the next day it tastes better.”

The products are not tested on animals. They are tested on toddlers, particularly Francoise’s 4-year-old daughter, Talia, and her friends.

“If they liked it and want to play with it, it’s good,” Francoise said. “They’ve eaten every one of them, and they still lived to tell, so I know it’s OK.”
The business of chocolate

At age 38, Francoise’s skin is soft and clear. A casually beautiful brunette, she wore jeans and black suede high-heeled boots for her interview.

She is a former smoker and sun worshipper who has reformed, she said. She spoke excitedly about chocolate beans and the restorative chemical properties of chocolate.

It has cost her $50,000 to get the business started. In its second year, the business is profitable. Francoise hasn’t yet paid off her debts, but she’s doing better than expected. She hopes to be debt-free in five years.

“I don’t know if I’m ever going to strike it rich, but I’m really having a good time,” she said.

She sells up to a few hundred of every product each month. Prices range from $50 for an 8-ounce Berry Pretty Mask to $5.50 for a lip balm.

Her stepfather, who is a former lawyer and chef, helps to make the products. She’s also hired a marketing expert and an accountant, “because the shoe box wasn’t working.”

She won’t make any outrageous claims — her products just moisturize and make a girl feel good.

“I think the only miracle cream out there in the whole wide world is sunscreen,” she said. “I’ve been using it every day since I was 23.”

Sunscreen, she said, is a notable exception to her eatable-only skin care products rule.
IF YOU GO

Sweet Beauty LLC

2809 N.E. 55th St., Seattle

Hours: Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

More time available by appointment

206-729-7546

sweetbeautyspa.com
P-I reporter Andrea James can be reached at 206-448-8124 or andreajames@seattlepi.com.

Madelyn Miller’s No Calorie Guide to Gifts for Chocoholics. This is good stuff even after Valentine’s Day is over.
The No-Calorie Guide to Gifts for Chocoholics
by Madelyn Miller
Love Chocolate But Loathe The Aftermath?

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, men and women are scurrying to find the perfect way to say “I love you.” Whether you desire to commemorate the occasion with a romantic evening or take the opportunity to show your mother, daughter or friend that you care…Why not do it with a calorie free treat that compliments a favorite bottle of champagne, decadent indulgence or special keepsake? When it comes to pleasure, there is nothing like the revitalizing lift you get with the tantalizing ingredients found in Sweet Beauty’s Love Potion: Dark Chocolate & Rose Petal Body Scrub for Valentine’s Day.

Sweet Beauty’s Dark Chocolate & Rose Petals Offers A Calorie Free, Organic Alternative To An Age Old Confection

The aphrodisiac and mood enhancing properties that have historically surrounded chocolate have contributed to its reputation as the food of love. Chocolate contains compounds known to stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain. The release of dopamine can excite our pleasure zones and create a feeling of Euphoria that increases the heart rate similar to that of a person in love.

Sweet Beauty is a new line of gourmet skincare products inspired by and created from one of the most indulgent pleasures in the world – chocolate. Just mentioning the rich cocoa blend leaves your mouth watering to thoughts of decadence and relaxation. When it comes to pleasure, there is nothing like the revitalizing lift you get with Sweet Beauty’s sumptuous chocolate kissed solutions.

Indulge your senses in the luxury of chocolate without adding an ounce to your hips. Chocolate contains glycerides that are attributed to skin softening properties that are great for moisturizing and firming the skin. Sweet Beauty’s chocolaty bath treats are specially formulated with these glycerides to provide the essential ingredients that contribute to healthy skin. Each formulation is uniquely packed with organic chocolate and contains humectants that permeate the skin to encourage healing

Once a rare and expensive treat, Sweet Beauty offers chocolate to be enjoyed by all pamper seeking palettes.

Love Potion Body Scrub
Retail: $19.00
http://www.sweetbeautyspa.com/
Chocolate Truffle Tea Collection

Imagine six yummy truffle flavors that add up to NO calories. Mighty Leaf Tea has made that a reality with their Chocolate Truffle Tea Collection. Sumptuous chocolate blends with rich tea leaves for a multi-sensory indulgence. Since ancient times, whole leaf tea and artisan chocolates have seduced the soul. Drink in the decadence of Mighty Leaf’s chocolate truffle teas. The set contains six tins of loose leaf tea: Mayan Chocolate Truffle, Marsala Chocolate Truffle, Chocolate Mint Truffle, Chocolate Orange Truffle, Mocha Pu-Erh Truffle, Pear Caramel Truffle.

Mighty Leaf Tea Company
http://www.mightyleaf.com/
friends@mightyleaf.com
877-MY-T-LEAF
Pure Cocoa Collection

A Delicious, Nutritious Option for Chocoholics!

Calling all chocolate lovers! It’s something we’ve dreamed about – chocolate without the calories, the sugar and the “bad-for-you” reputation that comes with each bite of the sinfully delicious treat. Off limits to those watching their waistlines, chocolate has become a sweet reserved only for the most special of occasion, until now.

Having brought the philosophy of liquid nutritional supplements to the beauty industry, Pure Inventions has developed a product of which dreams are made – the new Pure Cocoa collection is an all-natural, actually good for you cocoa extract. A perfect compliment for your water (plain or sparkling), milk, yogurt or fruit. Pure Inventions Pure Cocoa antioxidant extracts contain the highest amounts of chocolate antioxidants, including the flavanols and polyphenols associated with optimal cardiovascular health. Recent studies show that cocoa may help promote healthy skin structure and density. Served hot or cold, Pure Cocoa is a delicious, comforting, diet-friendly drink any time of the year!

Available in three mouth watering flavors:
Chocolate Cocoa – Rich and delicious
Mint Cocoa – Refreshing and crisp
Vanilla Cocoa – Light and sweet

Pure Cocoa collection is all-natural, fully-standardized and free of calories, caffeine, sugar, artificial sweeteners, dairy products and alcohol. Pure Inventions uses Lo Han fruit in each formulation as a natural sweetener. Excellent for digestion, Lo Han enhances the flavors of each extract while maintaining the natural elements of the product. A healthy, caffeine-free alternative to all the sugary beverages on the market today, Pure Inventions is suitable for men, women and children of all ages and is not only approved for diabetics, but is also great for those who are lactose intolerant or have allergies to dairy products. Optimal health is a couple of delicious drops away – just add water! (One serving = 2 droppers full to 8oz of water)

Price: $ 34.95 (individual 2oz. bottles) / $50.00 (kit of 1oz. bottles)
Pure Inventions is available nationwide at Bliss stores, select spas nationwide or at http://www.pureinventions.com/
Chocomint Drink

This is a product that grows on you. I almost spit out my first swig because it tasted so much like mouthwash. And I had been expecting Chocolate. But a few minutes later I realized, my mouth felt all minty and tingly–like I had rinsed with mouthwash–only the refreshing taste lasted even longer

If you think of this as the best tasting mouthwash you ever tried you will love it. And people will love kissing you.

Imagine being skinny and minty at the same time.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer whose favorite flavor is chocolate. She thinks discovering chocolate products that have no calories is like winning the jackpot. Read her stories on http://www.travellady.com/, http://www.chocolatealtas.com/, http://www.cocktailatlas.com/, http://www.coffeeatlas.com/, http://www.teaatlas.com/ , http://www.carladynews.com/ and http://www.yogayaya.com/

According to Nielson: US Consumers are Sweet on Chocolate for Valentine’s Day.

http://www.nielsen.com/media/2008/pr_080207b.html

US consumers spend more on chocolate than any other confection on Valentine’s Day, sales topping $323 million out of the $414 million total spent all candy. Atlanta citizens out rank all others as candy buyers, purchasing 48% more chocolate than other cities, followed by Denver and Cincinnati.

No, Month Of Chocolate!

Welcome to February, and while most hearts are turning to love, mine is staying where it always is. In chocolate.

Did you know that the FDA has a say in what’s in your chocolate? Last year, USA Today reported that the Chocolate Manufacturers Association asked the FDA to relax standards so they can use lower quality, less expensive ingredients in the chocolate you eat.

While everyone’s tastes are different, with chocolate, it’s easy to tell good quality. Is it creamy, rich, melt in your mouth smooth? Or is it crumbly, off color, crunchy in your mouth rocky? Taste and you’ll know.

You never have to worry about the quality of the chocolate used in my products. Organic. Fair Trade. Certified. Yummy. You could come in my shop anytime and eat my ingredients. But don’t! I need them to make my new chocolate and pomegranate berry inspired skincare treats!

See you at the shop!

Science-Averse Columnist Shares The Sweet Beauty Story

I get a lot of questions about how my obsession with chocolate started, and how I combined it with a successful bath and body product line. In fact, shopping columnist Natalie Bow asked me that question earlier this year. She summarized what I told her in her column. Enjoy!