“TL;DR: Cocoa flavanols, derived from purified cocoa extract, are a key ingredient in anti-cellulite and skin-firming creams due to their ability to enhance microcirculation, protect collagen, stimulate elastin synthesis, provide antioxidant benefits, and reduce inflammation in adipose tissue. These properties directly address four core aspects of cellulite: poor circulation, skin laxity, oxidative damage, and chronic inflammation. As a natural active, cocoa flavanols are vital in formulations targeting anti-ageing, stretch marks, post-liposuction care, and cellulite reduction, especially when combined with ingredients like centella asiatica, caffeine, or hydroxyproline. For optimal results, a high-purity, high-concentration cream should be applied daily for 6-12 weeks, alongside a healthy diet and exercise. Serums, however, are less effective for body applications due to their low volume and poor absorption compared to amphiphilic creams, which penetrate both hydrophobic and lipophobic skin layers. Not all cocoa flavanol creams are equal—products with 95%+ purity extracts at 1-3% concentration are far more effective than those with minimal or low-purity content. Synergistic benefits can also come from combining cocoa flavanols with chlorogenic acid from green coffee and EGCG from green tea, though few creams use these in meaningful amounts. Always research for high-potency, multi-active products.”
Cocoa flavanols, microcirculation and cellulite
Cocoa flavanols: an essential skin firming / cellulite cream active
Skin firming / cellulite creams with cocoa flavanols
How about cocoa flavanol serums for cellulite, anti-ageing or skin tightening?
Not all cocoa flavanol containing creams are the same
Flavanols from cocoa, chlorogenic acid from green coffee and EGCG from green tea
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment with London’s cellulite experts
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
The Cellulite School™: Get advanced training in cellulite reduction and skin tightening
Cocoa flavanols: an essential skin firming / cellulite cream active
Cocoa flavanols are phytochemicals derived from the cocoa bean which are widely researched for their:
microcirculation enhancing
collagen protecting and elastin synthesis stimulating
antioxidant
adipose tissue anti-inflammatory
…action.
Thereby, cocoa flavanols act directly on four aspects of cellulite: poor circulation, skin laxity, oxidative damage and chronic, low grade inflammation.
Due to these qualities, cocoa flavanols (purified cocoa extract) are one of the most important skincare actives today for anti-aging, stretch marks, post-liposuction aftercare and anti-cellulite creams.
Skin firming / cellulite creams with cocoa flavanols
As part of an anti-cellulite formulation containing other similar actives (e.g. centella asiatica / gotu kola, caffeine, hydroxyproline etc), cocoa flavanols is an important, all natural active ingredient in the fight against cellulite.
Naturally, you should always combine your cellulite cream with a healthy diet and exercise. It makes no sense to apply a cellulite cream to reduce cellulite, if you create new cellulite every day by not exercising and/or eating unhealthily.
It is also important to ensure that you buy a cream containing a high concentration of high-purity cocoa flavanols and other actives (not a diluted one) and apply it every day for 6-12 weeks (not occasionally or for just a few days).
How about cocoa flavanol serums for cellulite, anti-ageing or skin tightening?
In contrast to shallow magazine/web articles, serums are too diluted and too little in quantity to have any effect on cellulite / body skin firmness.
High concentration of actives and high quantity of product are equally necessary: you cannot possibly reduce cellulite or firm up body skin with 5-10 drops of some diluted watery serum.
Especially for body applications, you do need a lot of product. For example, we recommend the use of 10g of the Celluence® Body cream per day.
In contrast, most serum bottles contain 15-30ml (i.e. ~15-30g) and the manufacturers suggest you apply just a few drops, i.e. less than 0.5g a day. That may be just about enough for the face (not even that, really), but it is 20x less than what is needed for body use.
And no, serums do not absorb better than creams, they actually absorb less, simply because they are only water-soluble and cannot pass through the outer hydrophobic layer of the skin.
In contrast, creams are amphiphilic, i.e. both water- and fat-soluble, and can go through both the outer hydrophobic and inner lipophobic skin layers.
Not all cocoa flavanol containing creams are the same
There is a small number of cocoa extracts available, some containing 1% actual cocoa flavanols and some containing up to 95%+ purified cocoa flavanols.
Obviously creams that contain a 95%+ purity cocoa extract will be vastly more beneficial than the ones containing a 1% purity cocoa extract .
Furthermore, if a skincare product contains 1-3% cocoa extract of 95% purity (i.e. about 1-3% cocoa flavanols in the final product), it will be much more beneficial than one containing 0.1% cocoa extract of the same 95% purity (i.e. 0.1-03% cocoa flavanols in the final product).
Of course, there are skincare creams that only contain 0.1% of an 1% purity cocoa extract, just to fool the consumer with some “label decoration”, thereby providing (i.e. 0.001% cocoa flavanols in the final product). These are obviously pointless amd that is the case wit the vast majority of such products on the market.
So whether you buy a cocoa extract cream for anti-aging, skin firming or cellulite reduction, do your research first, as you could need up to 1000 bottles of diluted creams to have the same effect of 1 bottle of concentrated cream.
Flavanols from cocoa, chlorogenic acid from green coffee and EGCG from green tea
The three most popular drinks we consume, cocoa, coffee and tea can offer us vast cosmetic benefits when applied topically, or even taken orally, as drinks or supplements. Together they have synergistic anti-cellulite, skin firming and anti-ageing benefits.
However, very few cellulite creams combine those ingredients and even fewer in meaningful concentrations.
Again, do your research and look for high concentrations of multiple high-purity actives, to ensure you apply on your skin a worthwhile product.
Have a skin tightening/cellulite treatment in London with the experts
At LipoTherapeia we have specialised 100% in skin tightening and cellulite reduction for more than two decades and 20,000+ sessions.
This is all we study and practise every day and have researched and tried hands-on all the important skin tightening equipment and their manufacturers.
As strong, deep acting radiofrequency and deep-acting, high-power ultrasound cavitation are the technologies of choice for skin tightening and cellulite reduction, we have invested in the best RF/ultrasound technologies in the world.
Furthermore, over the last two decades we have developed advanced RF and cavitation treatment protocols in order to make the most of our technologies, for maximum results, naturally and safely.
And for even better, faster results, we now combine our RF/ultrasound treatments with high-power red/infrared light LED treatment.
Our radiofrequency/ultrasound/LED treatments are comfortable, pain-free, downtime-free, injection-free, 99.5%+ safe and always non-invasive.
(No unsafe and ineffective RF microneedling or HIFU and no safe but ineffective acoustic wave therapy, superficial RF (bipolar/tripolar/multipolar etc), low power RF/cavitation, electrical muscle stimulation, lymphatic massage, cupping, dry brushing and no ridiculous bum bum creams.)
Our focus is on honest, realistic, science-based treatment, combined with caring, professional service, with a smile.
We will be pleased to see you, assess your cellulite, skin laxity or fibrosis, listen to your story, discuss your case and offer you the best possible treatment.
Advanced, infrared / blue / red light therapy treatments in London at LipoTherapeia
At LipoTherapeia we are passionate about phototherapy (also known as photobiomodulation/PBM, red light therapy, infrared light therapy, blue light therapy, LED light therapy etc) and we use the most powerful equipment available today (up to 200mW/cm2), for best results and treatment of large body areas.
We use specialised therapy protocols for skin rejuvenation / anti-ageing, pigmentation / post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH), moderate/severe acne, skin redness, sensitive/inflamed/irritated skin, wound healing, sports injuries / musculoskeletal pain and overall wellness / well-being.
Our LED phototherapy sessions are comfortable, deeply relaxing and super-safe and are great to enhance our radiofrequency/ultrasound treatments for skin tightening / cellulite reduction.
On our booking page you can book stand-alone phototherapy sessions or combine them with our other treatments, as an add-on.
Learn more or check prices and book an expert LED phototherapy treatment at our London clinic.
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