"A little bit of sweetness can drown out a whole lot of bitterness," Francesco Petrarca once said.

It's unclear whether the Italian Renaissance poet was taking about chocolate at the time, but there's no denying that partaking in a few squares of Dairy Milk or segments of a Terry's Chocolate Orange can be a great mood booster.

Coming up, you've got the perfect excuse to indulge, because Chocolate Week is here from October 14 to 20.

Not only is it delicious, but did you know chocolate has beauty benefits too?

From face masks and scrubs to nutrient-packed supplements, your skin - and your senses - will thank you for trying one of these sweet treats...

 

1. Upcircle Coffee Body Scrub with Cacao, £14.99

If your Starbucks order is always a mocha, you'll love the scent of this body scrub, which uses repurposed coffee grounds from UK cafes along with cacao seed extract, shea butter and coconut oil.

The coffee grounds slough away dead skin cells, while the oils leave your limbs feeling super smooth.

 

2. Hotel Chocolat Liquid Chocolate Body Mask, £14.95

New from Hotel Chocolat, this gorgeously gooey mask is inspired by a treatment at the Cocoa Rejuvenate Spa in St Lucia.

Packed with cocoa seed oil, coconut, almond and apricot seed oils, when slathered on and left for 10 minutes it detoxifies and moisturises.

 

3. Esthechoc Cambridge Beauty Chocolate, £29

Every beauty buff knows that antioxidants are essential for maintaining skin health as we get older, and you may have heard that they're found in dark chocolate.

Esthechoc combines cocoa polyphenolic epicatechins (to give them their technical name) and astaxanthin, another powerful antioxidant, in squares of dark chocolate that contain just 38 calories each.

Eat one a day to satisfy your sweet tooth while reaping skin benefits at the same time.

 

4. MyVitamins Beauty Hot Chocolate, £8.99

Is there anything better than a mug of steaming cocoa on a chilly night? How about a mug of steaming cocoa with added skincare benefits?

Beauty Hot Chocolate is infused with hydrolysed collagen, B vitamins and antioxidants, and it's only 36 calories per serving. We'll drink to that.

 

5. 7th Heaven Chocolate Mud Masque, £2.50, Claire's

If #skincaresaturday is a part of your weekend routine, why not follow the Chocolate Week theme with this bargain buy?

Slather on the clay-based mask and let cocoa butter and cocoa beans impart their antioxidant goodness.

 

6. Organic Shop Body Scrub Cocoa & Sugar Body Scrub, £2.30, Notino

Whether you're suffering with dry skin in winter or need to exfoliate before self-tanning in summer, a body scrub is essential year-round for combating flaky patches.

This cocoa-scented organic scrub uses sugar granules to dislodge dead cells and reveal soft, moisturised skin.

 

7. I Love Chocolate Fudge Cake Truffle Bath And Shower Creme, £1.99, FragranceDirect

This scrumptiously scented body wash will fill your bathroom with the aroma of freshly baked chocolate cake. It's the perfect de-stresser after a long day at work.

 

8. Inlight Beauty Chocolate Mask, £36

Made with the finest organic cocoa sourced from Grenada and no less than seven different nourishing oils (including argan and jojoba), this chocolate-orange mask is a cut above the rest. Only a thin layer is needed, applied once a week, to give your complexion a glow-tastic boost.