Created to help a former girlfriend with premenstrual syndrome —cramps, mood swings and other familiar symptoms — Girl Chocolate may transform the way those with menstrual challenges deal with their hormonal imbalance.
“Girl chocolate is a functional treat designed to comfort you during your cycle, with carefully selected ingredients to help support hormonal balance, mood support and cravings,” according to GirlChocolate.com.
Founder Eytan Goldstein, of Lawrence, said that a four-year partner was the inspiration for the product.
Originally from Kfarsaba, Israel, Goldstein, 20, moved to upstate New York, near Albany, at age 16 to live with his father, Benny Goldstein, a businessman and inventor with a quirky entrepreneurial spirit. There Eytan met his now former girlfriend.
“She had very bad period cramps,” Eytan, who graduated from high school upstate and is now studying at Yeshiva Shaar Yashov, in Far Rockaway, recalled. “She would max out Ibuprofen (and) Tylenol, and basically overdose on it. It pained me to see that, because I’m a very caring person and wanted to help.”
He began learning about the menstrual cycle, and researched ways to reduce pain. He originally wanted to create a raspberry-leaf tea for women that contained multiple supplements, but changed his mind and switched his focus to gummies.
“I researched it, and there’s so many other companies that have gummies on the market,” Goldstein said. “Then I was sitting one Shabbos when Hashem” — Hebrew for God — “gave me the idea to make chocolate.”
It was a no-brainer, he said, because women crave chocolate when they’re menstruating, because it contains magnesium. “Magnesium helps reduce cramps as well, and it’s very anti-inflammatory,” Goldstein said.
Taking after his father, he has something of an entrepreneurial streak himself. In his early teens he promoted products on TikTok that went viral, and earned a profit from their purchases. He saved $50,000 to develop a future business, and now, focused on PMS, he did research online, reading science journals and learning about supplements that ameliorate PMS symptoms.
After months of testing different supplement variations and types of chocolate in the kitchen of his father’s house, he came up with recipe that contained six natural supplements used by other companies in their products: raspberry leaf, vitamin B6, ashwagandha, magnesium, cruciferous vegetables and black pepper. The combination, Goldstein said, reduces cramps and improves hormone regularity.
After calling dozens of chocolate factories and being turned down, he found a company in California that was willing to make it. The chocolate is certified organic, vegan, gluten free and kosher. Goldstein called it Girl Chocolate.
The brand’s hormone-support blend is aimed at easing the emotional swings that can make even a normal week during menstruation feel like a roller coaster. Each bag of Girl Chocolate contains eight bars, and sports an ingredient panel and a reminder that the product is meant to support — not replace — professional care.
Goldstein started his research a year ago, and it took eight months for his dream to become reality. He says he has already recouped his investment in his new company.
“Our whole mission is to make emotional support something people look forward to,” he said. “My father helped me a lot through the process, and taught me all I need to know about social media marketing, product design and investing in what you believe in.”
Benny Goldstein also taught his son how to feel comfortable in front of a camera, promoting a product.
“I’m very proud of my son,” the elder Goldstein said. “He’s doing really well, and since a young age I’ve taught him how to go viral, graphic design, Excel spreadsheets and how to make TikTok videos.
“He’s going places,” he added, “and I can’t wait to see the chocolates in more stores.”
Reviews were flooding in on social media after the first batch of chocolate was sent out to influencers and local residents.
Tristen Taylor, a customer wrote in a review on GirlChocolate.co that she had tried many different products to relieve her PMS, and nothing seemed to work. “This felt different,” she wrote. “I felt calmer, more present and not so overwhelmed.”
Nara White, another customer, said she looked up every ingredient, and concluded that the chocolate has smart formula. “Magnesium and B6 are already PMS-friendly,” White wrote in an email, “and I like that it’s in chocolate form for compliance.”
Girl Chocolate is available at Seasons, an all-kosher supermarket in Lawrence, and online at GirlChocolate.co and Amazon.
“Many girls that tried it, as well as some hired influencers on TikTok and Instagram, made videos on it and reached out to me saying it actually helped them,” Goldstein said. “This is so cool what I’m doing, and I attribute a lot of it to my former girlfriend, who helped me a lot.”
