Instead of knocking back that second skinny latte in the hopes the name may mean you become thinner, you might want to swap to a drink which promises to reduce hunger, control sugar cravings and decrease those wobbly bits.

The latest offering from marine beauty expert Thalgo is Express Ocea a seaweed coffee which claims it can help you lose pounds while tasting as good as the real stuff.

Promising to "put the flavour back in your diet", the French company says its coffee works by increasing thermogenesis the rate at which the body burns calories.

So what is the innocuous brown powder's secret slimming weapon?

Well it's a cocktail of "active slimming" ingredients, including pineapple and chromium.

Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain an anti-inflammatory which some claim can help combat cellulite.

The enzyme is thought to break down proteins abnormally secreted in the body's tissues into easy-to-eliminate amino acids.

Both bromelain and chromium are thought to help to control blood sugar and reduce insulin levels, which in turn increases the body's ability to burn fat.

While the evidence for chromium's fat-burning properties isn't conclusive, the coffee also contains several other potential fat-busting ingredients.

These include a green coffee extract, which a recent Italian study found suppressed fat absorption in mice, and fucus an algae revered by the French for its slimming and refining properties.

While the idea of a slimming coffee sounds very appealing, some of Express Ocea's stranger ingredients aren't exactly enticing.

But despite its deep-sea connections, this coffee thankfully has no fishy smells or aftertastes.

While the fine brown powder has a very distinct liquorice smell from the fennel, it doesn't taste half bad.

Unless you are a coffee connoisseur, Express Ocea could pass for a half-decent cuppa and once masked with a glug of milk you won't know the difference between this seaweed stuff and a cup of Kenco.

Available in packs of 20 sachets for £12.50, it is available from The Lanes Health and Beauty Clinic, Market Street, Brighton.

Call 01273 725572.