Acne sufferers who only want a natural remedy for their skin ailment may benefit from a new face cream that is made from human breast milk and coconut oil. The idea that the two natural ingredients can be effective ingredients for a skin care product is a result of a study conducted by a bioengineering graduate student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering, Dissaya "Nu" Pornpattananangkul. She performed this research in the Nanomaterials and Nanomedicine Laboratory of UC San Diego NanoEngineering professor Liangfang Zhang from the Jacobs School of Engineering.

According to the scientist that conducted the study, the lauric acid component of vco and human breast milk is the reason why it can cure acne. To create the skin product, he developed a "smart delivery system" that would be able to deliver lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

The scientist presented her work on this experimental acne-drug-delivery system at Research Expo, the annual research conference of the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Pornpattananangkul is pleased with her discovery. She said, "It's a good feeling to know that I have a chance to develop a drug that could help people with acne,"

The new smart delivery system includes gold nanoparticles attached to surfaces of lauric-acid-filled nano-bombs. The gold nanoparticles keep the nano-bombs (liposomes) from fusing together. The gold nanoparticles also help the liposomes locate acne-causing bacteria based on the skin microenvironment, including pH.