Researchers at the University of California have said that an ingredient found in human breast milk and coconut oil shows promise as a cure for acne.

The British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph has said that Dissaya Pornpattananangkul, a postgraduate researcher at the University of California San Diego, reported on the findings at a conference there on Thursday.

It was said by her that a face cream containing lauric acid could win speedy approval as an acne treatment because it is compounded from substances found naturally or already approved in other compounds.

She further said, "It's a good feeling to know that I have a chance to develop a drug that could help people with acne. Common acne afflicts more than 85 per cent of teenagers and over 40 million people in the United States; and current treatments have undesirable side effects including redness and burning."

Pornpattananangkul and Liangfang Zhang, a professor at UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering, have also developed a "smart delivery" method for the cream.

It was further claimed by them that attaching the lauric acid to gold nano-particles prevents clumps of acid from forming and helps locate the bacteria that cause pimples. (With Inputs from Agencies)