Waking up with a pimple is no longer cause for panic, thanks to pimple patches — small, sticker-like bandages that cover and help heal the unwanted zit. A team of researchers publishing in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces has designed a two-stage pimple patch set with an array of tiny spikes that grabs onto the pimple and delivers antibacterial or anti-inflammatory compounds. Human clinical trials confirmed that the pimples completely disappeared after seven days of treatment.

Researchers have developed edible microbeads made from green tea polyphenols, vitamin E and seaweed that, when consumed, bind to fats in the gastrointestinal tract. Preliminary results from tests with rats fed high-fat diets show that this approach to weight loss may be safer and more accessible than surgery or pharmaceuticals. They will present their results at the ACS Fall 2025 Digital Meeting.

Computer modeling could solve the real-world problem of detecting designer drugs. These drugs are developed to replicate the effects of known drugs but evade law enforcement. The chemical structure variations that help these compounds avoid detection also make them unpredictable and potentially dangerous in the body. A research team has created a database of predicted chemical structures for improved designer drug identification. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2025.

Ice eventually melts into a puddle, but a new alternative called jelly ice won’t leave a mess. Researchers developed a one-step process to create the reusable, compostable material from gelatin — the same ingredient in jiggly desserts. And frozen jelly ice doesn’t leak as it thaws, ideal for food and medical transport. Now, they’re exploring other proteins for food-safe coatings and lab-grown meat scaffolds. The researchers will present their results at ACS Fall 2025.