Patch Experimentation: A Personal Journey into Wellness Stickers

This morning, I woke up feeling a bit off. My usual fix is coffee, a splash of cold water on my face, and a quick scroll through my phone. But today felt different, so I decided to try an “energy” patch—small and yellow, about the size of a walnut. I put it on my upper arm and crossed my fingers.

The patch—priced at £12 for 30—contains vitamins B5 and B3 along with a “microdose” of caffeine. It’s produced by Kind Patches, part of a booming market for wellness stickers that claim to tackle issues ranging from sleepiness to period cramps to acne. They often come in trendy colors, like sunny yellow or soft peach. You might’ve seen a teen with a star-shaped patch for acne or influencers applying blue magnesium ones before they hit the hay.

These patches are meant to deliver various substances through the skin into the bloodstream, addressing all sorts of everyday discomforts. Feeling sluggish? There’s a patch for that. Feeling anxious? Yep, there’s one for that too. Whether it’s libido enhancers or immune boosters, there seems to be a patch for everything. According to the Financial Times, this wearables market—which includes drug delivery and health monitoring—was pegged at approximately £7.45 billion in 2024 and is expected to expand rapidly. Forget consuming your feelings; why not stick a patch on instead?

But do these things actually work? Or are they just another gimmick from the expansive, and often questionable, global wellness industry worth $6 trillion, designed to play on our vulnerabilities regarding sleep and happiness?

John Tregoning, a professor of vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, shares that it’s hard to say. “It’s not a straightforward yes or no, like with a vaccine,” he remarks. “Do you feel better?” In my case, that energy patch I put on might lift my mood, but then again, what does “better” really mean? He suggests that such patches can act as a kind of placebo, potentially prompting a change in mindset just by being there. Yet, it’s difficult to definitively say which ones are effective when there’s no clear way to prove it.

Interestingly, these patches aren’t something you can physically feel, and they tend to slide off easily in the bath. Still, they are visible, which might be part of their appeal. Where you place the patch varies, but many suggest the neck and chest. A few claim effects are felt almost immediately, while others recommend a continuous use of up to a month. As for my energy patch, I didn’t notice anything drastic at first, but after wearing it and later taking it off in the bath, I thought I might feel slightly refreshed. But was it really the patch, or maybe the yoga I did and the steak I had for dinner?

I also tried another energy patch from The What Supp Co—costing £18 for 15 patches—targeted for fatigue and focus. It features ingredients like ashwagandha, claimed to help the body cope with stress, and yes, caffeine too. I applied it to my wrist, following their instructional video. Not sure if it worked, but I had a tough time sleeping that night, possibly thanks to the caffeine, though I have another patch specifically meant for sleep.

AcuPuncturist Ross J Barr offers a patch that claims to enhance focus and mental clarity (£15 for 10). This particular piece has a gentle herbal scent and creates a light tingling sensation—I have to admit, that felt somewhat reassuring. I also gave Barr’s Period Patches a shot, designed for cramps, which released a strong aroma of essential oils. This one sticks quite well and stayed in place for hours, and I couldn’t help but notice a mild reduction in cramps afterward, though it’s hard to say if it outperformed a conventional painkiller. Still, the cost of these patches more than over-the-counter solutions raises some eyebrows. Dr. Deborah Cohen, author of “Bad Influence,” mentions how price can skew our expectations: the pricier the product, the more we might believe in its efficacy. She also notes that while women’s health needs more attention, these patches reflect wider issues within healthcare. Many people turn to social media for help because they can’t find holistic solutions from doctors.

Just over a week into this patch trial, I’ve tried several—one for sleep, another for dreaming, a couple for focus, one for energy, one meant for relaxation, and one for menstrual cramps. To be honest, while I’d like to report a major breakthrough, aside from being a bit buzzed from the caffeine patches and noticing some relief from Barr’s cramps patches, I’m not convinced they did much at all.

Of course, that doesn’t mean they were ineffective. The science backing these patches is, at best, vague, and even if they have potential, it’s tough to isolate what effects arise from the patches versus daily habits or fluctuations in my life. “Simplifying things down to just one hormone is a limited way to understand health,” Cohen states. “We should be looking at the whole picture.”

However, some patches seem to take a turn towards diet culture. For instance, I tried Kind’s berberine patches, which claim to suppress appetite. I had to take one off midway through a walk because I started feeling a bit dizzy.

Ultimately, if these patches really deliver as claimed, why aren’t all our health solutions in one convenient place?

It’s interesting to note that only one of the patches I used pointed out that they’re not a cure-all. For instance, Barr’s sleep patches suggest pairing with other basic practices like reading or putting away your phone. If you can afford them, there may not be much harm in using a patch, but it’s crucial to remember they’re not a magic fix. Tregoning likens them to an expensive herbal tea: enjoyable perhaps, but not a comprehensive solution.

The catch is that many are seeking some quick fix, a hack, rather than confronting more complex issues that could be at play. It’s probably easier to just slap on a patch than consider that sleepless nights might stem from a hectic lifestyle, or that exhaustion could be an indication of something deeper. In a world where we’re used to altering our bodies through surgery or fillers, it seems almost natural that people are now wearing their supplements like fashionable accessories. As Cohen puts it, “We’ve turned our bodies into something to be monitored and gamified.”

Then there’s the performative aspect of health interventions. When I tried to quit smoking, wearing a nicotine patch was my external signal that I was making an effort. Lisa Payne, a trend forecaster, refers to this as “handbag health”—the notion that possessing these patches signifies investment in one’s well-being. You could say, forget just dealing with emotions; why not slap on a patch to handle them instead?

Patches have a long history in medicine, says Pupinder Ghatora, a pharmacist. “In pharmaceuticals, they’ve been effective for pain relief, anti-sickness, and nicotine replacement therapies because their formulations are designed for skin absorption.” However, efficacy for wellness patches varies. “Transdermal delivery can work, but it must be backed by science. Not all substances can permeate this complex skin barrier,” he emphasizes.

Cohen adds that it’s not just about how these compounds are delivered but whether they’d even be impactful. She points out, for example, the challenges with dopamine—which needs to enter the brain to work. Just how would that even happen?

“Established patches like those for HRT or nicotine go through rigorous trials to prove their effectiveness. With wellness patches, there’s often no such scrutiny,” she explains. If these patches are reliable, then why isn’t everything structured this way?

Some patches have gained considerable popularity—like Star patches, aimed at treating spots. If you’re a parent or even just someone who follows trends, chances are you’ve encountered them. They’re promoted as a way to shield spots from bacteria and picking, all while possibly containing ingredients that might help clear them up. Their prevalence in modern culture is so striking that the V&A recently added some to their collection as an example of Generation Z’s lifestyle.

It’s a stark contrast to how millennials, like myself, perceive beauty. We were taught to hide blemishes with concealer rather than flaunt a neon sticker declaring an internal struggle. According to Payne, for some in Gen Z, wearing visible treatments represents a part of their identity.

Today, being healthy seems more complicated. Gone are the simpler days when balance meant a good diet and some social interaction. Now, Cohen states, “Daily living is often medicalized, with standard variations now seen as conditions begging for intervention.”

My three-week patch journey—I used various patches on and off—has been enlightening. While some swear by Barr’s sleep patches, it wasn’t easy to gauge their effects, especially during a dreary, dark December that always seems to mess with my mood. Patches are emblematic of how influencer culture has altered our self-perception. The reality is, if fatigue isn’t tied to any significant issues, the most straightforward solution might just be to allow yourself some rest.