CUTICURA DRY SKIN HAND & NAIL CREAM

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You should also exercise caution when using online marketplaces - previous Which? investigations have uncovered a high number of products that don't pass safety standards The pitfalls of hand sanitiser are that it doesn't work as well on sweaty, greasy or visibly dirty hands, and you need to use a lot to completely cover the entire surface of your hands. We spoke to a microbiologist about the science of hand sanitiser and soap, the key ingredients to look for and whether alternatives such as hand wipes work. They can be gentler on the skin but the scientific evidence varies more for alcohol-free products than it does for sanitisers containing alcohol. Coronavirus latest: get the latest specialist news and advice from our money, travel and health experts

Hospitals and medical environments understandably need protection that has been certified for high-risk environments, so it's best to leave this for those who really need it. But does it matter what kind of hand gel or soap you buy? And what can you do if you're struggling to get hold of these products? But Dr Freestone says the average person shouldn't need to seek this out, as standard alcohol gels are still effective.

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COVID-19 is an enveloped virus. This means that the RNA (nucleic acid - the viral genetic material) is coated in a lipid (fatty) layer. This doesn't contain alcohol and one of its active ingredients is primarily antibacterial. But it also contains didecyldimonium chloride. You can theoretically make your own, by mixing 3/4 cup of rubbing alcohol with 1/4 cup of aloe vera, but it's not really advisable. Anything homemade is obviously not laboratory validated to the standard of commercial hand sanitisers.

As Dr Mark Webber, research leader at the Quadram Institute, explains: 'The reason that alcohol-based sanitisers are prioritised in official World Health Organization and NHS guidance is that the evidence for it is much clearer (as with soap and water). Other chemical compounds have varying efficacy, but it's harder to be sure.' Boots Anti Viral Hand Foam It's important to remember that hand sanitiser isn't the be all and end all of hygiene (if you're one of the millions of Brits now mostly staying at home anyway, hand washing is the best option). We're all now hyper aware of hand hygiene due to the coronavirus pandemic, but confusion remains about exactly what works best and why. Dr Freestone says this ingredient 'causes disruption of intermolecular interactions and dissociation of lipid bilayers, and might act on an enveloped virus such as COVID-19. However, it hasn't been tested against this virus specifically.

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Repeated use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser can irritate your skin, too, despite many containing moisturising agents.

As with hand sanitiser, you may be happy to go with whatever soap you can find on the shelf. And it turns out, there's no need to be too discriminating. If it foams, it will do the job. Medical grade sanitisers, such as Defendol (above) usually have around 70% alcohol and will have been tested to show specific pathogen-killing efficacy relevant to hospital settings. If you have a Cuticura product, you might notice that on the label it says it contains 57.6% ethanol. Cuticura told us that this is the value by weight and it converts to 66% ethanol by volume (the important measure), which is above the 60% minimum requirement. Soap is able to dissolve this lipid layer, causing the virus to fall apart and stopping it from binding to our cells. Alcohol-based hand sanitisers work in a similar way, inactivating the virus by breaking down the lipid layer.You've probably seen that you need at least 60% alcohol content for hand sanitiser to work properly. These types of wipes, along with antiseptic creams such as Savlon or Germolene, tend to be more antibacterial than antiviral, as they're designed to work on the skin where bacteria are (usually) the main skin pathogens.