With the growing global threat of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), it's important to maintain an effective arsenal of antiviral protection to keep our hands clean and mitigate transmission, especially when in public environments where hand-washing facilities are not available or sanitary. A number of terpenes have shown promise in the literature in destroying viruses, and make ideal candidates for use in hand sanitisers to form a barrier of protection. Many also show antibacterial benefits to bolster their broad spectrum activities.

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Many other natural compounds also show promise for systemic protection, such as the bioflavonoid hesperetin. Hesperetin has been demonstrated to inhibit the ability for the viral particles to self-assemble and therefore delays viral spread, giving the immune system more time to fight off potential infection before it occurs.