So – we all know that the very best way to kill the COVID-19 virus is to wash our hands thoroughly with soap for at least 20 seconds, rubbing and scrubbing every nook and cranny. The soap disrupts the coating round the virus which then dissolves in the running water, effectively nuked. (Cold water is fine by the way.)

But – BIG but – the virus lingers on surfaces we’re likely to encounter when we’re nowhere near running water, eg on public transport. Which is why it’s wise to carry an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with you all the time, as this will also kill the virus. (If your hands are visibly dirty though, you will need to use soap and water as soon as possible).

A number of beauty/wellbeing brands have turned to making hand sanitisers, including Canova, primarily a high-end room fragrance and body care company based in Herefordshire. Their product, Puritx, is 99% natural with 29% organic ingredients in the form of skin-soothing aloe vera. ‘All the ingredients are sourced responsibly and ethically’, says MD Matthew Tangye.

Puritx contains 70% ethanol alcohol from grain grown in England – comfortably over the 60% minimum recommended by the US Center for Disease Control and others. Lab tests (pre-COVID-19) have shown that ethanol can kill up to 99.9% of known germs, although it may be a bit less in real life situations.

Added to the ethanol and aloe are blends of fragrant essential oils so the whole process of using Puritx is truly enjoyable. Sarah’s current favourite is a blend of bergamot, vetiver and black pepper – though the lemongrass, basil and patchouli version is running a very close second.

We asked a friend who’s a mum and cleaner to test Puritx and she practically danced with joy after trying it, saying ‘it’s lovely to use and my hands are so soft now’. Another woman told us that her psoriasis-prone skin was soothed by using this, which is down to the aloe vera.

Finally, hats off to Puritx for donating 20% of their production to frontline key workers.

From £4.50 – buy here

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