Some reassurance from the makers of the UK's best-selling salon hygiene system.

In these worrying times we wanted to know whether Barbicide could help reduce the risk of infection from COVID-19, so we asked its makers. Here's what they said:

Coronaviruses are in the category "enveloped viruses", which simply means they have a lipid membrane surrounding them. This lipid membrane makes them easier to destroy or inactivate. Because no one has access to this specific virus for efficacy testing and that testing takes time, we have to make the assumption that disinfectants effective against enveloped viruses will work on this particular virus. A similarly enveloped virus is HIV so looking for that on a label should give you confidence that when properly used, it will be effective against the virus. That means properly concentrating the disinfectant and always following contact time.

Finally, this virus is spread through respiratory droplets and there is no confirmed time of how long it might live on a surface, but it is assumed that it is at least 2-3 days, similar to influenza.

Keep in mind that the vast majority of people who get this virus are non-symptomatic or mildly symptomatic. This is good news and bad news… good news is, a very small percentage of people die from this virus. Bad news is, so many people get it and feel good enough to be out and about, that it has the potential to spread exponentially. Therefore, adequate salon hygiene control is vital at this time.