Learn

Understand your cold sores, and how to have fewer of them. Short, clear lessons from the Labisan research team.

Cold Sore Prevention Protocol

The full daily routine as a free printable PDF.

Download
Clinic

Get a Labisan Clinic assessment

Field Notes

The full research feed

The BasicsWhat cold sores and HSV-1 actually are, in plain language. All ›
What HSV-1 actually is

A common, lifelong virus that most people carry. Here is the plain version.

Lesson · 2 min read
The tingle window

The first 24 hours matter more than any cream. Here is why.

Lesson · 2 min read
HSV-1 vs HSV-2: Cold Sores vs Genital Herpes, What Is Actually the Same and What Is Different

The two herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2) are biologically similar but clinically distinct in ways that matter for treatment, prevent

Field note
When HSV-1 Goes Genital and HSV-2 Goes Oral: The Cross-Site Crossover That Changes Everything

HSV-1 prefers the mouth and HSV-2 prefers the genitals, but the site bias has been breaking down for two decades. HSV-1 now causes 40 to 50

Field note
Is HSV Cure Coming? The 2026 Herpes Research Pipeline and What Is Realistic

Herpes cure research is more active in 2026 than in any previous decade. Multiple programmes are in clinical trials, including gene editing,

Field note
Your TriggersUV, stress, wind, and the other things that wake the virus up. All ›
Why lips need their own SPF

UV is the single biggest cold sore trigger, and lips are usually left bare.

Lesson · 2 min read
Summer Festival Cold Sore Survival Guide

A festival cold sore can ruin three days you paid hundreds for. Here is the realistic prevention plan for all-day sun, short sleep, and outd

Field note
The Cold Sore Travel Kit: What to Pack for Sun, Altitude, and Long Flights

Travel is one of the most reliable cold sore triggers in existence. Sun exposure, altitude, dehydrated cabin air, time-zone-disrupted sleep,

Field note
Why UV Light Is the Number One Cold Sore Trigger and How to Block It

Ultraviolet radiation is the best documented uv light cold sore trigger in the medical literature, and the mechanism is not sunburn: it is a

Field note
PreventionThe daily protocol, SPF, and a routine that keeps lips protected. All ›
Why lips need their own SPF

UV is the single biggest cold sore trigger, and lips are usually left bare.

Lesson · 2 min read
The daily prevention protocol

Five small habits that quietly lower how often you flare up.

Lesson · 2 min read
Inside and outside, the two layers

Why Labisan pairs a protective balm with daily immune support.

Lesson · 2 min read
Beach Vacation Cold Sore Prevention

Beach cold sore prevention is about more than sunscreen on your face. Sand and water reflect UV onto your lips, salt dries the lip barrier,

Field note
Running and Cold Sores: The UV, Sweat, and Cortisol Triple Trigger Every Runner Needs to Break

Runners log more midday UV hours than almost any other outdoor athlete, and sweat strips the lip barrier continuously for the duration of ev

Field note
Cold Sores in Pregnancy: What Is Safe to Use (Full Guide)

Pregnancy changes which cold sore treatments are appropriate. Oral antiviral prescriptions move from routine to use-only-if-necessary. Many

Field note
Treatment vs PreventionWhy acting early beats reacting late, and what to do in the tingle window. All ›
The tingle window

The first 24 hours matter more than any cream. Here is why.

Lesson · 2 min read
The First 30 Days on the Labisan Hybrid System: An Hour-by-Hour and Day-by-Day Diary

One user, one HSV-1 reactivation triggered by a 6-day ski week, one cold-turkey start on the Labisan dual protocol. Timestamped from the fir

Field note
How to Stop a Cold Sore Before It Starts: the Prevention Playbook

Most people fight cold sores after the blister appears, which is the hardest and slowest moment to win. This is the full playbook on how to

Field note
Lip Clear Lysine+ vs Abreva: Which Actually Works

A sober, evidence-first breakdown of lip clear lysine vs abreva: what each product actually contains, what the clinical data shows, and why

Field note
Ingredients & ScienceZinc oxide, graviola, and the evidence behind the two layers. All ›
Inside and outside, the two layers

Why Labisan pairs a protective balm with daily immune support.

Lesson · 2 min read
5 Best Supplements for Immune Support in 2026

An evidence based look at the top 5 supplements for immune health: Vitamin D, Zinc, Elderberry, Echinacea, and Graviola, with research citat

Field note
Lip Balm Addiction: The Dependency Myth, the Real Barrier Science, and What Mineral SPF Formulas Actually Do

The 'lip balm addiction' question is one of the most-searched lip care topics online. The short answer is no, not in any pharmacological sen

Field note
What Is Graviola? Annona Muricata Benefits Guide

Everything you need to know about graviola (soursop): traditional uses, modern research on acetogenins, immune support properties, and how t

Field note
Living with HSV-1Confidence, relationships, travel, and the long game of prevention. All ›
Living well with HSV-1

It is common, it is manageable, and it does not define you.

Lesson · 2 min read
Labisan Since 1931: How a Salzburg Apothecary Built the Cold Sore Lip Balm Austrian Alpine Guides Still Use 95 Years Later

Labisan was first formulated in October 1931 in a small Salzburg apothecary by chemist Andreas Labisan for Austrian alpine guides asking for

Field note
Partner Transmission and HSV-1 Disclosure: What the Conversation Actually Sounds Like and What the Labisan Protocol Changes

If you carry HSV-1, the question of whether to tell a new partner is one of the most uncomfortable conversations in modern dating. Most of t

Field note
Beach Vacation Cold Sore Prevention

Beach cold sore prevention is about more than sunscreen on your face. Sand and water reflect UV onto your lips, salt dries the lip barrier,

Field note

Educational wellness information, not medical advice. Labisan supports prevention and daily lip care. If a cold sore is severe, spreading, near your eyes, or you are worried, please see a clinician.