Surfactin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with detergent-like activity increasing the permeability of cell membranes in all bacteria, regardless of their Gram stain classification. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of surfactin is between 12-50 μg/ml.
Surfactin is also capable of degrading viral envelope lipids and forming ion channels in the inner capsid with experimental evidence showing inhibition of HIV and HSV. However, surfactin can only degrade viruses when they are outside of host cells. Furthermore, when the environment is packed with proteins and lipids, surfactin faces a buffer effect lowering its antiviral activity.