Pepper spray’s active component in known as oleoresin, that is a chemical gathered from cayenne peppers. As soon as you go out to shop for pepper spray, do not forget that some OC concentrations aren't going to be as powerful when compared with others. An over-all rule of thumb is 1%-5% is the most efficient. Any more than that will only be too thick to atomize, and any less will simply make the spray useless.

Nevertheless, there are a few exceptions. A few pepper sprays can go as high as 18% and still be effective. For instance, Wildfire and Pepper Shot, which are brands famous for self-defense sprays, commonly offers 18% options which can immediately incapacitate any opponent.