There is considerable confusion within the Pepper Spray consumer marketplace relative to the percentage of pepper and the Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) contained in various brands. In fact there are a number of brands overstating these levels. Recently the industry has seen many claims of the “hottest” pepper spray. The myth The fact is the percentage of pepper or the number of SHUs in the pepper spray in isolation are not the critical factors. The critical Note: Capsaicinoid contents greater than 1.00% have not been proven over time to be safe to use against humans. Therefore, hotter is not better. In fact hotter than 1.00% capsaicinoid content may not even be safe to use against humans unless by law enforcement under controlled situations. There has not been any longitudinal research conducted to prove otherwise. If such research existed all manufacturers would increase their pepper spray brands to 1.00% capsaicinoids or higher. |
 |
You can use the following formula to calculate the capsaicinoid
content of any brand:
| A B |
x % of pepper = capsaicinoid content where: |
A |
= Scoville Heat Units (SHUs) claimed |
B |
= 16,000,000 SHUs which is the rating for 100% pure capsaicin |
% Pepper = Percentage of pepper claimed (i.e., 10%)
For Example: A brand claiming 10% pepper at 1,000,000 SHUs
| 1,000,000 16,000,00 |
= .0625 x 10 = .625% capsaicinoid content |
In over a decade selling millions of pepper spray units the industry
has found that capsaicinoid percentages between .45-.70% and
Scoville content between 70,000-110,000 have been proven to be
safely and effectively used against humans without causing any
permanent harm.
1Pepper Defense® Secure® 3-in-1® are registered trademarks of Personal Safety Corporation
2Mace® is a registered trademark of Mace Security International, Inc.
3Sabre® is a registered trademark of Security Equipment Corporation
