Mace is a brand name for self-defense sprays that contain oleoresin capsicum (OC), an inflammatory agent derived from hot peppers. OC sprays are used by law enforcement, military, and civilians as a non-lethal deterrent against threats or attacks. The active ingredient causes almost immediate irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory system when contact is made. Let’s take a closer look at Mace spray and find out if it’s really orange.
What is Mace Spray?
Mace is a tear gas spray that was patented in 1965 by inventor Allan Lee Litman. It contained phenacyl chloride, a potent tear gas agent. The early Mace formula caused severe skin burns and even death in some cases. It was banned in the 1970s.
Today’s Mace contains oleoresin capsicum (OC) instead of tear gas. OC is an oily extract from hot peppers that causes irritation and pain when it contacts mucous membranes. It’s mixed with carriers like water, alcohol, or oil to make it sprayable. Modern OC sprays are much safer than the original Mace formula.
The active ingredients in Mace temporarily blind, cause respiratory distress, and inflame skin on contact. Effects wear off within 30-45 minutes as the OC dissipates. Law enforcement agencies have used OC sprays since the 1980s to subdue violent or unruly individuals.
Types of Mace Sprays
Mace brand makes several types of OC pepper sprays:
- Mace Pepper Gel – Gel formula sticks to skin and has less blowback risk compared to liquid sprays.
- Mace Pepper Gun – Shoots a powdered OC jet up to 20 feet.
- Mace Triple Action – Contains UV dye to mark suspects and has a lemongrass smell.
- Mace Police Strength – Extra concentrated formula used by law enforcement.
- Mace Brand Pepper Foam – Foam spray sticks to skin and clothing.
In addition to the traditional handheld spray cans, Mace makes OC grenades, projectiles, and other products for police and military use.
Is Mace Orange?
The short answer is no, Mace spray is not always orange. While some Mace products do contain a UV identifying dye that makes them orange, many are clear or have little to no color.
Here are some examples of different colored Mace sprays:
| Mace Product | Color |
|---|---|
| Mace Brand Pepper Spray | Clear |
| Mace Police Strength Spray | Slight yellow tint |
| Mace Triple Action | Orange dye added |
| Mace Pepper Gun | Clear or orange |
Mace’s dye formula colors the spray bright orange. This is added to some products to help police identify suspects sprayed with OC. However, many Mace sprays contain no dye at all and are clear or lightly tinted instead.
Why Would Mace Be Orange?
There are two main reasons why Mace spray may be orange:
- UV Dye – Some Mace products contain an invisible UV dye that shows up under blacklight. This dye is added for police use to mark suspects.
- CS Irritant – Older tear gas/CS irritant based sprays were often dyed orange. OC sprays have replaced CS for civilian use.
The UV dye in Mace Triple Action and some police pepper sprays adds a bright orange color. When police shine a UV light, the orange glow makes it easy to identify who was sprayed. The dye is invisible under normal light.
Additionally, older tear gas formulas were sometimes dyed orange to distinguish them from pepper sprays. Modern OC sprays have superseded tear gas for civilian self defense use and usually do not have orange dye added.
Benefits of Orange Dye in Mace
Adding orange UV dye to Mace spray provides the following benefits:
- Marks suspects for easier identification
- Discourages attackers by staining skin and clothes
- Signals police that a suspect has been sprayed
- Helps sort out suspects when multiple people sprayed
- Adds confidence for user seeing colored spray pattern
The main advantage of the orange dye is to visibly tag suspects sprayed by police. At crowded protests or riots, it can be difficult identifying who was hit with OC spray. The orange glow under UV light makes perpetrators easy to pick out for arrest.
For civilians, the colored formula offers confidence you are hitting the intended target. It also may deter some attackers who don’t want to be visibly marked with the dye.
Disadvantages of Orange OC Spray
There are also some drawbacks to orange dyed OC spray:
- More staining of skin, clothing, and surroundings
- May raise liability and abuse concerns
- Dye can clog spray nozzle with extended use
- Added step of needing UV light to identify dye
- Not recommended for self defense use
The main issue with orange dye OC spray is increased staining. The concentrated formula will leave bright orange splotches on everything it contacts. This makes clean up more difficult compared to clear sprays.
There are also some civil liberty concerns with police permanently marking suspects with dyes. While legal, some argue it could lead to OC spray abuse.
For civilian self defense use, clear formulas are typically recommended. The staining from orange dye is mostly a disadvantage and offers little benefit for everyday carry.
Is Orange or Clear OC Better?
For police and riot control uses, orange UV dye OC sprays offer an identification advantage. But for general civilian self defense, clear OC sprays are usually the better choice.
Here’s a comparison of some pros and cons:
| Orange Dyed OC | Clear OC | |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | Spray pattern visible | Harder to see spray pattern |
| Staining | Will stain skin and clothes orange | Less staining |
| Identification | UV dye marks suspects | No ability to mark people |
| Recommended Use | Police/law enforcement | Civilian self defense |
The added visibility and suspect marking ability makes orange dye OC the better option for police. For regular self defense use, clear OC causes less staining issues while still fully incapacitating attackers.
How Long Does Orange OC Dye Last?
When skin is contaminated with orange UV dye from Mace, how long does the staining last? The orange color will remain visible on skin anywhere from 2 days up to 2 weeks depending on these factors:
- Concentration – Police strength dye formulas create longer lasting stains.
- Quantity – More spray or prolonged exposure leads to longer staining.
- Location – Facial skin shows staining longer than body skin.
- Cleaning – Quickly washing with soap and water reduces duration.
- Sunlight – UV rays from sun help break down OC dye over time.
On facial skin, the orange color can persist up to 2 weeks even with washing. On body skin protected by clothing, staining may only last 2-3 days. Cleansing skin multiple times with soap shortly after exposure helps minimize the staining duration.
Does All Pepper Spray Have UV Dye?
While UV dye is common in law enforcement pepper sprays, most civilian OC defense sprays do not contain any coloring. Only a small percentage of personal defense sprays on the market have UV identifiers added.
Here are some examples of major pepper spray brands and their dye use:
| Brand | Use of UV Dye |
|---|---|
| Mace | Select products only (Triple Action) |
| Sabre | No dye |
| Fox Labs | Some products have dye option |
| POM | Typically no dye |
| Counter Assault | No dye |
While UV dye OC sprays are available for civilian use, the majority of personal defense pepper sprays contain no dye. Police-strength formulations are more likely to include UV markers compared to everyday self defense OC sprays.
Conclusion
In summary, Mace brand pepper spray isn’t always orange, but some formats do contain a UV identifying dye that adds color. The orange dye provides police the ability to easily mark suspects but also leads to more skin and clothing stains.
For civilian use, clear OC sprays are generally preferred since there is little benefit from the dye. However, colored OC can add confidence for some users when visually confirming a proper spray pattern.
So while many associate the orange color with pepper spray, it’s not a universal feature. But Mace UV dye does create a vivid orange spray that has its advantages in law enforcement applications.