Pepper spray enables you to defend yourself while keeping a safe distance from an attacker.   Pepper spray enables you to defend yourself while keeping a safe distance from an attacker. A one second burst to the face will cause temporary blindness, choking, coughing, and nausea-bringing the attacker to his knees. The active ingredient in Streetwise pepper spray is Oleoresin Capsicum (O.C.), commonly referred to as red pepper.