Photos courtesy of Pepperface.com
Pepperface.com uses ads that focus on their fashionable design while still providing the promised protection from predators.

Pepperface.com products merge fashion and protection

Dave Sheppard SHE04015@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

Pepperface.com, a Web-based company, has made carrying pepper spray not only a necessity for safety but also for fashion. They are helping create a movement as well, said Kathy Boerner, Pepperface.com public relations representative.

It is estimated that 60 percent of rapes go unreported. This is of because victims of rape and violence often face ridicule and accusations when coming forward instead of receiving the care they deserve, according to www.pepperface.com.

Founder and president Mladen Djankovic said he started Pepperface.com because of a woman in his life. They had gotten onto the topic of safety because of an incident that had occurred with one of her friends.

“I had bought her [pepper spray], but she didn’t carry it because she was embarrassed of its size,” Djankovic said. “She didn’t want to carry one of the big and bulky pepper sprays you can buy from most ammo and hunting stores.”

Pepperface.com’s slogan of “Smart, Stylish and Simply Fabulous,” reflects what Djankovic is trying to accomplish with his line of pepper sprays: Stunning Steel, Prevention Purple and Stunning Steel with a Prevention Purple tip.

Claire Kitt, a junior from British Columbia said she purchased her pepper spray for six or eight dollars a couple of years ago when she felt uncomfortable, and still occasionally carries it.

Though his product costs $35, much more than the average cost of spray, Djankovic said “it’s like comparing the difference between a Ford and a Mercedes.”

“Pepperface.com is also putting effort and resources into more than just pepper spray,” Djankovic said. It holds free workshops on safety and self-defense, has a 20-page manual on how to use the product and spends its time and resources on making its Web site a place for women to find important information about the safety.

Pepperface.com is currently running a campaign to help support the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence by contributing a dollar for every Prevention Purple model purchased.

The Prevention Purple color is dedicated to the cause of awareness. It does more than just state that violence against women will not be tolerated — it proves it, according to www.pepperface.com.

Pepperface.com’s product uses replaceable inserts aptly named Test and Heat, and shoots a cone-shaped spray in three half-second bursts.

The Test inserts are for practicing proper use of the spray unit. They allow you to train safely by dispensing an inert, water-based spray.

The Heat insert contains the non-lethal irritant oleoresin capsicum, the same ingredient used by law enforcement and security. This irritant acts as an inflammatory agent, causing severe pain when it comes in contact with skin. It will also cause inflamation of the eyes, nose, throat and lungs, which lasts for 30 to 45 minutes. Temporary blindness also occurs on contact with eyes and causes them to swell shut.

Pepperface.com’s fashionable pepper sprays are available exclusively online. However, if fashion isn’t extremely important in your pepper sprays, there are many Web sites available to purchase more cost-efficient sprays.

There are resources available here at BYU-Idaho to help prepare women to defend themselves. Women’s Rape Aggression Defense classes cost only $5 for a month of classes, held Tuesdays and Thursdays, May 16 - June 1 from 5-7 p.m. in Hart 204.

To sign up, send your name and student I.D. to robison1@byui.edu. The first 25 participants will get into this session. The next session runs June 6-22.