PAVA spray is an incapacitant spray dispensed from a hand-held canister in a liquid stream. It contains a 0.3% solution of pelargonic acid vanillylamide (PAVA), a synthetic capsaicinoid, in a solvent of aqueous ethanol.The propellant is nitrogen.he liquid stream is a spray pattern and has a maximum effective range of up to 4 metres. Maximum accuracy, however, will be achieved over a distance of 1.25 – 2 metres.