Are Hair Identifier Sprays Worth It?

Also called “peach fuzz spray,” hair identifier sprays are having a moment on TikTok and other social media platforms. These sprays claim to enhance the effectiveness of at-home dermaplaning by making every tiny facial hair visible, helping you remove peach fuzz from your face. But are they really worth the hype? Find out what all the buzz is about these sprays and whether or not they could be worth trying yourself.

Hair identifier sprays are trending products designed to highlight fine facial hairs called vellus hairs, commonly referred to as “peach fuzz.” When applied to the skin, the spray adheres to these individual hairs, making them more visible. This is especially useful before dermaplaning , a popular skin treatment that uses a small blade to remove peach fuzz and dead skin cells from the surface of the skin.

The active ingredients in hair identifier sprays vary widely depending on the brand. Some use starch-based powders like rice starch, others use mineral-based ingredients like titanium dioxide or silica , and still others rely on humectants like hexylene glycol and glycerin to make fine hair more noticeable against the skin. Many peach fuzz sprays also add skin-friendly ingredients like aloe, cucumber extract, niacinamide, and many others. However, if you are washing off this spray quickly after you use it to dermaplane, your skin is unlikely to reap any benefits from these added ingredients.

As far as ingredients to watch out for, some hair identifier sprays use alcohol for quick drying or menthol for a cooling effect, but these could be irritating if you have sensitive skin. Fragrance is another common addition to these sprays, which can also be problematic for sensitive skin types. 

So now that we know what peach fuzz sprays are used for, let’s talk a little bit about dermaplaning and its benefits and drawbacks if you are doing it yourself at home rather than seeing a professional for in-office treatments.

In theory, dermaplaning can be good for your skin because it helps to speed up the natural desquamation, or exfoliation, process by removing dead skin cells from the surface. This smoother surface can also help skincare products absorb more efficiently into the skin and can help makeup apply more smoothly.

However, at-home dermaplaning can also have some drawbacks. Sensitive skin types need to be careful that they don’t damage their skin barrier even further with physical exfoliation like dermaplaning. 

When done incorrectly, dermaplaning can spark an acne breakout. 

In some cases, dermaplaning can cause more irritation and redness than it helps, so if you want to try it, start very gradually and see how well your skin tolerates it. 

If you decide to use hair identifier sprays before dermaplaning, follow these basic steps to get the best results:

1. Start with a clean face. Wash your face with a gentle cleanser to remove dirt, oil, and makeup.

2. Apply the hair identifier spray. Evenly spritz the peach fuzz spray over the areas you plan to dermaplane.

3. Wait for the spray to settle. Let the spray dry for a few seconds to highlight the hairs.

4. Dermaplane. Using a clean dermaplaning tool, gently glide the blade over your skin in short, downward strokes. Work slowly to avoid cuts or irritation.

5. Rinse off residue. After dermaplaning, wash your face again to remove any leftover spray and peach fuzz.

Lots of different brands are starting to come out with their own peach fuzz hair identifier sprays. SKNBODY is one of the most popular brands right now. This product uses rice starch to make fine hairs stand out, as well as some plant extracts commonly used in Chinese medicine, such as ledebouriella divaricata root extract, bupleurum falcatum root extract, and scutellaria baicalensis root extract. However, because you immediately rinse this spray from your skin afterwards, your skin isn’t likely to see many benefits from these ingredients.

If you’re not sold on hair identifier sprays, there are some alternatives you can use. Some influencers have suggested using dry shampoo or baby powder instead, since most dry shampoos contain similar ingredients as peach fuzz sprays. However, if you have sensitive or acne-prone skin, use caution with this “hack” because some ingredients in these products might cause irritation, redness, or clogged pores.

Alternatively, you can use a hydrating mist or essence before dermaplaning instead of a peach fuzz spray to help protect your skin and help the fine hairs stand out due to the small droplets of water. 

Hair identifier sprays, or peach fuzz sprays, aren’t a necessity but can be a harmless addition to your dermaplaning routine if you want to give them a try. However, if you have sensitive skin, at-home dermaplaning may not be the best exfoliation option for you, since physical exfoliation can cause damage to your skin barrier. Additionally, some ingredients in some popular peach fuzz sprays might cause irritation, redness, or clogged pores.

If you aren’t sure if you have sensitive skin or not, take the Baumann Skin Type Quiz to find out which of the 16 skin types you are before deciding if peach fuzz spray could be right for your skin.

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3. Townsend, R. (2017). The use of advanced dermaplaning in clinical skin care and treatment. Clinical Dermatology Research Journal, 2(2), 1000117.
4. Tijani AO, Frempong D, Kaur J, Sergent S, Shaw K, Lessaint R, Al Shawi M, Verana G, Puri A. Dermaplaning for Transdermal Drug Permeation Enhancement: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment. AAPS PharmSciTech. 2023 Feb 1;24(2):54. doi: 10.1208/s12249-023-02505-y. PMID: 36725790.