Is it just me, or has the last decade seen an increasingly bitter arms race for caffeine products? Much like iPods, each new generation of caffeinated drinks and supplements have been cramming more powerful punches into ever smaller packages. But with the 5-Hour Energy Shot and its ilk slimming an energy jolt into just a couple ounces, what new territory is left to conquer? Well, Sprayable Energy has entered the caffeine race.

Entrepreneur Ben Yu has come forth with a bold answer: Sprayable Energy. At the tender age of 21, Yu has managed to synthesize and bottle a sprayable form of caffeine. Four sprays applied to the skin purportedly give you a buzz similar to a cup of coffee. According to the company, absorption through the skin gives the user a more potent and sustained rush, while also smoothing out the widely feared post-coffee crash.

The central appeal of Sprayable Energy – besides its novel ingestion method – seems to be its promise of a smoother, cleaner, more sustained buzz. This has been the vaunted turf that energy supplements have been fighting over the past few years, and it’s clear that the public does indeed want to avoid that much-maligned “2:30 feeling.” Of course, there often seems to be a subtext in the marketing of these high-octane energy supplements. “No crash” and “a smoother buzz” are great, but consumers (read: teenagers) are also looking for the product that will allow them to get as wired as humanly possible without having a nervous breakdown and/or heart palpitations. And hey, what’s an easier way to do that than doffing yourself with a few quick sprays on the drive to work?

Sprayable Energy is the first product born out of libertarian billionaire Peter Thiel’s $100,000 College Dropout Challenge, which Yu won a few years back. It’s still early in the game – and it’s certainly no cure for cancer – but the young entrepreneur just might be onto something. After all, the popular demand for smaller, faster, and stronger energy boosts shows no signs of abating anytime soon.