Walk into any drugstore, grocery store or natural food store, and you’re likely to see a wide array of drinks, medications, personal care products and other substances in amber glass bottles. In fact, amber-colored glass has long been a bottling product of choice among many pharmaceutical and beverage manufacturers.

Why is amber-colored glass such a consistent favorite? It’s not just the classic aesthetic appeal—it’s also related to the glass’s protective qualities. Elements like light and heat are threatening to the quality and safety of many substances, particularly those that break down quickly due to oxidation and those that are going to be stored for an extended period of time.

For a substance like essential oils—offering potent therapeutic qualities and dispensed only a drop or two at a time—oxidation is the enemy. Here’s why amber glass dropper bottles can be your ally in the battle against oxidation.

The Hazards of Oxidation

To understand why oxidation is the enemy, it helps to understand what it is. In scientific terms, oxidation occurs when a molecule loses electrons and becomes unstable, usually because exposure to UV light, oxygen or heat weakens the chemical bonds. To put it in far more understandable terms, oxidation occurs when light, heat or air causes changes in the oil’s chemical composition.

It’s crucial to protect your essential oils against oxidation. An oxidized essential oil isn’t as potent as a fresh oil. As the oil breaks down into its constituent compounds, it’s more likely to cause irritation to delicate tissues rather than any kind of therapeutic benefit. Oxidation can even alter the scent of the oil.

Preventing oxidation and protecting the shelf life and the integrity of your essential oils means shielding the oils from the environmental factors that could cause them to break down—which is where amber glass dropper bottles come in.

The Value of Glass Dropper Bottles

Glass dropper bottles aren’t just beautiful, they’re satisfyingly heavy, adding to a sense of luxury and value. They’re also a safe bet for avoiding many of the pitfalls that can degrade the quality of your oils.

Glass bottles are impermeable to gasses, making them the ideal oxygen barrier for sensitive products like essential oils. Glass is inert and non-reactive, meaning it won’t interact with your oils to cause chemical reactions that could threaten the integrity of your product or your packaging. And, since heat is one of the main culprits of oxidation, the heat-resistant qualities of glass are an essential protection for your essential oils.

Outside of oxidation concerns, another advantage of glass is that it’s environmentally friendly—it can be recycled without losing quality or purity. In fact, glass bottles from Carow are made from 70% post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials. Glass is also easy to sterilize for less risk of contaminants that could also compromise the quality of your oils.

The Special Qualities of Amber Glass

The particular value of amber glass, beyond any other colors of glass, comes in its unique ability to block harmful rays. The same UV rays that can be so harmful to your eyes and skin, damaging your cells and even causing cancer, can also degrade the chemical makeup of your essential oils. Just as you wear sunglasses—often amber-colored—to protect your eyes, amber glass can act as sunglasses for your essential oils.

Amber glass blocks out the rays we can see and the ones we can’t. The visible light spectrum—the light we can naturally see—ranges from 400 nm to 780 nm. The ultraviolet spectrum—the light that’s bad for our skin and your essential oils—ranges from 10 nm to 400 nm. Thanks to the substances added during the production process to give it that signature dark color, amber glass offers protection against light in the damaging UV range.

The darker and more opaque the glass, the more protection it offers against photooxidation (oxidation due to UV light). Green and blue glass bottles provide protection against visible light, but they don’t protect against the UV spectrum. Amber glass is the industry standard for UV protection and an ideal choice when product integrity is critical.

Guarantee Quality with the Right Packaging

Protect the quality of your product and the integrity of your brand with the right packaging for your essential oils. This includes an amber glass bottle and a well-fitted dropper cap, like our EuroDrop® cap, which is made in the USA, to minimize the amount of air sneaking into the bottle as your customers dispense the oil.

Carow offers amber glass bottles in capacities ranging from 5 ml to 200 ml, with clean-room manufacturing available, if needed, to ensure your essential oils remain safe and effective from the start. To learn more about choosing the right packaging for your product, contact one of our Solutions Specialists to schedule a 15-minute consultation.