Which Tinted Glass is Best for Essential Oils?

When choosing a glass dropper bottle for your essential oil, you'll have a variety of colors to choose from. While it can be tempting to choose the most visually appealing color, you need to consider the effect of light on your product. Which tinted glass should you buy best for storing essential oils?

There are four common options for stained glass for essential oil bottles:

Amber or brown

Flint or clear

Cobalt blue

Green

Each color has its own aesthetic and protective factors. To make the best decision for your product, consider light protection, shelf life, and marketing. In terms of light protection, the darker and more opaque the glass, the more antioxidant protection it provides. Over time, oxidation can break down the oil and negate the therapeutic value of essential oils.

Light can be divided into two categories along the electromagnetic spectrum: invisible light and visible light. The invisible light that the tinted glass of essential oil bottles is most concerned about is ultraviolet light.

Sunlight contains harmful ultraviolet radiation (UV rays). In fact, these rays are why we wear sunscreen and sunglasses - we want to protect our skin and eyes from UV rays, which can cause skin burns and skin cancer. These UV rays can damage our skin cells just like they can damage the components of essential oils.

Rapid oxidation changes the chemicals in essential oils, causing them to break down and reduce their effectiveness.

The science behind glass bottle oxidation involves the wavelengths of light, which are measured on the electromagnetic spectrum. Wavelength is measured in nanometers, and 1 nanometer (nm) is equal to one billionth of a meter. Ultraviolet rays from the sun are 10 nanometers to 400 nanometers in length. The light we naturally see is measured in the 400nm to 780nm range.

Amber glass protects against light wavelengths in the 10nm to 400nm range. This is the ideal spectrum for protection from UV radiation, which is why many pharmaceutical and beverage manufacturers choose amber bottles.

While blue and green bottles may be more visually appealing, they don't provide enough protection for your oil. These colors provide protection from visible light but do not protect your oils from UV rays. They are also usually a little more expensive than amber or flint bottles.

Clear glass bottles, also known as flint glass, do not directly compromise the integrity of the oil. However, these bottles do not offer any light protection. Clear glass is not the best choice for essential oils that tend to break down due to oxidation or are slow to use, i.e. drops per application.

However, sometimes you can choose a different color for the glass and still be safe for the consumer. If your packaged essential oils don't have a long shelf life or will be stored in a dark space, lighter glass colors can make their debut.

If you choose a clear glass bottle, be sure to include instructions for storage away from light. Alternatively, choose clear glass only when packaging oils that must be used for a short period of time, or oils that are more liberal and don't last long in the bottle.

Another way to address the need for amber or darker glass colors is to opt for sturdy wraparound labels. This type of label will cover most of the glass, blocking both invisible and visible light. Customers will be able to see the top or bottom of the glass bottle so they can see when the product runs out. This may be the selling point of clear glass - being able to see their products, which amber glass doesn't have.

Choose the best-stained glass for essential oil dropper bottles to protect the product and enhance your brand. Essential oil customers will want to work with a company that offers a wide selection of tinted glass bottles and understands what each bottle is for. After all, it would be their money wasted if their essential oils lost their therapeutic benefits. If you want to buy tinted glass dropper bottles for your company, welcome to contact us.

Das Packaging is a custom glass container manufacturer with 25 years of experience. We manufacture glass bottles and jars in all shapes and sizes. We can turn your creative ideas into real products, personalized and branded. Das Packaging's goal is to provide one-stop, world-class packaging solutions that exceed your expectations, with service second to none.