What’s the Deal With Black Glass Bottles?
Are black bottles really better for your beauty products? (Photo: Jon Paterson)
If you’ve perused beauty products lately (particularly of the natural variety), you may have noticed a trend in the form of black glass bottles. Seriously, everyone from cult favorite May Lindstrom to UK-based De Mamiel is using them. And if all the cool kids are doing it, there must be something to it, right? In this case, yes.
As it turns out, the black glass bottles serve an actual, practical purpose in addition to looking really pretty on your bathroom counter. The containers are made from a specially formulated dark violet (so dark that it looks black) glass, which is designed to block UV rays. This helps to keep the product inside the bottle stable, preserving its lifespan and potency, a particularly important consideration for preservative-free all-natural products that would otherwise have a rather short shelf life.
A May Lindstrom product packaged in violet glass by Miron. (Photo: May Lindstrom)
And while the beauty industry may have just picked up on this practical trend, it turns out that violet glass has a long history of protecting precious ingredients. As May Lindstrom tells it, the use of violet glass has its origins in ancient Egypt, where women housed their valuable essences and healing solutions in gold and violet glass containers.
These days, European brand Miron has picked up where the Egyptians left off, creating the distinctive violet glass bottles that house products from Mun, May Lindstrom, Vintner’s Daughter, Kahina Giving Beauty, Antonia Burrell, Lina Hanson, and more. According to the Netherlands-based brand, their unique glass can block the complete spectrum of visible light, with the exception of the violet part, allowing optimal protection against the aging process that visible light causes. If you’re interested in the science behind it (called biophotonics), they’ve got plenty of ultra-technical studies to back up these claims too.
Kahina Giving Beauty products use violet glass bottles that help to preserve natural ingredients. (Photo: Kahina Giving Beauty)
As for the beauty gurus, they’re certainly convinced. Kahina founder Katharine L’Heureux says she was first drawn to the bottles for their aesthetics. “The black bottles are so beautiful, and I hadn’t seen anyone using them at the time,” she explains. Now that they’re more ubiquitous, she’s still a fan. “The fact that they are recyclable and actually help to preserve the ingredients makes them a clear choice,” she adds. And April Gargiulo of Vintner’s Daughter agrees. “Most light waves are energy degrading, which is why the choice of glass is so important, especially for our formulation, which depends so much on energy-rich botanicals,” she says. An added perk? They make really great vases. “We have many clients who keep our bottles to up-cycle for flowers,” says May Lindstrom. “The violet glass isn’t just pretty, but it keeps the flowers fresh so much longer!”
Related:
Packaging Crush: Pretty Products That Work
Social Media & Packaging: Why It’s Important for Beauty Brands
