Amber dropper bottles – Traditional and new uses.
Amber or brown dropper bottles as many of us will remember them as bottles containing medicine or a glass bottle liquid lurking in a dark corner in a shed. But the humble glass dropper bottle is centuries old and has withstood the test of time. Even though Packaging for pharmaceuticals and hazardous liquids has advanced over the years, the dropper bottle remains a staple liquid storage solution in many industries. Once only used in scientific experiments and for medicinal storage, the amber dropper bottle now also has a firm place in the cosmetics, beauty and lifestyle sectors too.
Why amber glass dropper bottles not transparent or other coloured glass for liquids?
Amber or sometimes referred to as brown glass bottles are effective in prolonging the shelf life of a liquid. The colour is important as It creates a barrier by absorbing a comprehensive range of light waves. This in turn ensures the liquid is not changed, and the product is safe for use for longer than for say in a clear bottle. Liquids used by Pharmaceutical, scientific and health and beauty companies often use amber glass to protect their light sensitive products. Other shades or translucent glass will also offer some protection, however, darker glass is more favorable for products that may be change when exposed to the sun.
The purpose of a pipette?
Named after the famous scientist Louis Pasteur the pipette is still used to reduce contamination of liquids when transferred. Pipettes also allow the user to control the desired amount of liquid by squeezing the bulb at the top.
There are many reasons to choose glass bottles over plastic or aluminum packaging, here’s just a few examples.
*Glass can be infinitely recycled without losing quality whereas, plastics will usually end up being downcycled. (What is down cycling I hear you say? downcycling or sometimes referred to as cascading recycling, is the process in which used and unused products are recycled and refabricated to make a new product, for example synthetic clothing items. Plastic is often only recycled 2 – 3 times into the same item, before its makeup deteriorates.
*Amber glass creates a barrier by absorbing a comprehensive range of light waves
*Unlike other options Glass is not toxic and will not leak chemicals into your product
*Glass will not affect the smell or taste of the liquid it is storing
*It is Aesthetically pleasing
*Due to high demand of Amber glass bottles in various industries, manufacturing is high, which allow the costs to remain sensible, in comparison to other coloured bottles.
*Easy to clean, therefore :-
*Re-usable – Can be reused, recycled or even better upcycled into something beautiful.
*For a consumer glass bottled products in general are often thought of as better quality, irrelevant of the content.
The Pipettes as a closure for amber bottles –
*Controlled dispensing – Droppers allow controlled distribution of liquid.
*Contamination control – Droppers reduce the chance of cross contamination of product
*easy to clean
*Readily Available with options to choose a tamper evident ring or Child resistant Closure.
*Colourful options to personalize your product or brand in various parts of the pipette, for example the bulbs (squeezy part of the pipette) could be black or white for example, and the closure part could be metallic or matt in colour.
What can I put in a amber dropper bottle?
Amber dropper bottles are so versatile. This is a wide open question, so we will look at it from different angles, and industries and give small examples.
As I referred to at the beginning, plenty of us will remember medicine (often fluorescent yellow or pink) coming from a dark bottle. To this day liquid pharmaceuticals are still being stored and dispensed in these.
From a scientist point of view, due to glass being impermeable, samples and liquids are kept to the best quality and standard allowing for accurate research and samples.
From a health and beauty or lifestyle industry perspective the use of glass bottles has exploded over the recent years. The eco conscious consumer numbers are growing rapidly and many industries have been quick to change their business brands, and packaging to meet the growing demands and expectations of their customers.
Glass bottles, look and feel like a quality product, and many consumers will now actively seek an alternative to plastic. For instance just this week a mutual acquaintance commented that she uses shampoo bars, natural products and oils, in her beauty and selfcare routine and only ever buys products in plastic if it is absolutely essential. If it is not essential she will try to find an alternative to purchase or make it herself. This leads me on to a different area now, she said “I will try to make it myself”
Ive tried not to say it but, during the pandemic, many people felt they had more time at home to do things they liked, even if it was learning how to make banana bread! However the amber bottle was again in high demand as the creatives, the entrepreneurs, the formulators amongst us decided to take a chance and set up the business that they dreamt of but never had the time to do. Then on the flip side, The consumers started to opt for small, local, independents online also, instead of the big companies that dominated. This extra time made us all think about our buying habits, and many made a conscious decision to make changes.
What type of business uses amble dropper bottles?
At some bottle, we have seen growth in glass bottles sales, it’s great to see individuals purchasing single items then within a few months noticing repeat orders with business names. Creatives, turning a hobby or idea into a brand new business venture. Our products have no minimum orders, so these customers have been able to start small, test the waters so to speak, without a huge initial outlay. We have asked some of these customers, what they use the bottles for, and we will show case some of these in the near future. We have expected some of the answers but have been pleasantly surprised with others.
What our customers use the Amber bottles for:-
*Hair oil blends
*Beard oils
*Carrier oils, such as rosehip oil, and jojoba oil
*Essential oils
*Custom perfume oils
*Cuticle oils
*aromatherapy
*apothecary/pharmaceutical
*room sprays
*vape juices
*CBD
*homemade tinctures
*crafts
*visual decorative glass displays
To find amber dropper bottles in various sizes, click the link below
100ml amber glass dropper bottle + child resistant pipette
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