There are a lot of natural beauty products today packaged in clear glass bottles and jars. 

I love the way these look. The clear glass looks clean and fresh, and allows the beautiful natural colors and textures of the ingredients shine through. It's no wonder that clear glass has become so popular, especially with emerging modern-style brands. It makes a person want to pick them up, smell them, touch them, use them. They're beautiful.

So, if I love clear glass so much, why do we choose to use amber (brown) glass bottles and jars for Wunder Budder? 

Light. Or, more specifically, to block as much light as possible from getting into our products. 

Have you ever noticed that the best quality cooking oils and the best artisan beers are bottled in colored glass? This is to prevent oxidation. Oxidized oils are better known as "rancid" (beer is usually called "skunked"). Oxidized oils smell "off", and in addition to the unpleasant aroma, oxidized essential oils can cause adverse reactions on skin.

Light is only one of the causes of oxidation. There are other factors, such as exposure to oxygen in the air (reducing exposure to oxygen is one of the reasons we choose pump top closures instead of plain twist off tops for our oils) and exposure to heat. On labels of every glass bottle or jar, we suggest to "store away from direct light and heat". As a maker, I can't control where anyone keeps their products (and I of course want you to open them and use them as much as possible!), but what I can do is reduce the amount of light that enters our products, even after they're out of our hands. 

Colored glass, most commonly green, brown, and blue, slows down the rate of oxidation, allowing the product to maintain its high quality, and extends its shelf life.  Since brown has been shown to be most effective in blocking light, we choose brown glass for our packaging. 

It's not only oils (and beer!) that are affected by light, but all natural ingredients. 

If you'd like to try an experiment at home, take your favorite herb and two small clear glass jars. Put a tablespoon or two in each jar. Set one jar on a windowsill, and keep one in a cabinet. Over a few months, or maybe even weeks, you'll begin to see the sun-exposed herbs start to change. Their color, smell, and taste will fade (as well as their usefulness) as the sun breaks down their natural chemicals. The clear glass makes it easy for sunlight to get through to what it's holding inside. 

Even though products in brown glass should still be stored away from direct light and heat, the dark color offers protection for what's inside. 

XoXo,

Lisa