Biophotonic Glassware
While looking through our website, you may have noticed that all our glassware is dark purple and wondered why.
When we started out here at Incr-edibles some six years ago, we came across this type of glassware that intrigued us. We thought it was medicinal as we associated these coloured bottles with hospitals. This led us to delve into it a little further, with the intention of using it in line with our CBD products and company branding, and we are glad we did.
It turned out that this glassware is special because it protects and preserves products from breaking down, thus enhancing the otherwise normal shelf life and maintaining the effectiveness of the product housed within.
Pros;
Bio-photonic glassware, sometimes referred to as violet glass, is designed to protect light-sensitive compounds such as CBD and CBG, helping preserve their potency, stability, and therapeutic value throughout a product’s shelf life. Both cannabinoids are susceptible to degradation from exposure to light, oxygen, and heat. Bio-photonic glass blocks the full spectrum of harmful visible light while allowing only select beneficial wavelengths to pass through, significantly slowing photochemical reactions that lead to cannabinoid breakdown and terpene loss.
When compared to clear glass, the advantages are substantial. Clear glass offers virtually no protection from UV or visible light, allowing rapid oxidation and degradation of CBD and CBG, resulting in reduced potency, altered aroma, and diminished efficacy. Brown (amber) glass improves protection by filtering UV light, but it still allows some visible wavelengths to pass, so degradation continues over time.
Bio-photonic glass provides a superior barrier, extending shelf life without the need for synthetic stabilisers or preservatives. It also helps inhibit oxidation and microbial growth, making it particularly valuable for high-quality, natural cannabinoid formulations. In addition to performance benefits, bio-photonic glass aligns with sustainability goals: it is reusable, recyclable, and supports premium product positioning. Overall, it offers a high-performance, long-term packaging solution that better safeguards CBD and CBG than conventional glass options.
Cons;
The only downside we can realistically attribute to this type of glassware is that, because the glass is dark, it is difficult to see when your CBD or CBG product is about to finish.
That said, we do offer Royal Mail Tracked 24-hour postage on all our products, and in most cases we ship them the day they are ordered, provided your order is placed before 14:00.
The benefits of Violetglass;
As you can see in the image below, this type of glass can make a substantial difference in the quality, freshness, and effectiveness of your product over time.
As a straightforward comparison, chives were stored for three months in three types of glass containers: clear, brown, and violet. The chives kept in clear and brown glass rapidly lost moisture and turned grey. In contrast, chives stored in violet glass retained their fresh aroma and vibrant green colour throughout storage.
We believe that there is no point sourcing high-quality cannabinoids only to cut corners by packaging them in cheap containers that don’t maintain the integrity of the products we produce. We hope you agree.
Our aim with this article was to provide you with an insight into why we use violetglass for all of our bottling requirements. However, if you require any further information, please reach out to us via our contact form, available here.
Amber Glass vs. Violet Glass: Optical Filtering & Storage Performance
Violet glass (often sold under brand names like Miron) and amber glass both protect sensitive contents from light degradation, but they use fundamentally different optical filtering mechanisms.
| Feature | Amber Glass | Violet Glass (Biophotonic) |
|---|---|---|
| UV Protection | Blocks almost all UV light (200–400 nm) | Blocks harmful UV-A/UV-B, but selectively lets in violet/near-UV light (~380–420 nm) |
| Visible Light | Blocks blue light, but lets through significant yellow/red visible light (450–700 nm) | Completely blocks all visible light (450–700 nm) |
| Infrared (IR) | Partially permits IR light | Permeable to Infrared (IR) light waves |
| Light Spectrum Filtered | Broad-spectrum baseline protection | Selective filter: blocks damaging middle spectrum, admits violet & IR |
| Primary Mechanism | Absorbs high-energy UV rays to prevent rapid degradation | Uses dark pigments to block visible light degradation while leveraging violet/IR light |
| Industry Standard | Pharmaceutical, apothecary, chemical reagent storage | High-end skincare, essential oils, organic supplements |
| Cost & Availability | Inexpensive and widely available | Premium price, proprietary manufacturers |
Light Filtering
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Amber Glass: Acts as a broad barrier against ultra-violet (UV) rays and blue light, which cause photo-oxidation. However, it still allows standard visible light to penetrate, which can degrade organic matter over extended periods.
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Violet Glass: Completely opaque to visible light (appearing almost pitch black). It selectively allows a small band of violet light and far-infrared radiation to pass through, which manufacturers claim slows down degradation and maintains molecular stability.
Practical Takeaway For standard pharmaceutical and chemical protection, amber glass meets regulatory standards (such as USP type limits for light-resistant containers) at a fraction of the cost. Violet glass is primarily chosen for luxury packaging and products sensitive to visible spectrum light.
