When you go to a pharmacy, the most common prescription bottles that you come across look something like this:

Of course your primary concern has always been the content of the bottle. But have you ever wondered why these bottles are mostly orange or in shades of brown?

No, it isn’t just to identify them as prescription bottles. The reason is actually scientific.

Orange & brown are the most commonly used colours because of their ability to prevent UV light from damaging or degrading any photosensitive contents that are prone to photochemical reactions. But at the same time, they let enough light through for us to see the contents inside. Smart, eh?

Medicinal bottles have been around since the 19th century. And yes, there are different hues & shades, apart from orange & brown, in which these bottles come. But the contents of those are not potentially photosensitive.

The same logic also applies while bottling beers, especially craft beers. The colour choice is maintained so that contents of the bottle are not spoilt.

Never knew that, did you?