Single-dose skincare has stopped being a novelty shelf. Buyers now compare a softgel against an ampoule, a sachet, a stick pack before they compare formulas, because the format decides cost per unit, shelf life, and the retail story. Each option solves a different problem. None of them wins on every line.
This guide compares the four formats on the criteria that actually decide a purchase order: barrier performance, fill compatibility, unit cost at realistic volumes, consumer handling. It also covers the formulas where a softgel is the wrong answer, which is worth knowing before a brief is written.
Four formats, four jobsA softgel is a sealed shell filled with oil, gel, or paste. An ampoule is a glass or plastic vial, normally liquid, opened by snapping the neck. A sachet is a flexible foil pouch holding one to five millilitres. A stick pack is a narrow laminated tube that suits gels and travel sizes.
- Softgel: facial oil, eye serum, hair oil, cream fills, 0.2 to 1 ml.
- Ampoule: watery essences, toners, high-water concentrates.
- Sachet: masks, cleansers, body cream at larger doses.
- Stick pack: gel textures, sample sizes, grooming lines.
Oxygen, light, and water vapour are the three forces that age a formula. Glass gives an excellent barrier but adds weight and breakage risk. Foil laminates perform well until a seam or a pinhole appears, and a sachet always carries headspace. A softgel seals the fill inside a shell with no headspace at all, and an opaque shell blocks light completely. That is why oxidation-prone oils such as rosehip, sea buckthorn, and retinol hold their colour and odour far longer in a capsule than in a jar that is opened twice a day.
Cost at realistic volumesUnit price only means something next to a quantity. The patterns below hold across most Asian softgel and liquid filling lines:
- Softgel: low material cost, one-time tooling, strongest economics above 10,000 units.
- Ampoule: glass forming plus washing and filling lines push the unit price up, sensible from 5,000 to 30,000.
- Sachet: cheapest per unit at high volume, but fill accuracy is looser and cartons add freight.
- Stick pack: mid-range, needs a secondary carton, popular in Asian travel retail.
Freight is often overlooked. A sachet or ampoule carton is bulky and mostly air, so a pallet of 20,000 units can cost more to ship than the goods themselves. Capsules stack densely, which matters for brands selling across borders.
Where a softgel is the wrong answerA softgel shell is sensitive to water. Fills must stay low in water activity, which rules out toners, mists, and most essences built on 90 percent water. High alcohol content softens the shell, and doses above five millilitres become impractical to swallow. For those briefs, an ampoule or a sachet is the honest recommendation, even from a capsule factory. Saying so early saves a costly reformulation later.
CapsulesBiotech runs softgel lines for facial oil, eye serum, hair oil, body lotion, and face cream, with shells in 100 percent plant-based material or food-grade gelatin. Sealed single units keep the formula away from light and air, reduce the need for preservatives, and deliver an exact dose every time, with no measuring and no waste.
If you are weighing formats for an upcoming launch, send us your target market, price positioning, and the texture you have in mind. Our team will come back with a formula direction, a fill volume, a shell option, and a production slot that fits your launch date.