A cosmetics ODM wanted a plant-based version of a beauty softgel it already makes in gelatin — same shape, same line, no new tooling. This clip is that sample run, filmed from the gel mass through to finished capsules.
A plant-based gel mass, tinted to the brand
The shell starts as a gel mass cooked from hydroxypropyl starch, with no animal gelatin. For a cosmetic run it is tinted while it is still fluid gel mass — here a deep green — so the color runs through the shell rather than sitting on the surface. The same base gel mass carries whatever color a brand specifies.
Cast on the existing gelatin tooling
The point of the run is compatibility. AMYLOM’s gel mass casts into the shell ribbon and runs through the factory’s existing gelatin softgel dies — the same tooling used for the gelatin version of the capsule — with no die change and no line retooling. For an ODM, that means a beauty softgel can move to gelatin-free without buying new molds or re-qualifying the line around them.
Why a sample run matters
A sample run is where compatibility stops being a claim. Casting a clean, uniform ribbon from a plant-starch gel mass, then releasing finished capsules from tooling designed for gelatin, is the test that tells a cosmetics brand the switch will hold in production — at its own shape and color.
AMYLOM (Amylom Biotechnology) manufactures plant-based softgels with gelatin-free hydroxypropyl starch shells, for supplements, cosmetics, and specialty formats. See our softgel capabilities or talk to our team about a plant-based softgel project.
