Vegan and vegetarian supplement ranges keep growing, and softgels are the format buyers ask about most: they hold oils and fat-soluble actives that a tablet or a hard capsule cannot carry well. For a brand owner, importer or distributor, the question is not whether to add plant-based softgels but how to source them: under your own label, as a ready white label product, as a product developed for you, or in bulk.
This guide is written for business buyers. It explains the four ways to buy vegetarian softgels from an Indian manufacturer, what to check before you place an order, and the exact brief that gets you a fast and accurate quotation from a vegetarian softgel manufacturer in India.
Who This Guide Is For
- Supplement brand owners adding a vegan or vegetarian softgel to their range.
- Importers and distributors in the Gulf, Africa, South-East Asia, Europe and North America who supply pharmacies, retailers or online sellers.
- Private label and white label sellers who want a finished product under their own name without building a factory.
- Indian brands that sell domestically and want one manufacturing partner for India and export.
Four Ways to Buy Vegetarian Softgels
Buyers often use the words private label, white label, ODM and bulk as if they mean the same thing. They do not, and the model you choose decides your cost, your lead time and who owns the formula.
| Model | What you get | Best for | What you send |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private label | A softgel from the manufacturer's range, made and packed under your brand name and label design. | New brands and fast launches | Product choice, pack, label artwork, quantity |
| White label | A standard finished product with minimal changes, where you add your brand and sell. | Distributors and online sellers testing a market | Product, pack count, brand label |
| ODM / custom | A product developed to your brief: fill, strength per softgel, size, shell colour and pack. | Brands that need a product no one else sells | Product brief, target market, label claims you want |
| Bulk supply | Finished softgels in bulk packing, for you to bottle or blister in your own country. | Importers with local packing lines | Product, specification, quantity, packing type |
A useful rule: if speed matters most, start with private label or white label. If your brand needs a product that competitors cannot copy, choose ODM and agree in writing who owns the formula. A formula you give the manufacturer should stay yours.
Which Fills Work in a Vegetarian Softgel
Softgels suit oils and oil-soluble actives. The fills most asked for in plant-based softgels are:
- Algae oil: the plant source of omega-3 DHA, and the usual choice for a vegan omega-3 product.
- Astaxanthin from algae
- Evening primrose oil and flaxseed oil
- Black seed (kalonji) oil, MCT oil and sea buckthorn oil
- Vitamin E and veg multivitamin and multimineral blends
Many of these fills can also be made in a gelatin shell (Halal-certified bovine or fish gelatin), so one product can be launched in two versions: gelatin for one market and plant-based for another. See our softgel manufacturer in India page for the gelatin range, and our softgel manufacturer buyer's guide for omega-3 grades and the questions to ask any manufacturer.
What to Check About the Shell
The shell decides what you can print on the pack. Before you design labels, ask the manufacturer for:
- A written shell composition, confirming the shell is plant-based and gelatin-free. Our vegetarian softgels use an HPMC (plant cellulose) shell.
- Confirmation that every other ingredient in the softgel is also plant-derived, if you want to call the product vegan and not only vegetarian. Our vegetarian softgels can be labelled vegan.
- Which certificates cover the product for your market, for example Halal or Kosher.
- A sample, so you can check shell clarity, colour, size and how the softgels hold up in your climate. We send samples free of charge before an order.
Custom Options You Can Specify
- Fill and strength: the oil or active and the amount per softgel. Any fill size can be made on request.
- Softgel size and shape: round, oval or oblong.
- Shell colour: clear, or any colour on request.
- Pack: HDPE or PET bottles, blister packs, alu-alu packs, or bulk.
- Label and carton: your artwork, or design support from the manufacturer.
Export Documents to Ask For
Each country has its own registration rules, so tell the manufacturer your destination at the start. The documents importers most often need are:
- Copies of the facility's quality certificates.
- The product specification and the certificate of analysis (COA) for your batch.
- Stability data.
- A Certificate of Free Sale and a Certificate of Origin.
- Label text that meets your market's rules, plus commercial and shipping papers for customs clearance.
If your country requires product registration before import, start it early so registration and production run side by side. Infy Life Science provides all of the documents above, and prepares the product registration dossier for the buyer's country, for example for NAFDAC in Nigeria, the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in Kenya, or the Gulf authorities.
What Buyers in Different Markets Ask For
The same softgel is briefed differently depending on where it will be sold. These are the questions we hear most often from each region:
- UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman: whether the product and the facility are Halal certified, and whether the shell is free of animal gelatin. A plant-based shell answers the second question at once.
- Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and South Africa: which documents the manufacturer can provide for product registration, and how the label must show the brand owner and the manufacturer.
- Europe, the UK and North America: whether every ingredient supports a vegan claim, and what the batch COA covers.
- South-East Asia: pack formats for pharmacy and online channels, and Halal certification for markets that ask for it.
- India: FSSAI-compliant labels and the choice between bottles and blister packs for pharmacy and online sales.
Rules change and differ by product type, so always confirm the current requirement with your local regulator or registration agent before you print labels.
Minimum Order and Lead Time
Vegetarian softgels are made in larger runs than gelatin softgels, so the minimum order is higher. At Infy Life Science the minimum order is 1,00,000 vegetarian softgels (30,000 for gelatin softgels). A first order is usually ready for dispatch 3 to 4 weeks after you approve the artwork, so you can line up registration, shipping and your launch date around it.
The Brief That Gets a Fast Quotation
Send these details in your first message and you will usually get a precise quotation in one reply:
- Buying model: private label, white label, ODM or bulk.
- Fill and strength per softgel.
- Softgels per pack and pack type.
- Quantity for the first order.
- Destination country and any certificate your market needs.
- Label claim you want to make, such as vegetarian or vegan.
Example brief: Private label vegan omega-3. Algae oil softgels, DHA content per softgel to your standard. 60 softgels in a PET bottle with carton. First order 10,000 bottles. Market: UAE. Halal certificate needed. Please quote and share your certificates.
Why Source Vegetarian Softgels from Infy Life Science
- Gelatin and plant-based softgels from one manufacturing facility near Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
- WHO-GMP, ISO 22000, HACCP, Halal and Kosher certified, manufacturing under an FSSAI licence.
- 500+ brands served, 1,000+ products made, and exports to 15+ countries. Our softgels already ship to buyers in the Gulf, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.
- Free samples, a 3 to 4 week lead time for a first order, and registration dossiers for your country.
- Private label, white label, ODM and bulk orders, with label and carton design support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get custom vegetarian softgels made to my own formula?
Yes. Send the fill, the strength per softgel and your target market, and the manufacturer confirms whether it can be made in a plant-based shell and quotes for it.
What is the minimum order for vegetarian softgels?
1,00,000 softgels per product. Any fill size, shape (oval, oblong or round) and shell colour can be made within that order.
What is the difference between white label and private label softgels?
White label is a standard product you rebrand with few changes. Private label lets you choose the product, pack and full label design under your brand.
Do you supply vegetarian softgels in bulk?
Yes. Importers with their own packing lines can buy finished softgels in bulk packing and pack them locally.
Can one product be made in both gelatin and vegetarian softgels?
Often, yes. Many oil fills work in both shells, so a brand can offer a gelatin version in one market and a plant-based version in another.
Request a Quotation
Send your brief to our export team and we will reply with options and a quotation. See our full vegetarian softgel capsules range or send an enquiry.
- Email ID: info@infylifescience.com
- Call & WhatsApp: (+91) 9023933030
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Infy Life Science Team
Sharing perspectives on Omega-3, nutraceutical manufacturing and product science.
