It arrived chipped, or damp
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Chipped tablets and split softgels
From movement in transit. A part-filled bottle lets the contents tumble, and tablets chip at the edges while softgel seams split and leak. Filler and a bottle sized to the count both fix it.
Damp contents and a clumped mass
Moisture, from a seal that never sealed, a spent desiccant, or a desiccant sized for less headspace than the bottle actually has. The symptom is the same from all three causes.
An induction liner is not a seal until it is sealed
A foil-faced liner only becomes a membrane after passing under an induction head at the right power and line speed. Buying HIS closures without the sealing step gets you a gasket and no barrier.
And a partial bond is the worst outcome
The land has to be clean, flat and free of flash. A partial bond looks sealed, passes a glance, and breathes, which combines the appearance of tamper evidence with none of the protection.
Probiotics show it first
Because a viability count on the label is a measurable claim and moisture reduces it. A product that tests short at the end of its shelf life is often reporting a packaging failure rather than a formulation one.
Clear bottles make it visible, which helps
52 of the 157 containers here are clear. A clumped or discolored contents in a clear bottle is noticed; the same change in an opaque bottle is found by a customer. For an active line that visibility is worth something.
Keep retained samples and open them late
From each packing run, stored as stock is stored, opened at intervals through the shelf life. It is the only measurement of your package rather than of your capsules.
Three of the four causes are a component left out
Filler, desiccant and the sealing step are all easy to drop for cost and all produce failures the customer attributes to the product rather than the pack. The fourth, a partial bond, is a process problem rather than an omission.