Our MSM capsules are made from 99.9% pure powder encapsulated in vegicap material. The MSM in the capsules is made in the US and the MSM is encapsulated in the US. Orders of bulk capsules will be in shipped in plastic pouches with a heat seal across the open end to keep it from bursting open during shipment. Bulk capsules and the capsules that we have available in bottles are exactly the same and are encapsulated by the same company. We add nothing to our powder during encapsulation which makes our capsules different from almost anything you can buy in stores. Most store-bought capsules have additives such as silicon dioxide (sand) and vegetable magnesium stearate. At best, these ingredients take up room and reduce the amount of actual MSM you are getting. At worst, they can cause stress on your body as your body tries to rid itself of these supposedly inert ingredients and can also prevent your body from absorbing as much MSM. They do nothing to enhance the MSM in any way, so our pure MSM capsules are superior. As a test you can dump the store-bought capsule into a glass of water. If it has these ingredients, it will float on top of the water on a film and nothing you can do can get it to dissolve. In contrast, if you dump the contents of our capsules into water, almost all of it will go immediately to the bottom and it will all dissolve within a few minutes of stirring in warm water. Shelf-life of OptiMSM® is certified to be 5-years. MSM should be stored in a cool, but not cold, dry area, such as on a kitchen shelf.