There is provided an aerosol-forming cartridge (220) for use in an electrically operated aerosol-generating system. The aerosol-forming cartridge (220) comprises a base layer (222) comprising at least one cavity (234), and at least one aerosol-forming substrate (224) held in the at least one cavity. A protective foil (23) is removably attached to the base layer (222) and is arranged to substantially hermetically seal the at least one aerosol-forming substrate (224) within the at least one cavity (234) prior to use of the aerosol-forming cartridge (220).
