Guide
How to choose a good fish oil
A checklist for reading any fish oil label, run against our own product like any other — including the places we fall short.
A good fish oil label answers six questions without you having to guess: how much EPA and DHA it actually delivers (not just the fish oil total), what form the oil is in, how that dose compares to what's actually been studied, what else is in the softgel, what you're paying per softgel of EPA and DHA, and whether an independent lab has checked it. Here's the checklist, run against our own label like any other.
1. Are EPA and DHA broken out, or just the fish oil total?
"1,000 mg of fish oil" tells you the oil weight, not how much of it is EPA and DHA — the two fats the whole category is really about. A label that states only the fish oil total, with no EPA/DHA breakdown, doesn't tell you the dose that actually matters. Our panel breaks it out on separate lines: 1,000 mg of fish oil concentrate, providing 180 mg of EPA and 120 mg of DHA — 300 mg combined per softgel. That's the number to compare across brands, not the fish oil total alone.
2. What form is the oil in?
Fish oil is sold in a few different chemical forms — natural triglyceride, ethyl ester, or re-esterified triglyceride — and the form has been a genuine point of debate. Older single-dose research from 1988, done without food, found ethyl esters absorbed far less efficiently than the free fatty acid or triglyceride forms. A more recent trial told a different story: when doses of EPA and DHA were matched exactly, a four-week study found no statistically significant difference in blood levels between an ethyl ester fish oil, a triglyceride fish oil, and krill oil (a phospholipid source) — plasma bioavailability differed by less than 24% between the three. That trial was funded by a supplement ingredient manufacturer, which is worth knowing when you read its conclusion. Our panel lists the ingredient as "fish oil concentrate" without stating the specific ester form; if that distinction matters to you, it's a fair question to ask any brand, ours included.
3. How does the dose compare to the trials?
This is where most labels, ours included, have to be honest about a gap. A dose-response trial found our exact one- and two-softgel amounts — 300 mg and 600 mg/day of combined EPA and DHA — raise a blood biomarker (the omega-3 index) in a dose-dependent way. That's the closest dose-matched finding we have, and it's a lab measurement, not a health outcome. See fish oil benefits: what the research does and doesn't show for where higher-dose, outcome-focused research sits relative to a standard softgel — most of it uses several times our labeled amount.
4. What else is in the softgel?
A softgel needs a shell, and fish oil concentrate typically includes an antioxidant to slow oxidation. Our other ingredients are the softgel itself (gelatin, glycerin and water) and vitamin E. The gelatin shell is the reason this is the one product in our range that isn't vegan — worth knowing if that matters to you, and worth checking on any bottle, since not every fish oil label states its softgel material as plainly.
5. What's the price per softgel of EPA and DHA?
Bottle price and capsule count don't tell you what you're paying for the actual EPA and DHA, because fish oil concentration varies a lot between labels — some softgels are 1,000 mg of a 30% concentrate, others are a much higher concentration in the same size capsule. Divide the bottle price by the total EPA+DHA it contains (mg per serving × servings) to compare fairly. Ours works out to roughly $0.17 per softgel (300 mg combined EPA+DHA), on a bottle as low as $16.78 on subscription — about $0.34 a day at the labeled two-softgel amount.
6. Has an independent lab checked it?
Fish oil oxidizes over time, and independent testing (for freshness, heavy metals, and actual EPA/DHA content matching the label) is one of the more meaningful checks in this category specifically. We hold no third-party certification on this product, and we're not going to imply otherwise. If independent verification matters to you, ask any brand — including us — for a current certificate of analysis rather than trusting a logo on the label.
Our label against the checklist
| Check | Our label |
|---|---|
| EPA and DHA broken out | Yes — 180 mg EPA + 120 mg DHA per softgel, from 1,000 mg fish oil concentrate |
| Oil form stated | Listed as "fish oil concentrate"; specific ester form not stated on the panel |
| Dose vs. the trials | Our 300/600 mg amounts match a dose-response biomarker trial exactly; outcome-focused trials use several times more |
| Other ingredients | Gelatin softgel, glycerin, water, vitamin E — not vegan |
| Price per softgel (EPA+DHA) | ~$0.17, on a bottle as low as $16.78 on subscription |
| Third-party testing | None held on this product |
Questions people ask
Which omega-3 supplement is best?
There's no single answer, but there is a consistent way to check any candidate: run it through the six items above. A label that breaks out EPA and DHA specifically, discloses its oil form and other ingredients, and is priced and tested transparently has done what it can do. Which one suits you also comes down to price, allergy status, and whether you'd rather avoid gelatin.
How do I compare omega-3 brands?
We can't rank other brands. What we can tell you is how to evaluate any of them: the EPA/DHA breakdown, the oil form, the dose against real trials, the ingredient list, the price per softgel of EPA+DHA, and third-party testing status.
Where can I buy fish oil with the highest EPA and DHA?
That varies a lot by brand and concentration — some softgels concentrate the oil much more than others, so a bigger-sounding "fish oil" number doesn't always mean more EPA and DHA. Check the EPA/DHA line specifically, not the fish oil total, on any label you're comparing.
Is fish oil concentrate the same as regular fish oil?
"Concentrate" usually means the oil has been processed to raise the proportion of EPA and DHA relative to other fats naturally present in crude fish oil. Ours is 1,000 mg of fish oil concentrate providing 300 mg of combined EPA and DHA — always check the EPA/DHA line rather than assuming from the word "concentrate" alone.
Are there vegan omega-3 supplements?
Yes — algae-based DHA is the common plant-derived alternative, though it typically provides DHA without the EPA a fish oil concentrate provides. We don't currently carry one; ours is gelatin-based and not vegan.
Sources
- Lawson LD, Hughes BG. Human absorption of fish oil fatty acids as triacylglycerols, free acids, or ethyl esters. PMID 3358766.
- Yurko-Mauro K, et al. Similar EPA and DHA plasma levels achieved with fish oil or krill oil in a randomized double-blind four-week bioavailability study. PMID 26328782.
- Flock MR, et al. Determinants of erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acid content in response to fish oil supplementation. PMID 24252845.
- Electric Tiger Omega-3 Supplement Facts: product page.
Related reading: what is fish oil, how much fish oil should you take a day, and fish oil benefits: what the research does and doesn't show.
Sources
- Human absorption of fish oil fatty acids as triacylglycerols, free acids, or ethyl esters In a small single-dose trial without food, free fatty acid fish oil was absorbed best, the natural triglyceride form somewhat less well, and the ethyl ester form substantially worse — about a fifth as well as the free acid form.
- Similar eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid plasma levels achieved with fish oil or krill oil in a randomized double-blind four-week bioavailability study When doses of EPA and DHA were matched exactly, a four-week trial in 66 healthy adults found no statistically significant difference in blood levels between ethyl ester fish oil, triglyceride fish oil, and krill oil; this trial was funded by a supplement ingredient manufacturer.
- Determinants of erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acid content in response to fish oil supplementation: a dose-response randomized controlled trial In 115 healthy adults, daily doses from 300 mg to 1,800 mg of EPA and DHA raised a blood marker called the omega-3 index in a dose-dependent way over about five months; the trial measured a blood biomarker, not a health outcome.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
