On the shelf, two bottles say the same thing on the front: 1000 mg Omega-3. One costs 40 lei, the other 180. The difference is not necessarily marketing. Often they are simply two different products, and the answer is on the back, in small print.
Below are seven things to check, in the order that actually matters.
1. The milligrams of oil are not the milligrams that matter
This is the most common confusion, and it is easy to see why. “1000 mg fish oil” means there is a gram of oil in the capsule. It does not mean you get a gram of Omega-3, and even less a gram of DHA or EPA.
An ordinary, unconcentrated fish oil is somewhere around 30% Omega-3 fatty acids. That is, of the 1000 mg of oil, roughly 300 mg are EPA plus DHA. The rest are other fatty acids.
The numbers you are looking for are EPA and DHA, stated separately, in milligrams. If the label does not declare them separately, you already have an answer about the product.
2. The “of which” line in the nutrition table
Turn the bottle around and look for the table. It should look roughly like this:
- Oil from … — 750 mg
- of which Omega-3 (EPA + DHA) — 450 mg
- of which DHA — 300 mg
- of which EPA — 150 mg
This structure, with “of which”, is how the contents of the oil are correctly declared. When it is missing, or when only a vague “Omega-3” total appears without a breakdown, you have no way of comparing two products.
3. Check whether the figures are per softgel or per daily dose
This is where most people get lost. A product may proudly display 600 mg DHA, but with an asterisk: for three capsules. Another displays 300 mg for one.
To compare honestly, bring everything to the same unit: how much DHA you get per day, at the dose the product recommends. And then ask yourself how many capsules you are willing to take daily, because the difference between two and six is felt after a month.
4. What it actually costs you per milligram
The price per bottle tells you nothing if the bottles do not have the same concentration and the same number of days. The useful sum is simple:
the price of the bottle divided by the number of days it covers at the recommended dose. That gives you the cost per day, the only comparable figure.
A 33-lei bottle delivering 50 mg DHA a day and a 199-lei bottle delivering 600 mg are not in the same category, even if they sit on the same shelf.
5. The source: fish, krill or algae
All three arrive at EPA and DHA, but by different routes.
- Fish oil is the most widespread and the cheapest. Fish do not produce Omega-3, they accumulate it by eating algae, so they also inherit whatever else is in the food chain.
- Krill oil is more expensive and comes with phospholipids, but usually delivers less EPA and DHA per capsule.
- Microalgae oil goes straight to the source. The algae are grown under control, not fished, and it is the only suitable option if you do not consume products of animal origin.
One point that is often confused: flaxseed, chia or walnut oil is not the same thing. They contain ALA, which the body converts into EPA and DHA very inefficiently. If the label says only ALA, you are not buying DHA.
6. Freshness, the part almost nobody talks about
Omega-3 oxidises easily with heat, light and oxygen. An oxidised oil loses its value and develops an unpleasant taste and smell. The industry tracks three values: peroxide (PV), anisidine (AV) and TOTOX, which combines them.
You rarely see them printed on the label. What you can see, though, are signs that the manufacturer thought about the problem: natural antioxidants in the list (tocopherol-rich extract, rosemary extract), opaque packaging, and storage instructions that say something concrete, not just “in a cool, dry place”.
The at-home test is just as useful: if it smells strongly of stale fish when you open the bottle, the oil is no longer fresh.
7. What claims the label is allowed to make
In the European Union, a supplement cannot say just anything. For EPA and DHA, exactly three claims are authorised, by Regulation (EU) 432/2012:
- “DHA contributes to maintenance of normal brain function” — at a daily intake of 250 mg DHA.
- “DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal vision” — at the same intake.
- “EPA and DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart” — at a daily intake of 250 mg EPA plus DHA.
That is all. Anything else — focus, memory, immunity, inflammation, weight loss, mood — is not an authorised claim. When you see one on a package or in an advert, it does not automatically mean the product is bad, but it does mean the company has stepped over a rule. That is information about the company.
Notice the threshold too: the claims are valid from 250 mg a day. A product delivering 50 mg at its recommended dose does not get there, whatever the front of the pack says.
The short list, to keep in your pocket
- How much DHA and how much EPA, separately, in milligrams?
- Are the figures per softgel or per daily dose?
- How many softgels a day does it ask of me?
- Does it pass 250 mg a day?
- What does it cost me per day, not per bottle?
- What is it made from, and does it have antioxidants?
- What claims does it make, and are they among the authorised ones?
Seven questions, two minutes in front of the shelf. That is about all it takes to stop buying by the number on the front.