The clinically-studied, contaminant-tested branded krill — at a value price for the pedigree.
NOW Foods Neptune Krill Oil is the krill to buy when clinical pedigree and contaminant testing matter more to you than squeezing the absolute most EPA+DHA from every softgel. At roughly $40 for 120 softgels (60 two-softgel servings, about a two-month supply at one serving a day), it ships NKO — Neptune Krill Oil, the specific branded Antarctic krill that the early krill clinical literature was actually run on. Per 2-softgel serving you get 1 g of NKO delivering 230 mg total omega-3 (120 mg EPA + 70 mg DHA = 190 mg combined EPA+DHA), 390 mg phospholipids, and 750 mcg of esterified astaxanthin.
It's Friend of the Sea certified and screened for PCBs, dioxins, mercury, and heavy metals under NOW's three-decade in-house GMP labs. The honest catch sits right on the front of the bottle: 500 mg per softgel is a low per-cap dose, so a full serving is two softgels — and like all krill, the cost per gram of actual omega-3 runs several times higher than concentrated fish oil. Here's the full breakdown.
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Read the complete Omega-3 guide →Phospholipid-bound EPA+DHA at 190 mg combined per 2-softgel serving (120 EPA / 70 DHA), with a strong 390 mg phospholipid load and 230 mg total omega-3. The phospholipid format earns krill's modest per-mg absorption edge. But at 500 mg krill oil per softgel — only ~95 mg EPA+DHA per cap — the absolute per-cap dose is low, so a full serving is two softgels and reaching clinical omega-3 ranges is impractical on krill alone.
Friend of the Sea certified and explicitly tested for PCBs, dioxins, mercury, and other heavy metals, manufactured under NOW's in-house GMP-certified labs — one of the most consistent QC operations in the supplement industry across 30-plus years. Antarctic krill also sit at the lowest trophic level (eating phytoplankton), so contaminant bioconcentration is naturally near-zero to begin with.
NKO (Neptune Krill Oil) is the specific branded Antarctic krill that the early krill clinical literature (Bunea 2004) was run on — genuine clinical heritage no generic krill can claim. Antarctic-sourced under CCAMLR management. Honest nuance: Aker BioMarine acquired Neptune's krill IP and the NKO brand in 2017, so NKO is today an Aker-supplied branded krill — the pedigree is real, the ownership has moved.
At ~$40 for 120 softgels (60 two-softgel servings) NOW Neptune lands near $0.40 per serving — excellent for a clinically-studied, Friend-of-the-Sea-certified krill, and well below boutique krill at $1.00+/serving. NOW's high-volume in-house model is why. The honest ceiling: per gram of actual EPA+DHA, even this value krill costs several times more than concentrated fish oil — it's the value pick within the krill tier, not within omega-3 overall.
750 mcg of esterified astaxanthin per serving — a genuine carotenoid antioxidant that keeps the oil stable against oxidation and is the reason krill produces almost no fishy repeat. Below the 4-12 mg dose used in standalone astaxanthin trials, so treat it as an oil-stability feature plus small bonus, not therapy. Real-world tolerance is excellent: phospholipid-bound krill is the cleanest-burping omega-3 format for sensitive users.
“Phospholipid-bound omega-3 with exceptionally high bioavailability.”
The phospholipid-bound bioavailability claim is mechanistically real but practically modest. Ulven 2011 and Ramprasath 2013 found krill raised the Omega-3 Index roughly on par with or ~10-20% above fish oil per gram of EPA+DHA — a real edge, not the 'exceptionally high' framing that implies a large advantage. NOW's wording is on the right side of the truth, somewhat optimistic.
“NKO clinically shown to support healthy blood lipid levels within normal range.”
There is a real trial behind this — Bunea 2004 (Alt Med Rev) reported NKO improved total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and HDL in 120 hyperlipidemic patients over 90 days. But it's a single small, dated, industry-affiliated study in a lower-tier journal, and the magnitude hasn't been cleanly replicated independently. The claim is grounded in genuine NKO-specific data but should not be read as settled.
“Contains naturally occurring astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant.”
Confirmed on the panel: 750 mcg of esterified astaxanthin per serving. Astaxanthin is a genuine carotenoid antioxidant that also stabilises the oil against oxidation. The dose is below standalone astaxanthin trial ranges (4-12 mg), so it's a real oil-stability feature and small bonus rather than a therapeutic dose — but the claim itself is accurate.
“Tested for PCBs, dioxins, mercury, and other heavy metals.”
NOW's published product information states this product is tested for PCBs, dioxins, mercury, and heavy metals under their in-house GMP-certified labs. Antarctic krill also bioconcentrate contaminants minimally (lowest trophic level), so the combination of low-contaminant source plus active screening is a real, auditable quality claim.
“Friend of the Sea certified — sustainably sourced Antarctic krill.”
NOW Neptune Krill Oil carries Friend of the Sea certification, listed on the Friend of the Sea registry. The Antarctic krill fishery is managed under CCAMLR with conservative quotas (~1% of estimated biomass annually). A real, third-party-auditable sustainability claim that places it well above uncertified bulk krill.
The strongest thing NOW Neptune has that generic krill doesn't is NKO itself: the specific branded krill the early human trials were run on. The headline is Bunea 2004 in Alternative Medicine Review — 120 hyperlipidemic patients, krill vs fish oil vs placebo over 90 days, with NKO improving cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and HDL and beating fish oil at comparable doses. That's a genuine, NKO-specific result. But it's a single small trial, two decades old, in a lower-tier journal, with industry affiliation, and its magnitude hasn't been cleanly replicated in larger independent work. Buy NOW Neptune for the branded QC and value, not on the belief that krill is proven dramatically superior to fish oil — the better-replicated science says the absorption edge is modest.
The front of the bottle says 500 mg, and that's krill oil, not EPA+DHA. Per softgel you get only ~95 mg of combined EPA+DHA; the full panel (190 mg EPA+DHA, 390 mg phospholipids, 750 mcg astaxanthin) is per 2-softgel serving. That's why NOW's own directions say take two. It's not a flaw NOW is hiding — it's inherent to krill, where only ~25% of the oil is EPA+DHA — but it means NOW Neptune is a tolerability-and-pedigree play, not a high-dose omega-3 source. If your goal needs grams of actives, this isn't the bottle.
NOW Foods runs in-house GMP-certified analytical labs and has done for decades — they're one of the few supplement companies whose testing infrastructure is a real differentiator rather than a marketing line. This specific product is tested for PCBs, dioxins, mercury, and heavy metals, and carries Friend of the Sea certification for sustainable Antarctic sourcing. Stack that on krill's naturally near-zero contaminant load (lowest trophic level, eats phytoplankton) and you have one of the cleanest, best-documented krill oils available. For a buyer who chooses supplements on trust and verification, this is the core reason to pick it.
At ~$0.40 per 2-softgel serving, NOW Neptune is a standout on price for a clinically-studied, Friend-of-the-Sea-certified krill — boutique krill brands charge $1.00+ for similar or less. NOW's high-volume, thin-margin, in-house model is exactly why. Hold the value in context, though: per gram of actual EPA+DHA, even this krill costs several times more than concentrated triglyceride-form fish oil. NOW Neptune wins the krill-tier value crown; it does not win omega-3 cost-efficiency overall. If cost-per-mg is your single metric, you want fish oil.
NOW explicitly labels this product as containing shellfish (krill), because krill are crustaceans and krill oil carries residual crustacean proteins that can trigger reactions in shellfish-allergic users. Processing minimises allergenic protein but doesn't eliminate the risk, and documented reactions exist. The rule is absolute: if you have any shellfish allergy, do not buy this regardless of how clean the oil is. Switch to a vegan algal-oil omega-3 — same EPA+DHA, zero crustacean exposure.
NOW Foods Neptune Krill Oil is what we recommend to the krill buyer who chooses on trust: someone who wants the original branded NKO with genuine clinical heritage, deep manufacturer QC, and third-party sustainability certification — rather than a generic bulk krill of unknown provenance. NOW layers Friend of the Sea certification and full contaminant testing (PCBs, dioxins, mercury, heavy metals) on top of NKO, runs it through their three-decade in-house GMP labs, and prices it near $0.40 per serving — a genuine value for clinical-grade krill. The 750 mcg of astaxanthin and the clean phospholipid burp profile round out a bottle that's easy to take and easy to trust. The honest limitations are the same ones that apply to all krill, plus one specific to this SKU. Specific to NOW Neptune: 500 mg per softgel is a low per-cap dose, so the full serving is two softgels — fine for a wellness floor, impractical for high-dose targets. General to krill: per gram of actual EPA+DHA you're paying several times what concentrated fish oil costs, and the phospholipid absorption advantage (~10-20%) doesn't close that gap. The NKO lipid evidence is real but rests heavily on a single dated trial, so don't buy on the belief that krill decisively beats fish oil. Net: if your reason for choosing krill is branded clinical pedigree, contaminant testing, and value within the krill tier, NOW Neptune is the right buy and earns its premium badge. If you're optimising EPA+DHA per dollar, or you need the cardiovascular dose range, read our best omega-3 fish oil guide instead. And if you have any shellfish allergy, skip krill entirely and use a vegan algal-oil omega-3.
The best-overall krill at ~$0.40/softgel — the most EPA+DHA per single softgel in the tier (196 mg), MSC-certified Superba2 krill. Pick this if you want one-softgel-a-day simplicity over NOW's 2-softgel serving.
See it on the list →The mainstream once-a-day pick — highest combined EPA+DHA in a single softgel (250 mg) plus choline, stocked everywhere. Pricier per gram at ~$1.00/softgel, but the simplest routine.
See it on the list →The cheapest legitimate 1000 mg krill on the list at ~$0.67/serving, pharmacist-founded and heavy-metal tested. Pick this if raw price beats branded pedigree for you.
See it on the list →Randomised trial in 120 hyperlipidemic patients: NKO at 1-3 g/day for 90 days improved total cholesterol, LDL, triglycerides, and HDL versus placebo and outperformed fish oil at comparable doses. The headline NKO-specific evidence — but a single small, dated, industry-affiliated trial whose magnitude hasn't been cleanly replicated; read as supportive, not definitive.
Krill oil produced metabolic effects and plasma EPA+DHA increases comparable to fish oil despite a lower absolute EPA+DHA dose — direct evidence for the phospholipid form's per-milligram absorption edge, while underscoring how little EPA+DHA krill actually delivers per cap.
Head-to-head trial: krill oil raised the Omega-3 Index more than an equivalent dose of fish oil over 4 weeks, supporting the phospholipid-delivery advantage — though the effect size is modest, not the 'dramatically superior' marketing framing.
Krill oil raised plasma EPA+DHA comparably to menhaden (fish) oil at a similar omega-3 dose, confirming bioequivalence of the phospholipid form — the basis for treating krill as a legitimate but expensive omega-3 source.
Established the Omega-3 Index (RBC EPA+DHA %) as a cardiac-risk marker, with an Index above 8% tied to the lowest risk of death from coronary heart disease — the real endpoint to test after 8-12 weeks regardless of source.
Comprehensive review of krill composition documenting the phospholipid-bound EPA+DHA structure and naturally occurring astaxanthin that gives krill oil its oxidative stability — the mechanistic basis for the no-burp, rancidity-resistant profile.
