NOW Foods Evening Primrose Oil 500mg 250 Softgels

What this product is

NOW Foods Evening Primrose Oil 500 mg is a dietary supplement supplying cold-pressed evening primrose seed oil in a bottle of 250 softgels. Each softgel holds 500 mg of the oil, and the label's serving is three softgels — 1.5 g, printed on the panel as 1,500 mg. The bottle carries NOW's Nutritional Oils band across the back panel, a Non-GMO mark on the front, and a kosher "K" inside a triangle printed with the words "Contains Gelatin" directly beneath it.

The oil comes from the seed of Oenothera biennis, the evening primrose — a wildflower native to North America whose pale yellow blooms open toward dusk, which is where the plant gets its common name. The seeds are small and oil-rich, and the panel identifies the source part explicitly as "(Seed)".

What is inside, and how the panel states it

There are only two things in this product: evening primrose oil and the shell that carries it. The Other Ingredients line reads, in full, "Softgel Capsule [bovine gelatin (BSE-free), glycerin, water]" — gelatin forms the film, glycerin keeps that film flexible so it does not crack, and water is the solvent the shell is cast from. Nothing is added to the oil itself.

The oil's notable constituent is gamma-linolenic acid, abbreviated GLA on the label, an omega-6 fatty acid. Here the panel does something worth reading carefully: it does not print a milligram figure for GLA. It prints a bracketed qualifier under the oil entry — "[typically providing 8-10% Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA)]" — expressing GLA as a typical percentage band of the oil rather than as a fixed amount.

That is a considered way to label a cold-pressed seed oil. A pressed botanical oil is an agricultural product rather than a standardized extract: the fatty-acid profile of an evening primrose crop shifts with seed variety, growing season and region, so the share of the oil that is GLA moves within a band from batch to batch. A percentage band states that honestly, where a single fixed milligram figure would imply a degree of standardization that mechanical pressing on its own does not produce. Read together, the oil weight and the percentage band are what let you line one evening primrose label up against another. General background on how botanical supplements are described and labeled is available from the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements' botanical supplements fact sheet, and the NCCIH "Herbs at a Glance" index gives plain-language background on plant-derived ingredients generally.

Two further processing facts are printed on the back panel. The oil is cold pressed, meaning it is separated from the seed mechanically under pressure rather than drawn out with a chemical solvent. And it is hexane free — hexane being the petroleum-derived solvent widely used in commercial seed-oil extraction. The two statements are related: the first describes what was done, the second confirms what was not.

Supplement Facts

One detail in that panel repays a second look: the figure 1.5 g appears twice, once on the Total Fat line and once on the Evening Primrose Oil line. That is not a printing slip. Because the serving is oil and nothing but oil, the same 1.5 g gets counted under two separate labeling rules — as a nutrient, where fat must be declared, and as the dietary ingredient itself. The 15-calorie figure follows from the same 1.5 g, since fat is counted at nine calories per gram and the result is rounded to the nearest five.

How to take it

The label's Suggested Usage is: "Take 3 softgels daily with food." That is the whole of the printed direction — one serving a day, taken with a meal. The panel's own arithmetic follows from it: 250 softgels divided into three-softgel servings gives the 83 servings printed at the top of the panel, which is an 83-day supply at the directed serving.

Storage guidance is also printed: "Store in a cool, dry place after opening." The bottle notes that natural color variation may occur in this product, which is expected of a pressed botanical oil and is not a sign that anything is wrong with it. Because the shell is gelatin, the usual sense of "cool and dry" applies — heat and humidity are what soften softgel shells and make them stick together.

Who it suits

This is a product for adults who already know they want evening primrose oil and want it in quantity. The 250-softgel size is the practical consideration: nearly three months of daily servings in one bottle suits someone keeping a steady routine rather than someone trying the oil for the first time, and a 250-count bottle is a long commitment to a single item.

One thing determines suitability more than any other here: the softgel shell is made from bovine gelatin. It is an animal-derived material, so this product is not suitable for vegetarians, for vegans, or for anyone avoiding bovine ingredients on religious or dietary grounds. Anyone who needs a plant-based shell should read the Other Ingredients line on any alternative in Supplements before ordering, since shell material is rarely stated on the front of a bottle.

Good to know

• Printed caution, verbatim: "For adults only. Consult physician if pregnant/nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition. Keep out of reach of children."
• Allergen statement, verbatim: "Not manufactured with yeast, wheat, gluten, soy, milk, egg, fish, shellfish, tree nut or sesame ingredients. Produced in a GMP facility that processes other ingredients containing these allergens."
• Origin: the panel states "Made and quality tested in the USA with globally sourced ingredients" — the label does not claim the seed is grown domestically.
• Manufacturer: "Manufactured by NOW FOODS, 395 S. Glen Ellyn Rd., Bloomingdale, IL 60108, USA."
• Marks on the bottle: a Non-GMO mark and a kosher "K" in a triangle on the front, and a "GMP Quality Assured" roundel on the back panel. No California Proposition 65 warning is printed anywhere on this package.

The FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are sold, and the agency's questions and answers on dietary supplements explains what that regulatory framework does and does not cover. To compare this panel against other evening primrose labels side by side, the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database archives the panels themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much GLA is in a serving?

The label states GLA as a percentage band rather than a milligram amount: the oil entry is qualified "[typically providing 8-10% Gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA)]" against 1,500 mg of evening primrose oil per three-softgel serving. The band reflects natural variation between crops of the seed.

How much oil is in one softgel?

One softgel holds 500 mg of evening primrose oil, and the label's serving of three softgels is therefore 1,500 mg — the figure the Supplement Facts panel lists. Front-of-bottle strengths on softgel products are conventionally stated for a single softgel, while Supplement Facts panels are always stated for a full serving.

Is this product vegetarian or vegan?

No — the softgel shell is made from bovine gelatin, which is animal-derived, so this product is neither vegetarian nor vegan. The Other Ingredients line reads "Softgel Capsule [bovine gelatin (BSE-free), glycerin, water]", and the front of the bottle repeats the point by printing "Contains Gelatin" under the kosher mark.

How many softgels are in the bottle, and how far does one bottle go?

The bottle holds 250 softgels and the panel prints 83 servings. Following the label's direction of three softgels daily, that works out to an 83-day supply from a single bottle.

How will this arrive in the mail?

Your order ships in plain, unmarked packaging with no indication of the contents on the outside. It will not show the Gear Isle name.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe supplement facts directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

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. Dietary supplement for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition, heart concerns, or take prescription medication (including nitrates). Keep out of reach of children.