Creatine is one of the world’s most studied dietary supplements and is used primarily to enhance performance during repeated short, high-intensity efforts. In recent years, creatine has also begun to be sold in many more forms, not only as a traditional powder, but also as capsules, drinks, and above all gummies. Creatine gummies are often marketed as a more convenient and tastier alternative to creatine powder. But a laboratory investigation from SuppCo raises an important question: Do creatine gummies really contain the amount of creatine stated on the label?
In SuppCo’s analysis, all of the creatine powders tested passed laboratory control, whereas four of the six gummy creatine products contained extremely little or no detectable creatine. The result does not mean that all creatine gummies on the market are bad. However, the investigation illustrates a fundamental problem with creatine: creatine is very stable in a dry crystalline form, but considerably less stable when it is in a moist environment.
11 creatine products were sent to an independent laboratory
SuppCo purchased eleven commercially available creatine products and sent them to an independent laboratory accredited to ISO/IEC 17025.
The products consisted of:
- 5 creatine powders
- 6 creatine gummies
The laboratory analyzed, among other things:
- the amount of creatine per serving
- the purity of the creatine
- the presence of creatinine
- heavy metals
- the product’s identity and formulation
The differences between powders and gummies were large.
All five creatine powders passed the test
According to SuppCo’s laboratory results, all five powder products contained roughly the amount of creatine that was expected. The powders had about 98–100 percent creatine in analyzed purity and showed very low levels of creatinine, a waste product with no function in the body. This matters because creatinine can form when creatine degrades. The result is also in line with what one would chemically expect from creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate in a dry, crystalline form has very good stability, which is one reason why the powder form is so easy to formulate and store.
Four out of six creatine gummies failed
The situation looked very different for gummies. Of the six gummy products that SuppCo analyzed, only two delivered roughly the declared amount of creatine. Four products, on the other hand, contained very small amounts or no detectable creatine at all. SuppCo reported the following: For two creatine gummies, SuppCo estimated that the concentration was so low that it would theoretically require hundreds or thousands of gummies to match a normal creatine dose of about 5 grams. They also analyzed one of these creatine gummies from two different packages and two different batches according to SuppCo, and no detectable creatine was reported in any of the samples.
Two creatine gummies did, however, pass the analysis
At the same time, it is important not to conclude that it is impossible to manufacture working creatine gummies. Two products passed SuppCo’s analysis. This shows that it is possible to formulate gummies that actually contain a relevant amount of creatine. But the laboratory also found higher levels of creatinine in these gummies than in the tested powder products. That is interesting because it points to a fundamental formulation challenge.
Why can creatine be harder to formulate in gummies?
The most important difference between creatine powder and a gummy is not the taste or texture. It is the water activity and the chemical environment. Dry creatine monohydrate is very stable. When creatine, however, is in an environment where water is available, the molecule can gradually convert through intramolecular cyclization to creatinine. How quickly this happens is influenced by, among other things:
- water activity
- pH
- temperature
- storage time
- formulation
- moisture content
Gummies normally contain significantly more available water than a dry creatine powder. In addition, gummies often contain organic acids such as citric acid or malic acid to create flavor, texture, and stability. That can create a far more complicated environment for creatine than the dry environment in a jar of powder.
Creatine is significantly more stable in dry form
The problem is well known in research. Studies of creatine show that crystalline creatine has very high stability as long as it remains dry. When creatine is dissolved or exposed to water, the situation changes. A study published in Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy examined, among other things, how water activity and temperature affect the stability of creatine. The researchers concluded that both water activity and temperature influenced how quickly creatine broke down into creatinine. The more water that was available in the system, the greater, in general, the potential for degradation reactions. This does not automatically mean that a gummy will destroy the creatine. But it does mean that a gummy is a far more advanced formulation challenge than filling a jar with dry creatine monohydrate.
pH also affects creatine stability
The degradation of creatine in solution is also strongly affected by pH. The International Society of Sports Nutrition has previously summarized studies where creatine was stored in solution at different pH levels. After three days at about 25 °C, for example, roughly the following was reported:
- 4 percent degradation at pH 5.5
- 12 percent at pH 4.5
- 21 percent at pH 3.5
This illustrates why long-term storage in a water-containing and relatively acidic product can be far more problematic than storing creatine as a dry powder. A gummy may also need to remain stable for many months from manufacturing to the final use-by date. Therefore, it is not enough that the product contains the right amount of creatine immediately after production. The manufacturer must also be able to show that the declared amount remains throughout the product’s entire shelf life.
Creatinine means that some of the creatine has broken down
Creatinine is a cyclic degradation product that can form from creatine. When assessing the quality of a creatine product, the amount of creatinine can therefore be used as an indicator of how well the creatine has retained its original form. Small amounts of creatinine do not necessarily mean that the product is dangerous. The relevant quality issue is rather that creatine that has been converted to creatinine is no longer creatine and therefore cannot be counted as part of the intended creatine dose.
Are creatine gummies worse than creatine powder?
Not necessarily, but we would be extremely cautious with gummies that contain creatine. A well-developed gummy can contain the right amount of creatine, which two of the six products in SuppCo’s test demonstrated. But the gummy format introduces more variables that the manufacturer must control. A traditional pure creatine monohydrate powder can in principle consist of a single ingredient. A gummy, on the other hand, may contain water, sweeteners, gelling agents, flavors, acids, colorants, and other ingredients that together create a far more complex chemical environment. This means that questions around, for example, stability testing and control of the finished product become especially important.
What should you check when buying creatine?
For those who want to choose creatine, the form itself is only part of the quality assessment. Some of the most important things to check are the following.
1. Is the amount of creatine clearly declared?
The product should state the amount of creatine or creatine monohydrate per recommended serving. Be cautious with products that only state the weight of a blend without specifying the amount of creatine.
2. Are there analyses of the finished product?
A raw material certificate shows the quality of the creatine before production. That is not the same as analyzing the finished product. This is particularly relevant for gummies and other moist formulations where creatine stability can be affected after production.
3. Has the company conducted shelf-life studies?
For a complex product, it is not really enough to know how much creatine it contained when it was manufactured. You want to know how much remains:
- after a few months
- after long storage
- under realistic temperature conditions
- up to the best-before date
4. Which form of creatine is used?
Creatine monohydrate is by far the most studied form of creatine and has been used in hundreds of scientific studies. More exotic forms of creatine do not automatically mean better absorption or better effect.
5. Does the product contain unnecessarily high amounts of sugar or other ingredients?
To get, for example, 3–5 grams of creatine from gummies, several gummies per day may be required. Thus, the amounts of sugar, sugar alcohols, acids, and other excipients can also become significant. It is worth checking the entire serving size and not just the amount per single gummy.
Powder has a very simple technical advantage
There is a reason why plain creatine monohydrate powder is still the standard form in both research and sports nutrition. The formulation is extremely simple. A high-quality creatine powder can consist of:
- 100 percent creatine monohydrate.
- No water needs to be present in the product.
- No acid is needed.
- No flavoring is needed.
- No sweeteners are needed.
- No gel structure needs to be created.
This does not automatically make every creatine powder high quality, but it eliminates several of the stability issues that arise when creatine is built into more complicated food matrices.
Should you avoid creatine gummies?
You cannot draw that conclusion from a single laboratory test, but given the result, we would be extremely cautious with creatine gummies. SuppCo analyzed only six gummy products, and the results apply to the specific batches that were sent to the laboratory. But the results show why consumers should not rely solely on what is stated on the front of the package. For creatine gummies, three questions in particular are relevant:
- Has the finished product been analyzed?
- Is there stability data covering the entire shelf life?
- Does the declared amount of creatine still remain when the product is consumed?
If the company can document this, a gummy can be a workable alternative. If such documentation is lacking or if you want to avoid consuming sweeteners, dry creatine monohydrate powder, on the other hand, offers a much simpler chemical solution.
Frequently asked questions about creatine gummies and creatine powder
Do creatine gummies work?
Yes, creatine gummies can work if they actually contain the declared amount of creatine and the creatine remains stable over the product’s shelf life. In SuppCo’s laboratory test, two of the six gummy products tested met their declared creatine dose relatively well. Four products, however, contained very little or no detectable creatine.
Is creatine powder better than creatine gummies?
Creatine monohydrate powder has a formulation advantage because creatine is very stable in a dry crystalline form. It is purer and you get the amount stated on the package. You also avoid sweeteners. Gummies also contain more moisture and often acids, which makes stability more complicated. That does not mean all gummies are bad, but manufacturers need to have good control over both formulation and shelf life.
Can creatine break down in gummies?
Yes. Creatine can gradually convert to, among other things, creatinine when it is in an environment where water is available. The degradation rate is influenced by, among other things, temperature, pH, water activity, and storage time.
What happens when creatine turns into creatinine?
When creatine converts to creatinine, that molecule is no longer present as creatine. This means the amount of active creatine in the product decreases.
Is creatinine in creatine supplements dangerous?
The presence of creatinine is mainly used as an indicator of creatine degradation. From a product perspective, the main issue is that creatine that has converted to creatinine no longer contributes to the declared creatine dose.
Which form of creatine is most studied?
Creatine monohydrate is by far the most studied form of creatine and the form used in most of the research on creatine supplements.
How much creatine do people typically take?
A common daily dose in research and practical use is about 5 grams of creatine monohydrate per day for muscle hypertrophy and up to 20 grams for brain function. A loading phase is not necessary to raise the body’s creatine stores over time.
