Gummy supplements are the latest craze, and for one simple reason: they taste like candy. But don’t let the sugar coating fool you. When it comes to creatine, these gummies might be selling you a sweet lie. An independent lab found that four out of six popular creatine gummies on Amazon contained little to no creatine.
Creatine’s been a staple in the gym, but it’s now being marketed as a miracle cure for everyone. Sales are booming, especially among women. Companies are cashing in by offering creatine in gummy form. But here’s what this really means: these gummies are more hype than substance.
SuppCo tested a leading Amazon product, Happyummmm, boasting 50,000 sales in two months. The label claims each serving contains 5 grams of creatine, but the lab found just 0.005 grams. You’d need 2,000 gummies to hit the label’s serving size. Want to load up on creatine? Start chewing 8,000 gummies a day. Good luck with that.
Another brand, DivinusLabs, also came up short. Their gummies labeled as 5 grams per serving had just 0.025 grams. The company plans to retest its products. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this circus. Brands like Ecowise and Vidabotan returned results with 0 percent creatine, yet they have high Amazon ratings. The top review for Ecowise? “Tastes great and actually works!” Sure, if you define “works” as tasting good.
Ecowise’s CEO was shocked, claiming their products are tested regularly. After seeing SuppCo’s results, he admitted there might be quality control issues. They’re investigating and considering a manufacturer switch. There’s always a non-zero chance manufacturers screw up, he says. No kidding. Worst-case scenario, they’ll pull the batch from Amazon.
Amazon demands third-party testing to verify supplements contain their advertised ingredients. Yet, three of the four failing products have supposedly valid test reports. Amazon plans to conduct its own tests. Don’t hold your breath for transparency here.
Making gummy supplements is tricky. Heat and moisture can degrade active ingredients like creatine. Kamal Patel from Examine.com explains that making a good creatine gummy is much harder than a powder. SuppCo’s tests found elevated creatinine levels, indicating ingredient breakdown. Powdered creatine didn’t have this issue.
SuppCo’s test wasn’t the first to expose the gummy scam. Last year, NOW Foods found nearly half of the tested brands were understrength. Fitness influencer James Smith also discovered gummies with little active ingredient. Ovrload gummies failed tests, leading to a sales pause. The founder plans a transparency portal. We’ll see if that happens.
Gummies might not be the best way to take creatine, says Ecowise’s CEO. There’s a lot of room for human error. It’s not just creatine; other gummy supplements face similar quality issues. Harvard’s Pieter Cohen doesn’t recommend gummies due to inconsistent quality.
Supplements in the U.S. aren’t regulated like medications. They can hit the market without FDA approval. Mislabeling is rampant. Some supplements even contain pharmaceuticals. Retailers like CVS require third-party testing, but many don’t.
The current administration isn’t likely to crack down on supplements soon. Health and Human Services head Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to ease FDA regulations on supplements.
For now, consumers should check for certifications from US Pharmacopeia and NSF International, which test for health and safety standards. As it stands, you have no idea if your supplement is what it claims to be. Until the laws change, it’s buyer beware.
