BACKGROUND
Creatine sales grew 71.9% in the 52 weeks ending November 2025, according to SPINS data reported by Bloomberg, and the second it blew up, brands started putting it in everything. First it was protein, where every snack you could think of suddenly had protein in it, from chips to cereal to coffee, and now the exact same thing is happening with creatine.
Creatine used to be a tub of powder sold to gym guys, but the buyer has changed. At GNC, women went from 18% of creatine buyers in 2020 to 30%, and brands are now pitching it for brain health and aging, not just muscle. That shift opened the door for a wave of new brands, and most of them didn't create a new product, they just changed the packaging and format creatine comes in.
MOVE 1
Brands launched creatine in every format they could
Creatine now comes as gummies, soda, chews, instant coffee, stick packs and protein bars. Most of these launched in the last two years, and they all use the same ingredient, creatine monohydrate, usually at the same 5 gram dose that a scoop of powder already gives you.
Why it works: A new format makes an old ingredient feel new to a buyer who would never buy a tub of powder.
MOVE 2
Some of these formats don't even work
Gummies are the biggest example, because creatine breaks down when it sits in a moist, acidic gummy and turns into creatinine, which does nothing for you. So a gummy can leave the factory with the right dose and reach your kitchen with almost none.
Evidence: NOW Foods tested 12 creatine gummy brands in 2024 and found 5 had little to no creatine. A 2025 SuppCo test found 4 of 6 gummies failed while all 5 powders passed, and one gummy labeled 5 grams tested at 0.005 grams.
MOVE 3
Starting new brands costs $10,000-$50,000
Between custom formulation, custom packaging, lab testing and the first production run, launching a single product takes real money before anything sells. A lot of that cash sits in inventory, which is a problem when the trend moves faster than the stock does.
Evidence: Guides put a first supplement product at about $10,000 to $30,000, and up to $75,000 with custom formulation. A first 5,000 unit run can tie up $15,000 to $40,000, and third party testing runs about $500 to $1,500 per batch.
MOVE 4
The winners don't stay a single format
The brands that are pulling ahead are the ones that built a reason to exist beyond the format. Create, one of the biggest creatine gummy brands, is now moving into powders and stick packs with electrolytes, and it was one of the gummy brands flagged as delivering a real dose in independent testing.
STEAL THIS:
Check that the format actually works for the ingredient. Run stability tests before you launch, because a format that degrades your active ingredient is a recall waiting to happen.
Have a reason to exist beyond the format. Own a customer persona, a use case, or a dose that the next brand can't copy in a quarter.
Don't launch at the peak. If everyone already sells it in a gummy, the shelf is full, and you're competing on price from day one. BE UNIQUE
Plan the second product before the first one ships. The brands that survive a trend are the ones ready to move once the format gets crowded.
One-line takeaway: “You can differentiate yourself with form-factor, but don’t rely on that and think that’s your brand/USP. MAKE ANACTUAL BRAND PEOPLE WANT TO BUY FROM “
Until next week,
BTB - AMAY
