The short version
- The unflavored tub lists one ingredient: 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving, with “Other ingredients: None.” Flavored tubs add flavoring, citric acid and a sweetener.
- Creatine monohydrate is among the most-studied supplements for strength and repeated high-intensity exercise. Any brand of it is the same compound, so the choice is mostly testing, price and returns.
- The pack says “Banned Substance Tested.” Informed Choice is also named, a real program that samples at random rather than testing every batch; we could open this product’s directory entry only in a December 2024 archive copy.
- Amazon listed the 120-serving tub at $27.99 on Sep 25, 2026 (about $0.23 a serving), non-returnable unless damaged or defective.
The four checks
Actives
DisclosedThe unflavored label shows creatine monohydrate 5 g per serving and “Other ingredients: None.” Who makes the creatine itself is not stated on the pack, the maker’s page or Amazon.
Claims
PartialThe pack’s wording, that creatine supports muscle building when taken over time with exercise, matches the trials [1][2]. The maker’s web page goes further: “accelerates muscle recovery” is firmer than the evidence summaries we read, and “maximizes ATP recycling” describes a mechanism, not a result measured in the trials cited here.
Guarantees
PartialPrices are plain and Amazon.com is the seller, but Amazon marks the tub non-returnable unless damaged or defective. The maker’s 60-day guarantee names its own store and “authorized on-line sellers”; whether Amazon.com counts is not stated.
Testing
PartialA real independent program (Informed Choice, run by LGC) is named and has a matching public list entry, but it is random retail sampling, and the only copy of the product’s own entry we could open is a December 2024 archive. How to read these seals.
Key: ✓ disclosed or verified · ◐ partial · ✕ missing or not shown. Statuses reflect what we could confirm from the label, the seller's own pages and public sources on the review date.
What is inside
We read the maker’s US label images and the Amazon listings on Sep 25, 2026. The maker calls it “Micronized Creatine Powder”; Amazon titles the same tubs “Creatine Monohydrate Powder.” The maker’s store lists 60, 120 and 240 servings, and the packaging is mid-redesign, so the tub in the photo may differ from the one you receive.
| Ingredient | Amount per serving | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Creatine monohydrate | 5 g | The only active (unflavored, 5 g; the 60- and 120-serving labels say one rounded teaspoon, the 240-serving label a rounded scoop). “Micronized” means finer particles; a 2022 critical review found no evidence this makes creatine more bioavailable [6]. |
| Other ingredients, unflavored | None | The label says “None.” No sweetener, filler or blend. |
| Other ingredients, Mango Orange, Strawberry, Watermelon Lime | 5 g in a 6 g serving | Citric acid, natural flavor, steviol glycosides; 5 calories and 1 g carbohydrate. |
| Other ingredients, Blueberry Lemonade | 5 g in a 6 g serving | Natural and artificial flavor, citric acid, sucralose, which differs from the maker’s “no artificial” wording for the other flavors. |
Source and maker. Some review sites say the powder uses Creapure, AlzChem’s German-made brand. We found no such statement on the maker’s page, the label images or Amazon, and AlzChem’s page names no brand partners [14], so we treat the source as not disclosed. Amazon lists the manufacturer as Glanbia Performance Nutrition, and Glanbia’s own site names Optimum Nutrition among its brands [13]; the US terms of use name Optimum Nutrition, Inc. [8]. A maker help-center answer says its powders are made at its own Glanbia Performance Nutrition facility in the USA, described as an Informed-Choice registered site [10]; it names no location and does not say who makes the creatine, so we could not confirm which factory fills these tubs.
What the research says
What it is. Muscle uses creatine as a quick energy reserve for short, hard efforts. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) position stand concluded that creatine monohydrate is the most effective ergogenic (performance-supporting) nutritional supplement currently available to athletes for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training [1]. It was prepared with funding from an industry trade group, and several authors declare industry ties, so the newer meta-analyses below matter: they pool randomized trials.
Outcomes measured. A 2024 review of 143 trials found creatine raised body mass by about 0.9 kg and fat-free mass by about 0.8 kg, with a very small fall in body-fat percentage, more so alongside resistance training [2]. A 2025 meta-analysis found strength gains that were larger in untrained people, with low-to-moderate doses doing better than high doses [3]. For repeated sprints, 14 trials that used short loading periods (about 20 g a day for 3–7 days) showed higher mean power but no effect on peak power or fatigue [4]. These are averages, not a prediction for one person.
Doses. The ISSN describes two routes: “loading,” about 0.3 g per kg of body weight a day for 5–7 days (roughly 20 g a day for a 70 kg adult, in four doses) then 3–5 g a day; or starting at 3–5 g a day, which fills muscle stores over about 3–4 weeks, with less support for early performance effects [1]. This tub’s label gives one 5 g serving and does not describe loading.
Expected effects and cautions. The only consistently reported side effect the ISSN found was weight gain, in line with the 0.5–1.0 L of short-term fluid retention it describes during loading; in the studies it reviewed it found no evidence of more cramping, dehydration or stomach upset [1]. Creatine can also raise blood creatinine, a routine lab marker used to estimate kidney function. A 2025 systematic review of 21 studies found a small rise, which its authors think is likely due to metabolic turnover rather than kidney impairment, and no significant change in filtration rate [5]. The ISSN mentions a few case reports of high creatinine or kidney problems in people said to be taking creatine, with or without other supplements, and concludes there is no compelling evidence that creatine harms kidney function in healthy or clinical groups; it adds that some people advise anyone with a pre-existing kidney condition to check with a physician first, as a precaution [1].
The maker’s claims. The product page says the powder “helps enhance muscle strength and growth, maximizes ATP recycling, and accelerates muscle recovery” when used over time with resistance exercise [7]. The strength and growth wording tracks the trials above; the ISSN is softer on recovery, saying creatine “may enhance” it. The page’s “America’s #1 Creatine Brand” line appears to rest on the 2024 creatine retail sales data cited in its footnotes, which speaks to popularity, not quality.
Do not read “Banned Substance Tested” or Informed Choice as a purity or heavy-metal test; the program pages we read describe screening for prohibited substances. Amazon’s listing text for the 60- and 120-serving unflavored tubs also carries a California Proposition 65 warning that names lead [15]. The 240-serving listing showed no such notice. A warning like this is a legal notice, not a measured amount, and we found no published lab figures for this product.
What the testing claim covers
The label images for the unflavored and Blueberry Lemonade tubs show the maker’s own “Banned Substance Tested” mark, which names no laboratory; on the three newer flavors that spot reads “No artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors.” The maker’s page has a graphic ticking “Informed Choice” for the creatine, its help center lists creatine as Informed-Choice certified (region not stated) [9], and Amazon says it is “part of the informed choice program” [15].
Informed Choice is run by the testing company LGC. After a review of the product and its manufacturing before certification, it screens for more than 285 banned substances by buying products at retail and testing them at random, at least twelve lots a year; the program says that not every batch is necessarily tested [11]. Its public certified-products list, headed September 2026, includes “Micronized Creatine Powder” among the Optimum Nutrition entries, beside separate entries labeled for India and “Micronised” [12]. The live product entry sits behind a bot check that blocked our tools. An Internet Archive copy saved on December 9, 2024 [17] shows an entry with that name under Optimum Nutrition: certified February 10, 2020, regional availability listed as Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America, purchase links to the maker and Amazon, and a table of tested batches dated March 2023 to November 2024, all Unflavored except one Blueberry Lemonade. It is almost two years old and lists no batches of the three newer flavors, so we cannot say what has been tested since, which sizes are covered, or whether those flavors are. If testing matters to you, look up the batch code on your own tub.
Price and where it is sold
Prices seen on Sep 25, 2026 on the maker’s US store and on Amazon.com (viewed for a Nashville, Tennessee delivery address; these tubs were sold and shipped by Amazon.com). Prices change and can differ by location [7][15]. Unflavored tubs:
| Size | Maker’s store | Amazon.com |
|---|---|---|
| 60 servings | $20.49 ($0.34 a serving) | $15.97 ($0.27 a serving) |
| 120 servings | $31.99 ($0.27 a serving) | $27.99 ($0.23 a serving) |
| 240 servings | $53.99 ($0.22 a serving) | $46.99 ($0.20 a serving) |
For context, on Amazon that day: Amazon Basics creatine monohydrate (60 servings) $11.18, about $0.19 a serving; Nutricost micronized (100 servings) $21.50, about $0.22; and Thorne (90 servings, $44.00) and Momentous (90 servings, $42.99), titled “NSF Certified for Sport” on Amazon, about $0.48 to $0.49. All work out to 5 g servings. We did not check those NSF seals. With the dose the same, the differences we can see are the testing claims, the brand and the packaging.
Returns. Amazon’s page says the item is non-returnable for food-safety reasons, but if it arrives damaged or defective you can request a refund or replacement through Your Orders with a photo [15]. The maker’s 60-day guarantee covers its own store and “authorized on-line sellers,” and asks you to mail the product back at your cost [8]. Its where-to-buy page is a country-by-country distributor list that does not name Amazon.com [16], so treat the guarantee as not clearly available for Amazon purchases.
Our Amazon link goes to the unflavored 120-serving listing; its UPC (748927023855) matches the barcode in the maker’s own store data for that size.
Who should look elsewhere
- People with a kidney condition or on prescription medicines: ask a clinician or pharmacist first, and mention creatine before blood tests, since it can raise creatinine.
- Anyone pregnant, nursing or under 18: the label says “intended for use in healthy adults,” and the maker says its products are formulated for healthy, active people and advises checking with a healthcare professional [10]. Amazon adds that some states restrict muscle-building products for under-18s.
- Drug-tested athletes who need every batch checked: Informed Choice is the random-sampling tier; see our guide to testing seals.
- People who want a named creatine source or published metal results: neither is disclosed here.
Sources
- Kreider RB and colleagues. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand on the safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2017 (prepared with funding from the Council for Responsible Nutrition; authors declare industry ties). PubMed record
- Pashayee-Khamene F and colleagues. Creatine protocols and body composition: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 143 trials. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2024. PubMed record
- Zhang and colleagues. Creatine supplementation and muscle strength gains: a meta-analysis and systematic review. PeerJ, 2025. PubMed record
- Glaister M, Rhodes L. Short-term creatine supplementation and repeated sprint ability: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 trials. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2022. PubMed record
- Naeini and colleagues. Effect of creatine supplementation on kidney function: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Nephrology, November 2025. PubMed record
- Kreider RB, Jäger R, Purpura M. Bioavailability, efficacy, safety and regulatory status of creatine and related compounds: a critical review. Nutrients, 2022 (publication fees for selected papers of the journal’s special issue were funded by AlzChem, a creatine manufacturer; authors declare industry ties). PubMed record
- Optimum Nutrition. Micronized Creatine Powder, US product page with label images, variant data and footnotes, viewed Sep 25, 2026. optimumnutrition.com
- Optimum Nutrition. 60-Day Satisfaction Guarantee and Terms of Use, viewed Sep 25, 2026. guarantee · terms
- Optimum Nutrition help center. “Are your products Informed Choice certified?” (region not stated), viewed Sep 25, 2026. support.optimumnutrition.com
- Optimum Nutrition help center. Answers on medical conditions and pregnancy, viewed Sep 25, 2026. support.optimumnutrition.com
- Informed Choice (LGC). Informed Sport versus Informed Choice: what is the difference? Viewed Sep 25, 2026. choice.wetestyoutrust.com
- Informed Choice (LGC). Certified products list, September 2026 heading, viewed Sep 25, 2026. choice.wetestyoutrust.com
- Glanbia plc. Performance Nutrition, listing its brands. glanbia.com
- AlzChem Group. Creapure brand page. alzchem.com
- Amazon.com US listings for the unflavored 60-, 120- and 240-serving tubs, three flavored 60-serving tubs and the comparison products named above (manufacturer field, UPC, prices, returns and legal text), viewed Sep 25, 2026. Not linked, because these are retail pages.
- Optimum Nutrition. Where to Buy (distributor list by country), viewed Sep 25, 2026. optimumnutrition.com
- Informed Choice (LGC). Certified product entry for Optimum Nutrition “Micronized Creatine Powder”, Internet Archive capture of December 9, 2024 (the live entry is behind a bot check). web.archive.org
This entry is educational and is not medical advice. Ask a qualified clinician before starting any supplement, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, have a kidney condition, or take medication.