Women and older adults are driving sales of creatine higher

Creatine is shedding its gym-bro reputation, unlocking lucrative new markets as women and older Americans get wise to the benefits of the long-stigmatized supplement. Sales are booming as a result.

As the COVID-19 pandemic put health and wellbeing front and center for many Americans, creatine started riding the same wave that pushed up demand for anything from high-protein food products and weight-loss drugs to an interest in weight lifting, among other lifestyle changes.

Vitamin- and supplement-seller GNC, which has over 4,000 locations across the US, has seen creatine sales surge 75% from 2020. “Creatine is now in more baskets than almost any other supplement we carry,” said Mark Butera, GNC’s vice president of merchandising.

Consumer demographics are changing too. Women now account for 30% of all creatine purchases at the retailer, up from 18% in 2020, while buyers’ average age has risen to 35 years from 30.

Creatine is a naturally occurring compound produced by the body for energy production — indirectly contributing to muscle growth by enabling more training. It’s different from protein, which supplies the materials for actual tissue growth.

Research into creatine — first discovered and isolated in 1832 — has largely focused on adult male athletes with new inquiries increasingly focusing on the benefits beyond muscle building, including on bone and cognitive health across all ages and genders.

“It’s something to consider for likely anybody on the planet in some way or another,” according to Darren Candow, a professor at the University of Regina focusing on exercise physiology, nutrition and aging.

Academic research on creatine supplementation has grown steadily, with papers published rising 7.2% on average over the last five years, according to data compiled by PubMed, a division of the US Department of Health Human Services. AlzChem Group AG, the most prominent creatine producer outside China, is a major funder of such research, supporting studies of over 30 scientists in female health, longevity and cognitive performance, it said in written comments.

AlzChem doubled its production capacity in 2022 amid “exceptionally strong” demand, with another expansion planned this year and a further increase currently being evaluated.

Enthusiasm aside, creatine supplements alone won’t result in the rapid body transformations touted online.

“Creatine is both underrated because there’s a lot of people that are still kind of fearful of creatine and there’s so many benefits to it, but I also think it’s one of the most overrated supplements as well,” said Scott Forbes, an associate professor at Brandon University studying creatine’s effectiveness on athletic performance and brain health.

Stigmatization

Creatine’s growing popularity is overcoming decades of stigmatization through associations with performance-enhancing drugs.

It first garnered mainstream attention during the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics when British athletes controversially used the little-known supplement, including Linford Christie, who went on to win the gold medal in the men’s 100-meter race. Creatine’s reputation was further tarnished during Major League Baseball’s so-called “steroid era.”

“Turns out that everyone in the MLB that was taking steroids was also taking creatine and so in the hearts and minds of the American consumer creatine was, therefore, a steroid,” said Dan McCormick, co-founder and chief executive officer of Create Wellness, which sells flavored creatine gummies.

Lingering misconceptions about side effects ranging from hair loss and kidney damage have contributed to its reputation, casting it into obscurity in niche bodybuilding and athletic communities.

In reality, creatine is among the most well-studied, efficacious and safe supplements in sports science, University of Regina’s Candow said.

Healthfluencers

Creatine’s budding popularity cuts against slowing growth within the supplement market at large. Church & Dwight Co., which sells vitamins under its Vitafusion brand, is considering selling the division amid flagging growth and heightened competition. GNC, for its part, could also use the boost five years after filing for bankruptcy.

Compare that to trends of creatine sales on Amazon.com Inc.’s online market place. The category is projected to grow 13% to more than $400 million this year, according to Jungle Scout data. In June, sales jumped 31% to $41 million alone.

Online “wellness translators” — such as podcast hosts Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan and Tim Ferriss — helped drive demand, translating scientific research for listeners “in a way that’s applicable to their lives,” McCormick said.

After launching Create in 2022, sales grew to $5 million in 2023, before ballooning to $20 million the next year. Now, Create, which will be launching its products in Target Corp. stores nationwide in October, should generate sales between $40 million and $80 million by year-end, according to McCormick.

Globally, the creatine market is seen quadrupling from 2024 levels to $4.2 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research. At an annual growth rate of 25%, that’s well ahead of the projected 6.4% for the wider supplement market.

Applications of creatine have expanded to helping women mitigate some symptoms of menopause, including brain fog and — alongside semi-regular weightlifting sessions — improved bone integrity which declines with age.

Uses could increase in the future as researchers aim to study its impact on women during pregnancy, cancer prevention and healthier aging, said Candow. Further research shows signs the supplement may improve symptoms with some of the most pernicious, degenerative brain diseases as well.

“One study on Alzheimer’s disease that showed that if they supplement with creatine they can actually increase the creatine stores within the brain and they also improved cognitive function,” Brandon University’s Forbes said.