Those Creatine Gummies You Bought Online Might Not Contain Any Creatine

Gummy supplements are appealing for one obvious reason: Instead of choking down a chalky powdered drink or swallowing a dubious-smelling capsule, you essentially get to eat some candy. Unfortunately, when it comes to creatine, these products might not contain the essential ingredient they claim. Four of six popular creatine gummy products sold on Amazon contained almost no creatine or none at all when samples were tested by an independent lab.

Creatine, a staple supplement for weightlifters and fitness buffs due to its impact on athletic performance, is experiencing a remarkable surge in mainstream popularity. In recent years, the wellness industry has been marketing the substance as a kind of health panacea. Sales are skyrocketing, especially among women. To appeal to as many customers as possible, companies have launched “gummy” creatine products as an alternative to the traditional powdered format. “It’s really having a moment right now,” says Jordan Glenn, head of science at the supplement industry tracking and recommendation platform SuppCo, which ordered the creatine gummy tests. “It’s no longer just a gym bro supplement.”

One of the products SuppCo had tested was the highest-ranked creatine supplement on Amazon. It’s made by a brand called Happyummmm, and has been purchased over 50,000 times in the past two months (it even has an “Amazon’s choice” label). The gummy’s label indicates that two gummies make up a 5 gram serving, but the lab SuppoCo hired found that two gummies actually contained .005 grams, under .1 percent of what was listed. This means that someone would have to eat 2,000 Happyummmm gummies to get the listed serving size. (Happyummm’s Hong Kong-based parent company Happygummi Limited does not have a public email or phone number, so WIRED was unable to contact the company for comment.) A person attempting to use Happyummm’s products for a creatine “loading phase,” in which the typical daily dosage is around 20 grams, would need to eat 8,000 gummies a day to get their fill.

SuppCo’s testing found that a brand called DivinusLabs’ gummy samples only contained .025 grams per serving rather than the 5 grams indicated on the label. “We appreciate the role of independent testing in promoting transparency and have shared the information with our manufacturing and quality assurance teams. While we had not previously seen this data, we take all reports seriously,” says Ilya Sheleg, the founder from the brand’s Brooklyn-based parent company Primerose Hill. Sheleg says the company plans to re-test its current batch of gummies with other independent labs.

Other gummies fared even worse in tests. Two brands, Ecowise and Vidabotan, came back with 0 percent creatine. Despite these results, both brands have high ratings on Amazon. The headline for Ecowise’s top review: “Tastes great and actually works!”

Like Happigummi Limited, Vidabotan does not list contact information online, so the company could not be reached for comment. When WIRED reached out to Ecowise, its founder and CEO Vladislav Shabanov promptly responded, expressing disbelief that his products tested so poorly, as his Colorado-based manufacturers have been Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) certified, which means they follow guidelines set by the US Food and Drug Administration. The company also tests its products in third-party labs at regular intervals.