Creatine

Creatine monohydrate is available in this category in three forms: powder to dissolve in water, sachets with a ready portion, and gummies. They differ in the amount of creatine per serving, additives, flavor, and how many days the package lasts. Below we explain how to read these differences from the label.

Powder, sachets, and gummies

The powder is the Mushroom Creatine line from Sport Armour. The variant with lion’s mane weighs 558 g and divides into 60 servings of 9.3 g, while the variant with Cordyceps weighs 553 g and divides into 60 servings of 9.2 g. You mix the serving in water once a day, so a can lasts for two months.

Also included in the powders is Keto Creatine from Solve Labs with a lemon flavor, containing micronized creatine monohydrate, betaine hydrochloride, and extracts from fenugreek, prickly pear, and Ceylon cinnamon bark.

The sachets from Aura Herbals contain a daily portion in one package, without measuring. You pour the contents into about 250 ml of water, and a box with 30 sachets lasts for 30 days. Gummies do not require water, a shaker, or a measuring cup, making them easy to take to the gym or on a trip.

The SOOL gummies in pineapple flavor have a serving of three gummies, and a jar with 60 gummies provides 20 servings. The gummies with Creatine LABIFY, strawberry or green apple flavored, contain 1 g of monohydrate in one gummy and 3 g in a daily portion of three gummies.

Creatine monohydrate: monohydrate mass vs creatine mass

Labels provide two different measurements and it’s easy to confuse them. Creatine monohydrate contains crystallization water, so the mass of creatine itself is less than the mass of the monohydrate. In Sport Armour powders, 5000 mg of monohydrate equals 4400 mg of creatine per serving.

In the sachets from Aura Herbals, 3410 mg of monohydrate gives 3000 mg of creatine, and in the 5 g variant, it is 5688 mg of monohydrate and 5000 mg of creatine. The SOOL gummies have 3400 mg of monohydrate per serving, which the manufacturer describes as 3000 mg of creatine. When comparing two products, compare monohydrate with monohydrate or creatine with creatine.

Creatine with additives

The Mushroom Creatine powders are blends that include six additional ingredients alongside creatine. Each serving contains 800 mg of beta-alanine, 750 mg of taurine, 500 mg of tyrosine, 333 mg of L-theanine, and 500 mg of Aquamin sourced from seawater, providing 55 mg of magnesium, which is 15% NRV. The Cordyceps variant adds 1000 mg of Cordyceps sinensis extract standardized to 30:1, while the Lion’s Mane variant includes lion’s mane extract.

The sachets from Aura Herbals with glycine contain 3 g of glycine in each serving, alongside 3 g or 5 g of creatine. The SOOL gummies add vitamins B6 and B12, each providing 100% NRV per serving. A ready-made blend means fixed proportions, so if you want to control each ingredient separately, choose pure monohydrate without additives.

How many days does the package last

You can calculate the number of days from two numbers on the label: servings in the package and daily servings. A can of Sport Armour powder contains 60 servings, which means two months at one serving per day. A box of Aura Herbals sachets lasts for 30 days.

With gummies, the calculation comes out shorter than the number of pieces suggests. The SOOL jar has 60 gummies, but the serving is three gummies, so it lasts for 20 days. The same calculation applies to the LABIFY package, where 60 gummies at three per day gives 20 days of use.

What else to check before choosing

Check the sweetener and gelling agent. The SOOL gummies are sugar-free, sweetened with maltitol syrup and sorbitol, and the gelatin in the ingredients means they are not vegetarian. LABIFY describes its creatine gummies as vegan and sugar-free.

Also pay attention to the flavor and purpose. The Sport Armour powders have a raspberry flavor and are intended solely for adults, the SOOL gummies are pineapple-flavored, and the LABIFY gummies are strawberry or green apple flavored. LABIFY recommends taking them at any time of the day, with adequate hydration.

How to read the ingredient table step by step is described in the post how to read a dietary supplement label. Other products can be found in the Supplements category.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 3400 mg of monohydrate and 3000 mg of creatine?

It is the same serving described in two measurements. Monohydrate contains crystallization water, so from 3400 mg of monohydrate in SOOL gummies, about 3000 mg of creatine remains. When comparing with another product, check which measurement its label provides. In the sachets from Aura Herbals, the same relationship gives 3410 mg of monohydrate and 3000 mg of creatine.

How much creatine is in a serving of Sport Armour powder?

A serving of 9.3 g in the lion’s mane variant and 9.2 g in the Cordyceps variant contains 5000 mg of creatine monohydrate, which is 4400 mg of creatine. The rest of the serving mass consists of beta-alanine, taurine, tyrosine, L-theanine, magnesium raw material Aquamin, and mushroom extract, as well as flavoring and sweetening agents.

How many days will a jar of creatine gummies last?

For 20 days. Both the SOOL jar and the LABIFY package contain 60 pieces, and the daily serving is three gummies. If you are comparing gummies with powder, count the days of use, not the number of pieces in the package. For comparison, a can of Sport Armour powder lasts for two months, and a box of Aura Herbals sachets lasts for 30 days.

Are creatine gummies vegan?

It depends on the brand. The SOOL gummies contain gelatin, so they are not even vegetarian. However, the SOOL gummies are sugar-free, sweetened with maltitol syrup and sorbitol. The LABIFY gummies are described as vegan and sugar-free, and it is worth confirming this on the packaging label before purchase.

How to prepare a serving from a sachet?

Pour the contents of one sachet into a glass, add about 250 ml of water, mix until dissolved, and drink immediately. The daily serving is one sachet, and the box contains 30. The sachets from Aura Herbals contain 3 g or 5 g of creatine per serving, and the version with glycine adds 3 g of glycine to it.