Bespoke creatine supplement manufacturing
British VitaTech develops and manufactures custom creatine supplements for brands worldwide, from formulation to finished product, and the brand owns the formula.
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Monohydrate creatine for sport, women's health and healthy ageing
Sports, women's health and healthy-ageing brands can take a custom creatine supplement from first formula to finished product with us, a creatine supplement manufacturer working in our UK facility. We make powders and drink mixes, stick packs, capsules and tablets, soft chews, combination formulas and gummies, a fast-growing format: in the US, creatine gummy sales rose 171.1% in the year to 2 November 2025 (SPINS via Nutraceuticals World, February 2026). Our standard is creatine monohydrate at 3 g of creatine a day, the dose both authorised claims need. Each format is built to hold that dose through shelf life, and every batch comes with a certificate of analysis.
A 2022 critical review concluded that monohydrate is still the only source of creatine with substantial evidence for bioavailability, efficacy and safety (Kreider and colleagues, Nutrients, 2022).
- Creatine monohydrate. Creatine crystallises with one molecule of water, so monohydrate is about 88% creatine by weight, with a theoretical water content of 12.08% (US Patent 5,719,319). Both authorised claims are written in grams of creatine, so we set label doses on creatine content: 3 g of creatine takes about 3.4 g of monohydrate.
- Micronised monohydrate. The same molecule milled finer, so it disperses faster in water and suits unflavoured powders and stick packs.
- Creatine hydrochloride and other salts. More soluble, which suits clear drinks, but none has been shown to be a better source of creatine than monohydrate, and a salt's lower pH can reduce stability in solution (Jäger and colleagues, Amino Acids, 2011). At about 78% creatine by weight, the hydrochloride also needs more powder than monohydrate for the same dose.
- Creatine ethyl ester. It breaks down to creatinine: in one trial it raised serum creatinine and raised muscle creatine less than monohydrate did (Spillane and colleagues, 2009, via Jäger and colleagues, 2011). We recommend monohydrate instead.
- GAA (guanidinoacetic acid). Creatine's natural precursor, which the body converts to creatine using methyl groups; supplements usually pair it with betaine, choline or B vitamins (Ostojic and Jorga, Food Science and Nutrition, 2023). Its human evidence is far thinner than monohydrate's and it has no authorised claim.
Grade means purity, particle size and documentation, all set in our specification. Vegan, halal and kosher certification are arranged for your product. Whichever form you choose, your formula is yours.
Dosing 3 g of creatine and keeping it from turning to creatinine
The 3 g dose behind both claims
The performance claim needs 3 g of creatine a day, and it may only be used on foods aimed at adults performing high-intensity exercise (Regulation (EU) No 432/2012). The over-55 claim needs the same 3 g, with information that the effect comes with resistance training that allows the workload to increase over time, performed at least three times per week for several weeks, at an intensity of at least 65 to 75% of one-repetition maximum load (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/672). Studies raise muscle creatine in two ways: a short loading phase at 20 g a day, or 3 g a day, which reached similar muscle creatine in about a month (Hultman and colleagues, Journal of Applied Physiology, 1996). So a daily 3 g format needs no loading phase.
Carbohydrate and muscle uptake
Monohydrate is well absorbed, and muscle takes up more creatine when it arrives with carbohydrate, through the insulin response: in one study, 93 g of simple carbohydrate with each 5 g dose raised muscle creatine gains by 60% (Green and colleagues, American Journal of Physiology, 1996). That is the science behind creatine in carbohydrate drink mixes.
Stability: creatine to creatinine
In solution, creatine cyclises to creatinine, which the body cannot use as creatine, and the reaction runs faster as pH falls and temperature rises. Monohydrate powder shows no sign of degradation over years, even at elevated temperatures, while solutions held for 72 hours at 25°C lost 4% of their creatine at pH 5.5, 12% at pH 4.5 and 21% at pH 3.5 (Jäger and colleagues, 2011). So dry formats are stable, drinks are mixed just before use, and moist formats need stability data on creatine and creatinine, which set overage and shelf life.
Where 3 g of creatine fits, and why melts are left out
- Powders and drink mixes. Unflavoured micronised monohydrate, or flavoured mixes with carbohydrate, protein or electrolytes, made in the UK; see powder supplement manufacturing.
- Stick packs. One exact dose per stick, made in-house; see sachet and stick pack manufacturing.
- Capsules and tablets. A size 00 capsule holds just under 1 ml of powder (UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy), so 3 g of creatine means several capsules a serving. We make both in-house, and capsules are GMP certified; see capsule and tablet manufacturing.
- Gummies. Most pectin gummies use high-methoxyl pectin, which needs a pH of about 2.8 to 3.5 to set, a range where creatine degrades quickly. We choose a gel system that sets at a higher pH, hold water activity down, add creatine late at a controlled temperature, and set the serving count honestly, which for 3 g usually means several gummies. Gummies are made in-house and GMP certified; see gummy manufacturing.
- Chews and melts. Soft chews use a drier base than gummies, which suits creatine; we make them in-house. Melts do not fit: FDA guidance on orally disintegrating tablets, written for medicines, generally keeps them at 500 mg or less, so they carry milligrams, not a 3 g dose.
- Combination formulas. Creatine with electrolyte drinks for hydration, with protein powders for recovery, or with vitamins and minerals that carry their own authorised claims. For women's products, we design 3 g of creatine into a small daily format alongside nutrients such as iron or vitamin D. Brands also ask us for creatine in pre-workout formulas.
Packaging protects the dose. Powders go into induction-sealed tubs with a scoop sized to the serving, or into single-dose sticks, and gummies into bottles or jars with induction seals and desiccants, or resealable high-barrier pouches, each chosen for its moisture barrier against the shelf life.
Creatine is gritty at full dose, so flavour and texture work starts at concept stage with our flavour and taste masking team. Creatine sits at the centre of our sports nutrition manufacturing.
Performance and over-55 creatine claims, and the cognition question
Creatine monohydrate is accepted for use in supplements in the UK, the EU and the US (Kreider and colleagues, 2022). What differs is what you can say and to whom. The table sets out the position as of October 2026.
| Market | Claims you can use | Conditions and limits |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | "Creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high intensity exercise." "Daily creatine consumption can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over the age of 55." | 3 g of creatine a day for both. The first only on foods aimed at adults performing high-intensity exercise; the second only on foods for adults over 55 who do regular resistance training. Reworded claims must keep the authorised meaning. |
| European Union | The same two claims, in the same wording. | The same conditions. The creatine cognition claim is refused. |
| United States | Structure and function claims, such as support for strength and power in high-intensity exercise, backed by competent and reliable scientific evidence, notified to FDA and carrying FDA's standard disclaimer. | No medical claims. New York bans under-18 sales of supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building, with creatine among the factors that decide which products are covered, and California's AB 2030 adds a similar ban from 1 January 2027. |
Creatine and cognition
A meta-analysis of 16 randomised trials with 492 adults found a small memory benefit from creatine (Xu and colleagues, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2024), but no creatine cognition claim is authorised in GB or the EU, and the EU has formally refused one. UK and EU labels and adverts therefore keep creatine to its performance and strength claims, and brain-health positioning relies on nutrients with their own authorised claims, such as iodine, iron and zinc, which contribute to normal cognitive function. In the US, a cognition statement is a structure and function claim that needs evidence for its exact wording, and we build that evidence file before the copy.
Made from cyanamide and sarcosinate, released by quality control
Creatine monohydrate is made by synthesis, not extracted from meat. Producers react cyanamide with sodium or potassium sarcosinate in water under controlled temperature and pH, separate the crystals by centrifuge or filter, wash or recrystallise them, and dry them to the monohydrate's water content of about 12% (US Patent 5,719,319). The by-products to control are dicyandiamide, formed when cyanamide dimerises in alkaline conditions, and creatinine. Our process then runs in five steps.
- Supplier approval. Every creatine supplier passes our approval before any material is used, and is reviewed every year.
- Specification. Creatine content by HPLC, limits for creatinine, dicyandiamide, heavy metals and microbiology, and particle size, set per product and market.
- Weighing and blending. Creatine is weighed against the batch record and blended with the other ingredients to a specified uniformity.
- Forming and filling. Powders and stick packs are filled by weight and capsules to a set fill weight; gummies take creatine late in the cook at a controlled temperature, then dry to a target water activity.
- Labels and release. Labels are verified on every batch as our critical control point, every batch is released by quality control against its specification, and nothing is dispatched without quality control sign-off.
What a creatine supplement manufacturer measures besides creatine
HPLC separates and quantifies creatine and creatinine, and can quantify creatinine at levels as low as 67 parts per million (Jäger and colleagues, 2011). Every batch is tested by accredited partner laboratories (ISO/IEC 17025) as part of every order, to a specification that covers identity and creatine content; creatinine and dicyandiamide; lead, cadmium and mercury against the EU limits for food supplements of 3.0, 1.0 and 0.10 mg/kg (Regulation (EU) 2023/915); microbiology; and, for gummies, water activity. Because under-dosing is the gummy format's known weakness, every gummy batch gets a creatine assay at release as standard. Accelerated and real-time stability studies, run by accredited partner laboratories, track creatine, creatinine and water activity across shelf life.
We make every creatine format in our facility, which is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and FDA registered; capsules and gummies are GMP certified. We keep three retained samples per batch for shelf life plus one year. For brands that sell to tested athletes, Informed Sport certification is arranged for your product. Our testing and batch release page explains release testing.
Development runs in stages: brief, evidence review, formulation, bench samples, blind sensory panels, a pilot batch, stability in the final pack and scale-up. You receive the formula, specifications, process summary, stability data, test reports and a claims review for each market, and every batch comes with a certificate of analysis showing creatine and creatinine against the specification. Start your project and we will specify the form, dose and format with you.
References: Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 (2012); Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/672 (2017); Regulation (EU) 2026/1118 (2026); UK Nutrition and Health Claims Committee, creatine and cognitive function (2024); Jäger and colleagues, Amino Acids (2011); Kreider and colleagues, Nutrients (2022); Hultman and colleagues, Journal of Applied Physiology (1996); Xu and colleagues, Frontiers in Nutrition (2024).
Where this is going
To 2030
Up: moves beyond sport into women, ageing muscle and brain health, with a shift to gummies and drinks
To 2036
Up but maturing: a staple daily ingredient; further growth depends on cognition and ageing trial results
What to watch
Claims ceilings (no EU or GB cognition claim), under-18 limits and under-dosed gummies damaging trust
Questions brands ask
Can you make custom creatine supplements for my brand?
Yes. British VitaTech is a creatine supplement manufacturer that develops custom creatine products from formula to finished pack: powders, stick packs, capsules, tablets, gummies, chews and combination formulas, all made in-house. We choose the form and dose from the evidence, design the format to hold that dose through shelf life, and write claims for the UK, EU and US. R&D is a paid stage that can be included with an order of the right size, and your formula is yours.
Which form of creatine should a supplement use?
Creatine monohydrate, in almost every case. A 2022 critical review found it is still the only source of creatine with substantial evidence for bioavailability, efficacy and safety. Micronised monohydrate mixes faster. Creatine hydrochloride is more soluble but has no proven advantage and carries less creatine per gram, and creatine ethyl ester breaks down to creatinine. We use other forms where a format needs them, to each market's rules.
What dose does a creatine product need for the authorised claims?
3 g of creatine a day, for both authorised GB and EU claims. Creatine monohydrate is about 88% creatine by weight, so we dose about 3.4 g of monohydrate to deliver 3 g of creatine. In a classic study, 3 g a day reached muscle creatine levels similar to a high-dose loading phase in about a month (Hultman and colleagues, 1996), so a daily 3 g product needs no loading instructions.
Why have creatine gummies failed potency tests?
Chemistry is part of the problem. Creatine converts to creatinine in water, faster as pH falls and temperature rises, which describes a standard gummy recipe. In June 2025, SuppCo reported that 4 of 6 creatine gummies failed identity and potency testing, and two had no detectable creatine. We design against it with a gel system that sets at a higher pH, low water activity, late addition of creatine and stability data that track creatinine, and every gummy batch gets a creatine assay as standard.
Can a creatine supplement make brain or cognition claims?
Not in the UK or EU, where no creatine cognition claim is authorised and the EU has formally refused one. Research continues, with a 2024 meta-analysis finding a small memory benefit. UK and EU brain positioning relies on nutrients with authorised claims, such as zinc or iodine, alongside creatine's performance claims. In the US, a cognition statement needs evidence for its exact wording, and we build that evidence file before the copy is written.
Do you make private label creatine monohydrate?
We make bespoke creatine monohydrate products rather than relabelling a stock tub. You choose the grade, particle size, flavour and format, and we set the specification: creatine content, creatinine and dicyandiamide limits, heavy metals and microbiology. We make every format in our UK facility, which is ISO 9001, HACCP and GMP certified by BSI, and capsules and gummies are GMP certified. Vegan, halal and kosher certification are arranged for your product, and your formula is yours.
Can creatine supplements be sold to under-18s?
We position creatine products for adults. Both authorised GB and EU creatine claims may only be used on foods aimed at adults. In the US, New York bans sales to under-18s of supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building, and lists creatine among the factors that decide which products are covered; California adds a similar ban, with a prescription exception, from 1 January 2027. We write labels, age statements and marketing copy to each market's rules.