November 13, 2025 – Despite its primary association with athletes and body builders, creatine is now expanding its reach to a broader audience. Research is uncovering its health benefits beyond muscle recovery to include energy, brain function, and cellular health. Therefore, brands are introducing convenient creatine formats to fit modern lifestyles, and there is also interest in expanding its use for adolescents and children under guidance. Innova’s “Trending in Creatine in the US” report examines the creatine market and how new trends are influencing the global food and beverage market.
The Role of Creatine is Expanding
Although the creatine market is currently positioned for athletes, its appeal is expanding to include new consumer segments. Creatine innovation centers on sports nutrition launches, comprising 11% of total sports nutrition launches in the US, but clinical studies are demonstrating its role in supporting muscle growth, healthy aging, and cognitive function. Health professionals are beginning to highlight these broader advantages of creatine use, driving engagement online and on social media.
Expanding health claims are also playing a role in how creatine is promoted. Emphasizing cognitive and mood health benefits may help creatine attract a wider audience group, from consumers seeking active lifestyles to students, professionals, or older adults. For example, for older consumers, creatine can provide a steady energy boost, enhance focus or memory, and support metabolic health. There is also research that indicates creatine may counteract the side effects of GLP-1 use by helping to preserve lean muscle.
Even during pregnancy, preclinical research suggests that creatine could show promise in protecting the brain health of babies during pregnancy. Furthermore, creatine supplementation may also enhance elements of development in children, from bone health to brain development. This positions it as a potentially essential ingredient to the development of children, possibly expanding its role and health benefits to an entirely different consumer base in the creatine market.
Young Millennials Drive Online Buzz
In the US, social media conversations surrounding the creatine market are demonstrating increased awareness of the ingredients’ benefits beyond muscle growth. Young Millennials lead in the percentage of mentions of creatine in online platforms, and these often point to interest in creatine’s role in supporting wellness, energy, and cognitive performance. Due to its long-standing association with fitness culture, male consumers are driving these conversations.
Delivering Targeted Benefits
As precision wellness becomes increasingly popular, creatine has the potential to become a leading ingredient, due to its ability to deliver targeted benefits. For example, creatine products enhance cellular energy production, aid in muscle performance, and support cognitive function. Therefore, personalized dosing can help consumers optimize benefits for their own needs, based on individual fitness levels, lifestyle choices, and metabolism.
Elevating Quality and Added Value
The demand for added value is becoming standard among consumers, so brands are elevating quality to meet these demands. According to Innova’s research, the most important factor for US consumers of food and beverage is quality, so developing a narrative around value will be integral to the growth of the creatine market moving forward. For example, BodyTech Elite utilizes the NovaQ Spheres delivery system to gradually release creatine for “enhanced absorption and improved efficacy” of its Creatine Beadlets product. This new delivery technique offers new advantages and supplement effectiveness for creatine users, highlighting how brands can address consumers’ desire for added value through innovative technologies.
Convenient Formats Broaden Appeal
Gummy formats can expand creatine’s reach and appeal. Consumers on social media increasingly highlight the ingredient as a wellness essential, and brands like HexaBlend in the creatine market are tapping into both convenience and taste. Arrae has also released a line of gummies combining creatine with a postbiotic blend and ginger to appeal to female consumers in the US. Beyond easy integration into daily routines, the marketing of this line of creatine gummies also emphasizes improving the muscle tone of women.
Patent Innovations for Improved Functionality
Nestlé leads patent activity sports nutrition products with creatine, accounting for 15% of patent publications. Its patents focus mainly on muscle function, mobility, and absorption. Patent innovations also emphasize different combinations of creatine for improved functionality. For example, the combination of creatine and oleuropein has been presented as a method to improve muscle function in athletes for increased athletic performance, which is one of five key topics of patent clusters. The other topics include exercise performance, amino acids, recovery after exercise, and food supplements.
What’s Next for Creatine Trends in the US?
Brands can look to creatine as an ingredient to support women’s wellness, from support to mood and hormonal balance to muscle health. Lifestyle-friendly creatine formats can help brands tap into this shift and put emphasis on daily self-care. Functional formats also fuel accessibility. For example, snackable, ready-to-consumer formats in the creatine market could help drive the daily, more casual use of creatine that positions products for wellness, rather than supplements for the gym.
This article is based on Innova’s Trending in Creatine in the US report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more.