3Are lot-level results for DCD, DHT, DMS and heavy metals published?
4Is a raw-material brand such as Creapure® named?
5What is the price per gram and the days of supply at 3 g (women) / 5 g (men)?
Creatine monohydrate has the strongest evidence base in sports nutrition; the ISSN calls it one of the most effective and safest supplements available (ISSN 2017). The newer frame is that it is no longer just a sports supplement: a single dose under sleep deprivation improved cognitive processing and brain energy metabolism (Scientific Reports, 2024), and women may benefit more because stores run lower across the life cycle (Smith-Ryan 2021). Quality is decided by synthesis by-products: USP-DSC caps creatinine at 0.1%, while Creapure® holds 0.005–0.01% — 10–20× stricter. Loading is unnecessary; consistency at 3 g (women) or 5 g (men) is what matters.
01Effects & latest research
What does Creatine do, and what does recent research say?
What is established
Effects on strength and lean-mass retention are the best-evidenced in sports nutrition (ISSN position stand: among the most effective and safest supplements), with accumulating evidence for preserving muscle mass and reducing fall risk in older adults.
What is new
Creatine is no longer framed as a sports-only supplement: a single dose under sleep deprivation improved cognitive processing and brain energy markers (Scientific Reports, 2024); a 2023 meta-analysis reported memory gains in older adults; and a review notes women carry lower stores across the life cycle, suggesting greater benefit (Smith-Ryan et al., Nutrients, 2021).
Limits — we stop here
The cognitive evidence is not settled. In 2024 EFSA rejected a cognitive-function health claim for insufficient evidence; only the exercise-performance claim (3 g/day) is authorised in the EU.
Independence: This site is operated by KNI. Every product is scored against the same public criteria, and advertising or affiliate arrangements play no part in grading.
Grade
Product
Total
Cost per active unit/g
Daily costWomen / Men
Days of supply
S
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine (US)
Names Creapure® German raw material, single-ingredient monohydrate, no additives
Retailer link pending
92/100
79원
238원 / 396원
200 / 120d
A
Nutricost Creatine (US)
Micronised monohydrate; SuppCo testing verified creatinine <46 ppm — but no ingredient brand named
Retailer link pending
75/100
52원
157원 / 261원
151 / 91d
B
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine (US)
Micronised monohydrate with good solubility, but lot-level impurity results are not published
Retailer link pending
64/100
49원
148원 / 246원
333 / 200d
C
Pre-workout / booster blendsCategory (not named)
Actual creatine content and form undisclosed, heavy sweeteners — per-gram cost cannot be calculated
13/100
Not calculable
Not calculable
—
S
92/100
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine (US)
Names Creapure® German raw material, single-ingredient monohydrate, no additives
Cost per active unit
79원/g
Daily cost · Women
238원
Daily cost · Men
396원
Days of supply
200 / 120d
Axis scores
Effective dose
30/30
Purity & impurity testing
22/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
16/20
Raw-material grade
15/15
Information transparency
9/10
Retailer link pending
A
75/100
Nutricost Creatine (US)
Micronised monohydrate; SuppCo testing verified creatinine <46 ppm — but no ingredient brand named
Cost per active unit
52원/g
Daily cost · Women
157원
Daily cost · Men
261원
Days of supply
151 / 91d
Axis scores
Effective dose
30/30
Purity & impurity testing
20/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
Raw-material grade
5/15
Information transparency
8/10
Retailer link pending
B
64/100
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine (US)
Micronised monohydrate with good solubility, but lot-level impurity results are not published
Cost per active unit
49원/g
Daily cost · Women
148원
Daily cost · Men
246원
Days of supply
333 / 200d
Axis scores
Effective dose
30/30
Purity & impurity testing
10/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
Raw-material grade
5/15
Information transparency
7/10
Retailer link pending
C
13/100
Pre-workout / booster blends
Actual creatine content and form undisclosed, heavy sweeteners — per-gram cost cannot be calculated
Cost per active unit
Not calculable
Daily cost · Women
—
Daily cost · Men
—
Days of supply
—
Axis scores
Effective dose
5/30
Purity & impurity testing
0/25
Manufacturing & safety certification
6/20
Raw-material grade
0/15
Information transparency
2/10
See axis-level scores (5 axes, 100 points)
Product
① Effective dose/30
② Purity & impurity testing/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification/20
④ Raw-material grade/15
⑤ Information transparency/10
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine (US)
30
22
16
15
9
Nutricost Creatine (US)
30
20
12
5
8
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine (US)
30
10
12
5
7
Pre-workout / booster blends
5
0
6
0
2
Healthy Origins Performance Creatine (US)
① Effective dose
30/30
② Purity & impurity testing
22/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
16/20
④ Raw-material grade
15/15
⑤ Information transparency
9/10
Nutricost Creatine (US)
① Effective dose
30/30
② Purity & impurity testing
20/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
④ Raw-material grade
5/15
⑤ Information transparency
8/10
NOW Foods Micronized Creatine (US)
① Effective dose
30/30
② Purity & impurity testing
10/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
12/20
④ Raw-material grade
5/15
⑤ Information transparency
7/10
Pre-workout / booster blends
① Effective dose
5/30
② Purity & impurity testing
0/25
③ Manufacturing & safety certification
6/20
④ Raw-material grade
0/15
⑤ Information transparency
2/10
Third-party comparisons are limited to overseas brands. Among domestically distributed products, only our own is included. Product links carry no affiliate arrangement. A purchase through a link does not affect any grade or its position. Based on official retailer listings and published test reports · Data as of 2026-08
So which one should you choose?
To summarise — single-ingredient monohydrate, disclosed creatinine in ppm, lot-level impurity testing, a named raw material, and price per gram. Value ranking and quality grade do not line up.
If raw-material grade comes first —
헬SHealthy Origins Performance Creatine (US)79원/g
Creapure® holds creatinine at 50–100 ppm — 10–20× stricter than the pharmacopoeia limit of 1,000 ppm — and carries Cologne List doping-free verification. At 79 KRW/g it is not the cheapest; the difference is what raw-material grade costs.
If you want verified value —
뉴ANutricost Creatine (US)52원/g
No named ingredient brand, but external testing (SuppCo) verified creatinine below 46 ppm — premium-grade by the numbers, at 52 KRW/g. Without a named source, though, nothing guarantees the same quality across lots.
Retailer link pending
The lowest price per gram is not the best product. We keep the value ranking and the quality grade in separate columns so you can read them apart.
Independence: This site is operated by KNI. Every product is scored against the same public criteria, and advertising or affiliate arrangements play no part in grading.
Not in healthy individuals — a 2019 meta-analysis found no adverse effect on renal function markers. Creatine does raise blood creatinine, which can be misread on lab tests, so tell your clinician before a checkup. Anyone with existing kidney disease should consult a physician first.
Current evidence does not support this. The claim traces to a single small 2009 study where DHT rose but stayed within the normal range — no study has measured actual hair loss. A 2021 evidence review concluded the claim is unsupported.
No. Taking 3 g/day for 4 weeks reaches the same muscle saturation as loading (Hultman 1996). Loading (0.3 g/kg/day for 5–7 days) only speeds up saturation. Skipping it is a reasonable default if GI comfort is a concern.
It is not fat gain. The initial 1–2 kg comes from intramuscular water and creatine retention — the ISSN position stand notes this water-related weight gain as the only consistent side effect.
The evidence is mixed. 2023–2024 meta-analyses report small improvements in memory (especially in older adults), but a well-designed RCT found small, uncertain effects, and EFSA rejected the cognition health claim in 2024 for insufficient evidence. Ads guaranteeing cognitive benefits overstate the current evidence.
People with kidney disease must consult a physician. Data are lacking for pregnancy, and case reports suggest caution in bipolar disorder. Adolescents can use it safely under appropriate supervision per ISSN 2017.
