What Is Creatine Monohydrate?

Creatine is a nitrogenous compound that muscles use to regenerate ATP, the immediate energy currency of explosive effort. Supplementing creatine monohydrate raises muscle phosphocreatine stores, which measurably improves performance in repeated high-intensity efforts and studied in resistance-training research. It is the most studied sports supplement in existence, with the ISSN position stand and hundreds of trials behind it. Core Nutrix supplies 99.5% purity powder at 200 mesh, with a micronized option for suspension drinks.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Purity: 99.5% (HPLC)
• CAS number: 6020-87-7
• Appearance: White crystalline powder
• Mesh: 200 mesh; micronized option
• Typical serving: 3-5 g per day
• Vegan: Synthetic, vegan-friendly
• Packaging: 25 kg drum (custom formats available)
• Shelf life: 24 months in sealed, cool, dry storage

Origin & Sourcing

Produced synthetically from cyanamide and sarcosine feedstocks under tightly controlled conditions, then crystallized and dried to the monohydrate form. Release testing verifies 99.5% purity by HPLC with strict limits on process impurities including dicyandiamide, creatinine and dihydrotriazine, which is what separates pharma-grade supply from commodity creatine. Kosher, Halal and GMO-free documentation is available, and every batch ships with COA and MSDS.

Key Benefits

• Increases strength and power output in resistance training
• Supports lean mass gains during training programs
• Improves repeated high-intensity performance
• Speeds recovery between sessions
• Best evidence base of any sports ingredient
• 200 mesh and micronized options for every format

Applications

Standalone creatine powders, pre-workouts, post-workout and intra-workout formulas, capsules and tablets, ready-to-drink beverages, gummies and senior or women’s fitness lines. Micronized creatine suspends better in water and is the preferred grade for drinkable formats. Beyond traditional powders, micronized creatine suits shake systems with minimal settling, and capsule lines run 1-2.5 g servings across multiple capsules. Gummy and senior formats use lower doses, positioning creatine for muscle preservation rather than loading.

Why 2026 Matters

Creatine is the largest-volume commodity in sports nutrition and still growing, because its audience keeps widening: from lifters to runners, from men’s strength lines to women’s fitness and healthy-aging products. Recent positioning around cognitive support has opened a second front. For formulators, the differentiator is supply quality – impurity-controlled 99.5% creatine with global certifications – rather than the molecule itself. The market’s second growth wave comes from audience expansion: women’s fitness, seniors preserving muscle, and cognitive-performance users are new cohorts that do not overlap with the classic bodybuilding base. Each cohort favors different formats – capsules for seniors, gummies for lifestyle brands, powders for athletes – which multiplies SKU demand from one ingredient. Supply consolidation around impurity-controlled material is the trend, and 99.5% creatine with Kosher and Halal documentation meets the specifications global buyers now require.

Science Snapshot

The phosphocreatine system re-phosphorylates ADP to ATP during short, maximal efforts, and supplementation raises muscle phosphocreatine by roughly 20-40%. Meta-analyses report consistent gains in maximal strength and lean mass with resistance training, and benefits for high-intensity interval performance. A 3-5 g daily dose saturates muscle stores within about four weeks; loading protocols simply reach saturation faster. No other sports ingredient matches this evidence base. The response to creatine is individual: vegetarians and vegans, whose baseline stores are lower, typically show the largest increases, while so-called non-responders with already-high stores gain less. Timing research suggests post-workout intake with carbohydrate slightly improves retention, though total daily dose matters far more than timing. Long-term safety surveillance in athletes has not identified organ damage at standard doses, supporting creatine’s status as the safest performance ingredient available.

Quality & Specifications

• Purity: 99.5% (HPLC)
• Appearance: White crystalline powder
• Mesh: 200 mesh; micronized option
• Packaging: 25 kg drums (custom formats available)
• Shelf life: 24 months in sealed, cool, dry storage
• Testing: HPLC purity, dicyandiamide, creatinine, heavy metals, ethylene oxide (EtO), aflatoxins, PAH, pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs)
• Compliance: Pesticide residue screened to EU MRLs (EC) 396/2005; Proposition 65 (Prop 65) statement and full contaminant documentation on request
• Note: Business-to-business ingredient information only. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Safety & Regulatory

One of the most studied supplements available and well tolerated at 3-5 g per day. Drink adequate water, and consult a healthcare professional with pre-existing kidney conditions.

Formulation Notes

Creatine monohydrate is unflavored, nearly neutral-tasting and stable in dry blends, but it dissolves slowly and settles in plain water – hence the micronized grade for drinkable formats. It works in capsules, effervescents, gummies and powders, and pairs with beta-alanine, caffeine and electrolytes. Note that acidic RTD environments slowly degrade creatine to creatinine, so shelf-life testing is recommended for low-pH beverages.

How It Compares

• Monohydrate vs hydrochloride: HCl is roughly 30-40x more soluble and suits low-dose capsules; monohydrate is the cost-effective, evidence-backed workhorse.
• Monohydrate vs buffered creatine: buffered forms market less conversion to creatinine, but independent evidence does not show them outperforming monohydrate.
• Monohydrate vs creatine ethyl ester: ethyl ester degrades faster and has not matched monohydrate in trials – monohydrate remains the standard.
• 200 mesh vs micronized: both are 99.5% creatine; micronized particles suspend more evenly in liquids.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the purity of this creatine?

99.5% minimum by HPLC, with impurities such as dicyandiamide and creatinine controlled to tight limits.

Can you provide a COA and third-party test report?

Yes. Every batch ships with a Certificate of Analysis, and third-party testing is available on request.

What is the MOQ and packaging?

Standard packaging is a 25kg drum. Please contact us for current MOQ and sample availability.

Is micronized creatine available?

Yes. A micronized grade that suspends better in water is available for drinkable formats.

Is it vegan-friendly?

Yes. Creatine monohydrate is produced synthetically and contains no animal-derived ingredients.

What is the recommended serving?

The standard dose is 3-5 g per day; a loading phase of 20 g per day for 5-7 days is optional.

Does it dissolve in water?

It dissolves slowly and settles, which is why the micronized grade or effervescent formats are used for drinks.

How to Get Started

1. Tell us your format and target dose – capsules, powders, tablets, gummies or beverages.
2. We confirm the matching grade, send the specification sheet and a free sample.
3. Approve the sample and run a trial batch; we lock the COA and lead time.
4. Scale to full production with batch-to-batch consistency guaranteed.