Creatine is gaining popularity rapidly in women’s health circles.
Proponents claim it’s a must-have for building muscle and enhancing definition, losing weight, supporting healthy skin, keeping you fit during menopause, and even for balancing hormones.
Critics say its benefits are overhyped, it can be harmful, and that it’s not necessary for everyday fitness.
So, what’s the real deal with creatine for women – is it a friend or just a trend?
Keep reading to learn more…
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Author: In On Around Founder & CEO, Catherine Power.
- Published On:
- Updated On: August 13, 2025
Summary:
- Creatine is a natural substance made within the body and found in animal foods and supplements.
- Women produce up to 80% less creatine than men, which is partly why supplementation has special benefits for women.
- Creatine is one of the most studied supplements, with research suggesting it can help women build more muscle, recover faster, perform better, and possibly promote brain health, bone density, and skin health.
- Best Brands = Promix, Cymbiotika
Table of Contents
What Is Creatine?
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound made within the body by the liver, kidneys, and pancreas. It’s also found in foods such as fish, meat, and dairy products.
It’s comprised of the amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine, and is stored mainly in muscle.
Creatine is utilized by the body to produce energy from ATP, the primary energy source of our cells. This quick burst of energy comes in especially handy when we’re exerting ourselves during exercise.
Creatine also plays a role in promoting brain, metabolic, and hormonal function, which we’ll discuss more in subsequent sections.
Creatine supplements are widely available and have been used in sports medicine and nutrition for decades to promote muscle growth, energy, and better performance.
Why Has Creatine Become So Popular With Women?
The creatine trend has ridden the coattails of the strength training trend, which has become very popular among health-conscious women, integrative health practitioners, and influencers, especially those entering perimenopause and menopause.
As you likely know, strength training is one of the best things you can do to support healthy metabolism, burn fat, promote bone density, balance hormones, and lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Creatine has been shown to help enhance the effects of strength training, allowing women to see faster results and experience quicker recovery.
It’s also affordable, which is a plus.
Additionally, studies suggest creatine has other benefits for women, which we’ll explore next.
The Benefits Of Creatine For Women
As mentioned previously, creatine has traditionally been a sports nutrition supplement taken by athletes to boost performance.
It has also traditionally been used and studied more in men than in women.
However, times are changing, and a growing body of research has demonstrated several potential benefits of taking creatine for women.
1. Creatine May Help Women Build Muscle More Efficiently
Women don’t build muscle in the same way that men do, and part of this has to do with how our bodies produce creatine.
Specifically, women produce up to 80% less creatine in their muscles than men. [1]
This explains why studies have shown that supplemental creatine can help women build muscle more quickly and efficiently than strength training alone.
Many women also report more noticeable muscle definition when taking creatine. That’s because creatine draws water into the muscles, creating more natural definition and bulk.
2. Creatine May Naturally Enhance Exercise Performance In Women
Earlier, we discussed creatine’s role in creating ATP, the energy powerhouse of the cells. It’s this energy that enables us to exert short bursts of effort during exercise.
Research has shown that creatine supplementation can help enhance energy and various aspects of performance during exercise, such as speed and the ability to lift heavier. [2, 3]
Although creatine can help boost exercise performance in all genders, a study published in Nutrients found that women taking creatine experienced a 15% increase in exercise performance, while men experienced a 6% increase.
Proof that creatine may be even more effective for exercise performance in women than men.
3. Creatine May Support Brain Health In Women
Many women start taking creatine for the exercise benefits and wind up raving about how much clearer their thinking has become.
Is there anything to this, or is it just a coincidence?
Preliminary research suggests a link between creatine supplementation and cognitive health in women.
The evidence so far shows that creatine may support cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and attention, as well as better mood, emotional well-being, and energy production within the brain. [4]
Research also suggests specific cognitive performance benefits for vegans and vegetarians, who often have reduced creatine stores due to a lack of animal protein in the diet. [5]
However, more studies are needed to fully understand how creatine may influence a woman’s brain in the long- and short-term.
Learn more about supplements for cognitive health in: Straight Talk About Methylene Blue: Benefits, Uses, & Side Effects
4. Creatine Can Help You Recover Faster
Exercise-induced muscle soreness and DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) are a reality of working out, especially if you’re trying to get stronger or faster.
I know when I go up in weight, I feel it the next day and the day after, which can definitely zap energy and motivation.
Creatine is potentially helpful for speeding exercise recovery, with one study showing it completely nullified the adverse effects of strength exercise. [6]
This is consistent with the testimonials of creatine proponents, who report faster recovery times while taking creatine supplements.
Related reading: Best Clean Pre-Workout Supplement That’s All Natural
5. Creatine May Prevent Muscle Loss In Menopausal And Post-Menopausal Women
Muscle loss is a common occurrence as women age, particularly during menopause and postmenopause.
This is why strength training and eating enough protein are so essential (and even better to start when you’re young!).
In addition, some research suggests creatine supplementation may help preserve muscle and bone in menopausal and postmenopausal women, and even prevent falls. [7]
However, other studies have found no benefit, so further research is needed.
6. Creatine May Provide Skin Health Benefits
Have you seen creatine popping up in skincare products? That’s because preliminary studies suggest it may help reduce wrinkles, increase collagen production, and decrease photoaging when applied topically and/or taken internally. [8]
This makes sense given creatine’s ability to draw water into muscles, including facial muscles, which could help reduce signs of aging and dehydration.
Although more research is needed, many women of all ages are crazy about creatine for skin health, and it’s likely a safe ingredient to try compared to more harsh chemical treatments.
Creatine Side Effects For Women (It’s Not For Everyone)
Creatine is generally considered very safe for healthy women and people to take at recommended dosages.
However, some evidence suggests it may be contraindicated for people with kidney disease or suboptimal kidney function, as creatine is broken down to creatinine, a waste product filtered by the kidneys.
Although research suggests this isn’t an issue in people with healthy kidney function, it may be problematic for those with kidney disease. [9]
It may also be contraindicated for those with liver disease due to how the liver processes it.
Check with your healthcare practitioner if you have or suspect liver or kidney problems.
Also, due to a lack of safety studies, it’s generally not recommended during pregnancy and lactation.
The most common side effects of taking creatine are bloating and indigestion, which can usually be alleviated by adjusting your dosage and increasing water intake.
Some people also find they gain weight when they start taking creatine. This is due to how creatine affects water storage in muscle, and should dissipate as your body adjusts.
General Recommendations Of Creatine Dosage For Women
The standard dosage recommendation of creatine for women is between 3 and 5 grams daily with a big glass of water.
This is considered enough to saturate the muscles and provide the most noticeable benefits.
You can take creatine at any time of day; however, many people recommend taking it before or after exercise to enhance performance and recovery.
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Our Top Picks For Best Creatine Supplements For Women
As with all supplements, choosing a clean, toxin-free brand of creatine is essential.
Here’s our criteria for selecting the best creatine supplements for women:
- Provides COAs to confirm product purity and testing standards
- Contains creatine monohydrate (the most-studied form)
- Contains no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, GMOs, or preservatives
- No potentially toxic excipients, such as magnesium stearate, talc, silicone dioxide, or petroleum products
- Simple ingredients
- Contains 3-5 grams per serving
- Tastes good (because who wants to choke down a chalky, gloppy supplement?)
Please note that we did include a gummy option due to their popularity. Although we found some pretty clean options, they do include natural flavors, which aren’t necessarily our favorite ingredient, but aren’t the worst either.
If you want a totally clean product, go with one of the powders. The “Best” category is in no particular order – they’re all great options!
Best Clean Creatine For Women
This is a clean brand of micronized creatine with simple ingredients that’s easy to mix in water. They also provide sample reports of their purity testing online.
Why we love it:
- Contains Creatine Monohydrate
- Micronized for easy mixing
- Contains 5 grams of creatine per serving
- Unsweetened, smooth, and flavorless
- Soy-free
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Non-GMO
- No gums or fillers
- Third-party tested for heavy metals, gluten, and soy
- They share their testing results on their website (however, a lot of the test results are the same, so it raises a bit of a red flag for me)
- Affordable at between $0.29-$0.96 per serving
This is one of our top picks for clean creatine because they’re ultra-transparent about their purity testing, free from all the ingredients you don’t want, and their product contains fulvic minerals, making it more nutrient-dense than your typical creatine.
Note: We do not love all of their products – it’s on a case-by-case basis.
Why we love it:
- Contains creatine monohydrate
- Contains Fulvic Mineral Complex (as Rejen™), supplying 70+ trace minerals
- Simple ingredients, just creatine and fulvic mineral complex
- Gluten-free
- Ingredients are tested for contaminants before and after manufacturing
- Transparency in testing: You can view their test results here
- Non-GMO
- Non-detectable levels of DHT
- No natural or artificial flavors
- No gums or fillers
- No GMOs
- Gluten-free
- Heavy metal tested
- Third-party testing
- Good value for the quality (roughly $0.90 per serving)
This lesser-known brand is ultra-clean and utilizes a liquid liposomal delivery system, which they claim enhances creatine absorption. We like the simple ingredients and rigorous testing standards.
Why we love it:
- Contains creatine monohydrate (as CreaBev®) plus L-glutamine, for added exercise performance and recovery benefits
- They quickly sent me their COA upon request
- Comes in a pouch for easy dosing, just squeeze into your mouth and go (no messy powders)
- 20 pouches per container
- Gluten-free
- Made in a cGMP-certified facility
- Keto friendly
- No artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners
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This is a traditional creatine powder that’s micronized for easy mixing in water, juice, or shakes.
Why we love it:
- They quickly sent me their COA upon request
- Contains creatine monohydrate
- Two simple ingredients: creatine monohydrate and sea salt (for improved absorption)
- Micronized for easy mixing
- Contains 5 grams of creatine per serving
- Third-party tested to ensure 99.9% potency and undetectable levels of heavy metals, glyphosate, pesticides & herbicides
- No artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, flow agents, or anti-caking agents
- Gluten-free
Better Clean Creatine For Women Brands
These brands may be as clean as those in the “better” category.
However, we couldn’t verify this without examining their COAs, which they do not provide online or in response to our emailed requests.
This is another excellent powdered form of creatine, featuring simple ingredients and high purity standards.
Why we love it:
- It’s made with 100% Creapure®, considered by many to be the purest creatine monohydrate available, with a 95% absorption rate
- No added ingredients, just creatine monohydrate
- They did not share their COA with us
- Vegan
- Kosher
- Halal
- Gluten-free
- Soy-free
- No sugar or sweeteners
- No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or other ingredients
- Made in an NSF-certified cGMP facility
- Tested for identity, potency, and purity, and stringent microbial and contaminant requirements
- Fairly affordable at $0.60 per serving
Thorne is a favorite brand among integrative doctors and healthcare practitioners due to its high-quality standards. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they also produce an excellent, clean, micronized creatine.
Why we love it:
- They refused to share a COA. “We do not share certificates of analysis for our products.”
- Contains creatine monohydrate
- Provides 5 grams of creatine per serving
- NSF Certified for Sport®, which ensures third-party testing for contaminants
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Soy-free
- Simple ingredients, just creatine monohydrate
- Thorne has an extensive “no list” of ingredients they will not use in their products, including artificial flavors, colors, petroleum products, formaldehyde, GMOs, talc, and other potentially harmful preservatives, excipients, and flow agents. You can view it here.
- NSF-cGMP certified facility
- NSF Certified for Sport®, which indicates independently tested for safety and banned substances
- TGA Certified
- Micronized for easy mixing
- Colorless, no odor, and enhanced solubility
- Available in bulk powder or individual stick pack servings
- Extensive in-house testing between two labs allows them to conduct testing on raw materials, in-process testing, finished product testing, and stability testing
- Very affordable for the quality at roughly $0.48 per serving
Pretty Good Clean Creatine Brands For Women - Gummies
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This is our top pick for a gummy because the company is extremely transparent about its ingredients and purity testing, which we love, and the ingredients are simple.
The only thing we don’t love is the “natural flavors” and syrup (which is usually necessary in gummies), although the Organifi team confirms that they’re made exclusively of freeze-dried berries.
Why We Love It:
- They do share COA results – they’re very transparent!
- Contains creatine monohydrate
- Provides 1.5 grams per chew, making it easy to customize your dose
- Gluten-free
- Third-party verified glyphosate residue-free
- Dairy-free
- Soy-free
- Sweetened with tapioca syrup and beet sugar
- Contains natural tart cherry extract, which enhances the exercise recovery benefits of creatine
- No fillers
- Vegan
- 60 chews per bag starting at $0.71 per chew
- Bulk discounts on 3 and 6 bag orders
- 100% money-back guarantee
Shop Organifi Creatine Cherry Chews here.
Note: We do not like Create Creatine gummies because of the allulose (artificial sweetener) and undisclosed natural flavorings.
Would I Take Creatine? Maybe…
I have a bottle of creatine at home, but I was waiting to try it until I learned more about it.
After researching the benefits of creatine for women, I may give it a try.
However, I still have some lingering reservations and doubts about its necessity and safety for women specifically.
I know it’s one of the most studied supplements. Still, I also know that women naturally produce less creatine than men, so I question whether supplementing may go against our natural biology, even if it provides some benefits.
Additionally, creatine supplements are synthetic and manufactured in a laboratory; they’re not a natural substance, like creatine found in meats, which also gives me pause.
Then again, not everything synthetic is bad, and not everything natural is healthy, so I may give it a go and see how it affects my body and workout routine.
If I do, I’ll definitely be using one of the “best” brands listed here.
Would you try creatine?
Let me know your thoughts and key takeaways in the comments below!
xoxo,
Want to read more? Check out our other articles here!
Other references on Creatine and Women’s Health from: NIH: PMID: 34199588, PMID: 33800439, PMID: 39796530, Research Gate, Europe PMC, Journal 0f the American Academy of Dermatology, Journal of Renal Nutrition
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Frequently Asked Questions – Creatine and Women's Health
Click on the below FAQs to learn more about: Creatine and Women’s Health
Creatine is a naturally occurring compound found in muscles and the brain. It helps your body quickly produce ATP — the energy your cells use for high-intensity activity and short bursts of effort. Supplementing increases stored creatine, improving strength, power, and recovery.
Yes, emerging research shows creatine may:
- Support cognitive performance, especially during stress or sleep deprivation
- Reduce symptoms of depression in some women
- Help preserve muscle mass during menopause or pregnancy/postpartum recovery
- Support bone health alongside resistance training
Not in healthy individuals. Studies show no harmful effects on kidney or liver function at normal doses. However, women with pre-existing kidney disease should avoid creatine unless cleared by a doctor.
Indirectly. Creatine itself doesn’t burn fat, but by improving strength and workout performance, it can help you train harder, build muscle, and increase calorie burn over time.
