Thorne Creatine (90 servings)

1. Ingredients 25% of the rating 5 of 5

   One ingredient: creatine monohydrate, 5 g a scoop. Thorne’s product data lists nothing else.

2. Independent testing 30% of the rating 3 of 5

   NSF lists the powder with 69 lots, and ConsumerLab tested it in 2026, but we could not see ConsumerLab’s verdict and no result is published. Thorne says it tests for metals but shares no numbers.

3. Evidence 25% of the rating 5 of 5

   Creatine monohydrate at 3 to 5 g a day is among the best-studied supplements: the ISSN position stand, a 53-study strength meta-analysis and a 2026 kidney meta-analysis of 19 trials.

4. Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

   Prop 65 lead notices on two other Thorne products in 2025 and on supplements in 2013 and 2014, and a closed FDA drug recall in 2014. Thorne names the single ingredient and discloses its paid ambassador program.

5. Value 10% of the rating 3 of 5

   About $0.49 a serving: a third more than Nature Made’s 90-serving tub on its own site, more than double that tub at Amazon and Target ($0.21), and more than three times BulkSupplements’ 1 kg price, for the same single ingredient.

The rating, 4.0 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank performance & longevity and our standard.

• Amazon (opens in a new tab) approx. $44 for 90 servings. In Thorne’s Amazon brand store. Sold by Pattern, a third-party seller, and shipped by Amazon. Thorne sued an unauthorized Amazon seller of expired Thorne-labeled products in 2021, so check the seller line.
• Vitacost (opens in a new tab) approx. $44 for 90 servings (450 g). Sold by Vitacost, which says it buys from brands or authorized distributors only.
• Target (opens in a new tab) approx. $44 for 90 servings. A Target Plus listing sold and shipped by Pattern. Target lists it as a final sale.

Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

1. Creatine monohydrate

• Paid certification NSF (Certified for Sport; the maker pays)

  Lists “Thorne Creatine” (listing 1495542): powder, 450 g and 900 g, serving 1 scoop (5 g), 69 lots. Other listings cover a 453 g powder (1204244) and stick packs (1663109). NSF says it checks label content, heavy metals and microbes, and screens for 290 banned substances. It publishes lots, not results. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• Independent ConsumerLab (bought and tested; subscription-funded) June 2026

  Tested Thorne Creatine among 11 creatines for creatine content and creatinine, a breakdown product, in a review announced on 22 June 2026. One product exceeded ConsumerLab’s creatinine limit; the release does not name it, and we could not see this product’s result. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Is it worth paying more than for a store brand? Some say it is “not as good as it used to be”.

The ingredient is the same single compound, and the only difference we can document is the testing record. A Reddit poster (opens in a new tab) asked this in September 2026, and two replies said any plain monohydrate will do, one adding that it should be third-party tested. ConsumerLab says you do not have to spend a lot to get good creatine, and it tested this one in 2026, but its result is for members, so we cannot say whether it passed.

Has Thorne had lead problems?

California lists 60-day notices naming Thorne for lead in two other products in 2025 (Daily Electrolytes in Watermelon and Daily Greens Plus) and for lead in supplements in 2013 and for lead and cadmium in 2014. None names creatine, and this product’s page carries no California warning (search (opens in a new tab)). Thorne says that where a warning is needed its lead levels are within USP limits.

Does Thorne pay people to promote it?

Yes, openly. Its ambassador program (opens in a new tab) pays a commission on orders from a personal link and gives free product. A creator’s praise for Thorne may be paid.

Does it really help the brain?

The page says creatine supports “cellular energy production and cognitive function”. Our creatine guide finds the brain evidence smaller and mostly in people with low creatine, such as vegetarians and older adults, and the trials are small.

Does creatine harm the kidneys or cause hair loss?

A 2026 meta-analysis of 19 trials found creatine raises blood creatinine by about 0.13 mg/dL, with no significant difference in eGFR or urea, and calls for trials longer than a year (PubMed 42035842 (opens in a new tab)). A 2025 trial that randomized 45 men (38 finished) found no difference from placebo in DHT or hair measures after 12 weeks at 5 g a day (PubMed 40265319 (opens in a new tab)).

• NSF lists Thorne Creatine in several forms. The main listing covers the 450 g and 900 g powder (one scoop is 5 g) and shows 69 lots. A second listing covers the 30 stick packs.
• Thorne’s product data lists one ingredient: creatine monohydrate, 5 g per scoop, with no other ingredients.
• The price is clear: $44.00 for 90 servings on Thorne’s site, about $0.49 a serving.

• It costs about a third more per serving than Nature Made’s 90-serving tub on its own site ($0.37), more than double that tub at Amazon and Target ($0.21), and more than three times BulkSupplements’ 1 kg price ($0.15), for the same single ingredient.
• Thorne’s page shows no batch certificate, no metal results and no country of origin. It says it tests each ingredient and finished product, including for heavy metals, but NSF’s listing is the only outside record we can open.
• Thorne has had Prop 65 lead notices on other products, and it runs a paid ambassador program, so check whether a reviewer is an ambassador.
• Our creatine guide says the safety findings apply to healthy people. Ask a clinician first if you have kidney or liver disease.

Third-party tested

Yes

Tested by

NSF (Certified for Sport)

1. Thorne Creatine product page: price, label and claims. Maker’s page. Checked 23 October 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
2. Thorne ambassador program. Maker’s page. Commission on referrals, a discount for followers and free product. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
3. Thorne: California’s Proposition 65. Maker’s page. Thorne’s statement that products with a warning stay within USP limits. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
4. NSF Certified for Sport listing: Thorne Creatine (powder, 450 g and 900 g). Certifier or regulator listing. Other Thorne creatine listings exist, including 1204244 (453 g) and 1663109 (stick packs). Check the form you are buying. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
5. NSF: what it takes to be Certified for Sport. Independent source. NSF’s own description of what it tests. Manufacturers apply for certification and request a quote, which is why we label it a certification the maker pays for. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
6. ConsumerLab: Creatine Supplements Review (updated 15 October 2026). Independent source. Public summary only: 11 products tested including Thorne Creatine, one failed, results by brand are for members. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
7. ConsumerLab news release: ConsumerLab Shows Which Creatine Is Best (22 June 2026). Independent source. Lists the 11 products tested, including Thorne Creatine. One exceeded ConsumerLab’s creatinine limit (degraded creatine); it does not say which. Says you do not have to spend a lot to get good creatine. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
8. PubMed: ISSN position stand on creatine (PMID 28615996). Certifier or regulator listing. Abstract. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
9. PubMed: Creatine and upper limb strength, systematic review and meta-analysis (PMID 27328852). Certifier or regulator listing. Abstract: 53 studies. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
10. PubMed: Creatine supplementation and kidney function, meta-analysis of RCTs (PMID 42035842). Certifier or regulator listing. Abstract, 2026: 19 trials. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
11. PubMed: Does creatine cause hair loss? A 12-week randomized controlled trial (PMID 40265319). Certifier or regulator listing. Abstract, 2025: 45 men randomized, 38 finished, 5 g a day. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
12. California Attorney General Prop 65 60-day notice search: Thorne Research. Certifier or regulator listing. Checked 23 October 2026. Notices 2025-03196 and 2025-02343 (lead), 2014-01211 (cadmium, lead), 2013-01044 (lead). None names creatine. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
13. openFDA drug enforcement reports for Thorne Research. Certifier or regulator listing. Two Class II recalls in 2014 (D-1383-2014, D-1384-2014), Captomer marketed as a supplement without an approved drug application, terminated. The food enforcement search finds nothing for Thorne. Checked 23 October 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
14. Momentous Creatine Monohydrate product data (price). Maker’s page. Unflavored, 90 servings, $42.99 (checked 23 October 2026). Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
15. Amazon listing: THORNE Creatine, 90 servings. Independent source. Price $44.00, sold by Pattern, shipped by Amazon, in Thorne’s Amazon brand store. Checked 23 October 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
16. Vitacost listing: Thorne, Creatine, 16 oz (450 g). Independent source. Price $44.00, unflavored, 90 servings, ingredient creatine monohydrate 5 g only. Checked 23 October 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
17. Target listing: THORNE Creatine, 90 servings. Independent source. Price $44.00, sold and shipped by Pattern (Target Plus), final sale. Checked 23 October 2026. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
18. SuppCo Tested: Creatine (report, 12 June 2025). Test report. Off-the-shelf test of five powders and six gummies; four gummies failed. Thorne was not among them. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
19. Post and Courier: Summerville supplements maker accuses Amazon retailer of selling tainted products (2021). Independent source. Thorne Research sued an Amazon seller for selling unauthorized, often expired or tampered Thorne-labeled products. Context for buying on Amazon; not a claim about this product. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
20. Reddit r/CreatineScience: Creatine questions. Independent source. September 2026 thread. We read it through a Reddit archive because Reddit blocks automated access. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

• BulkSupplements Creatine Monohydrate NSF-listed powder at about $0.15 to $0.23 a serving, with an independent lab result from 2025.
• Nature Made Micronized Creatine Monohydrate In NSF’s database with three lots (its own pages do not mention NSF), sold in many stores, about $0.37 a serving on Nature Made’s site and $0.21 at Amazon and Target.
• Momentous Creatine Monohydrate (opens in a new tab) NSF-listed (listing 1756219, 26 lots shown). $42.99 for 90 servings on Momentous’s page on 2026-10-23, about $0.48 a serving. We did not review it in full.
• Creatine gummies We do not list any. SuppCo’s 2025 test found four of six gummies with little or no creatine, while all five powders passed. See the creatine guide for the powder dose.

• Creatine Basics Article What creatine is, how it works in the body, and the evidence for its effects on muscle, strength, and brain function
• How to Tell if a Supplement Is Pure and Accurate Article What audits found in supplement bottles, which products are riskiest, and what third-party seals, lab certificates and FDA tools can and cannot tell you.