Recent analysis of U.S. Amazon marketplace data shows that creatine, a long‑standing supplement, is experiencing its biggest growth in three decades. The SmartScout report, covering the 12 months ending August 2026, indicates a 90% increase in the creatine subcategory, translating to roughly $57.5 million in monthly revenue and $721 million over the trailing year.
Search trends point to women as the new drivers
Overall Amazon searches for the term “creatine” now average 620,729 per month, up 118,544 from a year ago. More striking is the rise in the phrase “creatine for women,” which logged 174,396 monthly searches—a jump of 33,799 year‑over‑year and an additional 37,325 searches in the most recent month alone. The data suggests that interest from female consumers has outpaced the growth seen in the broader market.
Premium brands benefit, value brands lose share
The shift in consumer demographics is reshaping the competitive landscape. Premium, practitioner‑focused brands such as Thorne are gaining share while spending only about 2.1% of total advertising dollars, relying largely on organic demand. In contrast, long‑standing value‑oriented brands like Optimum Nutrition have seen a decline of 2.35 percentage points in market share, losing roughly $1.39 million in monthly revenue and 52,778 units sold.
Across the price spectrum, higher‑priced products are capturing more clicks and revenue, a pattern rarely seen with commodity supplements. The only notable exception is the brand Momentous, priced at $61, which still lost a small share of clicks, underscoring that premium positioning alone does not guarantee success.
Gummies become a high‑cost, high‑interest format
Creatine gummies, once viewed as a fleeting trend, have rebounded strongly. Monthly searches for “creatine gummies” have risen to 260,315, with a cost‑per‑click of $6.66—the most expensive keyword in the category, surpassing the generic “creatine” term. The brand Create, which focuses on gummies, now holds an 8.2% share of the category, generating $4.7 million per month in revenue despite an average price of $52 and relatively few reviews per listing.
Marketplace structure favors third‑party sellers
Third‑party sellers dominate the creatine subcategory, accounting for 83.2% of revenue, while Amazon’s own retail arm captures only 16.8%. This contrasts with other supplement categories, such as protein powders, where Amazon retail plays a larger role. Search traffic is increasingly concentrated among top listings: the leading product for “creatine monohydrate” receives 34% of clicks, while the top result for “creatine for women” captures 23%.
Implications for the supplement industry
SmartScout’s analysis points to a broader shift in the supplement market toward hydration‑related products, with creatine emerging as the flagship growth story. The influx of new, primarily female customers appears to be driving a premiumization trend that challenges the traditional price‑competition model.
Brands that can align with this emerging demographic—offering trusted, higher‑priced formulations and leveraging organic search demand—are likely to continue gaining market share. Meanwhile, value‑oriented manufacturers may need to reassess pricing and marketing strategies to remain competitive.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
