Creatine is among the most well-studied supplements for supporting exercise performance.
Occurring naturally in the body, the compound is made from amino acids – the building blocks of protein – and is a natural source of energy for muscles. When supplemented, creatine can help to enhance the body’s rapid energy stores by boosting the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), fuelling short bursts of energy.
Creatine’s ability to fuel the body and enhance athletic performance is reflected in its market trajectory. Globally, the creatine supplement market size was valued at $1.4bn in 2025 and is expected to grow to 8.7bn by 2030.1 This growth is largely thanks to creatine use in women, brain health and general wellness. The higher dosage recommendations for brain health (10g per day) also plays into the reason why greater creatine purity is important as consumers increase consumption.
Despite considerable market growth, there are concerns around the purity and safety of creatine supplements going forward as demand increases and pressure to make it cheaper and faster grows. Creatine is one of the most extensively studied sports nutrition ingredients and has demonstrated a strong safety profile when used as intended.
However, the greatest concern is that true manufacturing quality and ingredient purity will lead to low levels of the chemicals included – namely dihydrotriazine (DHT), dicyandiamide (DCD), and creatinine.
Creatine’s proven safety profile in clinical research relies on high-purity material. In contrast, commercial supplements can face manufacturing variables like synthetic byproducts, heavy metals, and poor-quality control, meaning the absolute safety proven does not automatically apply.
Dihydrotriazine (DHT) and creatine
DHT is not intended to be in the final creatine product – it is a potential chemical impurity that can form during the industrial synthesis. Its presence can indicate low-purity or poorly controlled synthesis. While there’s no evidence of direct toxicity in humans at trace levels, it raises theoretical and regulatory concerns.
Dicyandiamide (DCD) and creatine
DCD is a synthetic precursor in creatine monohydrate manufacturing. DCD should be reduced to very low levels and controlled through appropriate manufacturing and purification processes. Poorly purified creatine may have measurable residual DCD. DCD is not acutely toxic at trace levels found in supplements but has potential concerns with chronic high exposure.
Creatinine and creatine
Creatinine is a breakdown product of creatine. It is produced naturally in the body at a relatively constant rate and excreted via the kidneys. Presence of creatinine in creatine supplements can also be a sign of manufacturing quality. If produced at high temperatures and a faster drying process, more creatinine is produced.
Ensuring purity and quality standards
NNB Nutrition specializes in the research, development, and production of advanced nutritional ingredients. Recognizing the challenges that manufacturers face, NNB Nutrition offers solutions through its expertise and world-class team.
To address the rising demand for higher purity, NNB Nutrition has focused on achieving exceptionally low levels of key process-related impurities. NutraIngredients spoke with Dustin Elliott, chief brand officer at NNB Nutrition to uncover what ‘creatine purity’ actually means, and why it is so important.
“Purity should mean ‘low levels of contaminants’. We consider a contaminant anything that could be harmful or toxic to consumers. New premium creatines entering the market relate purity to the total percentage of creatine,” says Elliott.
“But at NNB Nutrition, we believe this just points to the concentration. ‘Pure’ should mean free-from contaminants. An ingredient that is pure will also likely have high concentration levels.”
Looking beyond a simple purity percentage can be extremely valuable to manufacturers, brands and consumers when assessing creatine quality. “Toxins can occur in just small amounts. Plus, after loss on drying, many 99% concentration creatines are actually around 95% once you factor in the percentage of water on the spec sheet.
So even if you produce a higher concentration creatine, you can’t claim that it is ‘better for the customer’ unless it is safer. There is very little difference in price per dose once creatine is over 90% concentration, and most of the regular creatines are,” adds Elliott.
Third-party testing for batch consistency
To offset these challenges, NNB Nutrition produced Pürest Creatine. This is a branded, ultra-high-purity micronized creatine monohydrate that is manufactured using a proprietary synthesis method designed to minimize formation of process-related impurities.
Via third-party testing, Pürest Creatine was found to contain between 3 to 8ppm of DHT, DCD, and creatinine. Every lot of Pürest Creatine is tested for all major contaminants and heavy metals. For NNB Nutrition, third-party testing of Pürest Creatine revealed significant findings about its impurity profile and batch consistency.
“When we tested our creatine with Merieux and Eurofins, we tested three separate lots to ensure the process was consistent for every lot produced. What we found were impurity levels that were lower than the industries current highest standards,” says Elliott.
Pürest Creatine can be used in a number of products including sports nutrition and performance. It has been shown to:
- Support muscle size and strength gains
- Enhance high-intensity exercise performance
- Improve energy output through ATP regeneration
- Support brain energy metabolism and cognitive health
- Improve cellular hydration and thermoregulation
When looking for creatine supplements on the market, it is important for consumers to know what to look for. “High mixability and water solubility can correlate with creatines of higher purity, but that’s not always the case,” says Elliott.
“There may not be a visual sign the consumer can identify that points to a creatine’s purity. However, consumer can look for branded creatines and review their science for promises of purity. In particular, branded creatines that test for DCD, DHT, and creatinine.”
Learn more about Pürest Creatine here.
References
- Grand View Research. Creatine Supplements Market Summary.
