{"id":514016,"date":"2026-03-04T15:58:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:58:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/514016\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T15:58:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T15:58:07","slug":"creatine-pink-tax-why-are-women-paying-25-more-than-men-for-this-brain-booster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/514016\/","title":{"rendered":"Creatine pink tax: Why are women paying \u00a325 more than men for this brain booster?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve never been a gym person, so I had no idea about creatine <\/a>when I was first introduced to the supplement <\/a>a couple of years ago. When my partner told me how this white powder that helped him lift more in the gym was also boosting his focus, it felt too good to be true: \u201cYou\u2019re telling me I can mix some magic dust into a cup of tea and my brain will sharpen, and there are no side effects?\u201d <\/p>\n

That\u2019s not how anything in this world works. But my partner swore it was real, so I put aside my scepticism and gave it a go. To my amazement, this little chemistry experiment seemed to make the world brighten, and now I wouldn\u2019t be without it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not alone. Creatine \u2013 an energy-boosting supplement that\u2019s also naturally produced in the body <\/a>\u2013 is no longer just the domain of gym bros looking for a power-up \u2013 women are now also flocking to the supplement, drawn in by its brain-boosting powers. It has long been proven<\/a> to help with muscle performance, making it popular initially among people looking for gains in the gym \u2013 creatine helps with the regeneration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the body\u2019s energy currency. <\/p>\n

But newer research<\/a> has found that creatine also helps with brain performance. We store creatine in our brains as well as our muscles, which means that an added supplement can help clear brain fog and improve alertness, attention and memory.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why women like me are now turning to the supplement. The problem is that marketers have caught on that there\u2019s a new group of consumers who might like the product to feel more \u201cwellness\u201d than \u201cbodybuilder\u201d \u2013 and the price for these rebranded products has been significantly hyped. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to know what product to go for. A quick online image search brings up a sea of black and gold tubs that reference muscles and chemistry \u2013 the creatine that was traditionally branded to a masculine audience. But as the market expands, so do the choices \u2013 lately the Instagram algorithm has been serving me a barrage of creatine \u201cfor women who keep going\u201d, claiming \u201cthis is how we power on\u201d. <\/p>\n

The packaging is stylish and elegant \u2013 but it costs \u00a334.95 for a bottlebag that\u2019s the same size as the Gatorade-style \u00a310 bag that my partner buys. Especially considering that they both have the same thing listed on the back: 100% creatine monohydrate. <\/p>\n

If the contents are the same, why is the \u201cpretty\u201d creatine so much more expensive? All I want is 100 per cent creatine monohydrate, which is what the research tells us works. But this feels like a creatine pink tax<\/a> \u2013 women are nudged to pay more for essentially the same product that men get for far less. <\/p>\n

Henry Chung<\/a>, a lecturer in sport, rehabilitation and exercise science at the University of Essex, says there\u2019s no reason why men and women shouldn\u2019t take the same creatine. \u201cThere\u2019s no real difference between a really high-end creatine and a low-end one,\u201d says Chung, explaining that creatine is a scientific compound that is exactly the same every time. \u201cIt\u2019s just creatine at the end of the day, like how salt is just salt.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Studies<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Studies have shown that creatine can support muscle health and cognitive function at any age (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

There are lots of different products<\/a> out there, with some having added ingredients or flavours, and sometimes it\u2019s \u201cmicronised\u201d, which means it will dissolve better and go down easier \u2013 but the core creatine ingredient is the same. <\/p>\n

Studies have found that people who take creatine can lift up to 30 per cent more<\/a>, as well as enjoy a whole host of other physical benefits<\/a>, from injury recovery to managing chronic disease. In recent years, research has also found a number of cognitive benefits of creatine, from helping with performance if you\u2019re sleep deprived<\/a> to memory improvements<\/a>, especially in older people. <\/p>\n

Creatine is proven to be very safe: \u201cCreatine is one of the most researched substances out there. It\u2019s already naturally occurring in meat and dairy products,\u201d says Chung, adding there are no proven side effects to taking creatine. Dosage depends on your goals, but 5 grams a day<\/a> is proven safe and effective.<\/p>\n

One of the most common claims in creatine advertising is that the product is \u201cpure\u201d, sometimes with the implication that other brands might not be safe. This was the energy in a recent ad floating past my Instagram feed, where an insistent woman cited research papers about \u201cimpurities\u201d, while this creatine promised \u201csuper high quality clean creatine\u201d. The cost of this purity was a staggering \u00a328 for one month, more than five times what my partner pays. <\/p>\n

Chung says you can get quality creatine for a lot less than that, but the purity factor is not irrelevant. \u201cThere are very slight differences in the purity of creatine,\u201d he says. Simply put, it comes down to how many times the creatine is filtered during manufacturing, and while more is better, it\u2019s unlikely to be as significant as some suggest. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou might just get a slightly more potent creatine,\u201d says Chung, who recommends checking that your product is at least 99 per cent pure, to make sure you\u2019re buying good quality. \u201cBut these differences are minuscule. It wouldn\u2019t have any real physiological differences, even after many years,\u201d says Chung. <\/p>\n

Lots of people seem to be feeling this way \u2013 the creatine usage in the UK is soaring. Market research firm Grand View<\/a> believes this is only the beginning: creatine already generates more than \u00a315m in revenues in the UK, but might reach \u00a370m by 2030. <\/p>\n

Some of this increase will undoubtedly come from women looking to combat brain fog and muscle loss during perimenopause and menopause, which is another growing supplements market<\/a>. Already, UK women are spending an average of \u00a31,800 a year on products to ease this transition, according to a OnePoll survey<\/a> from last year. This survey also found that a quarter struggled to find a trusted source for which products to buy.<\/p>\n

Just because a supplement is in fancy packaging, or it has the word \u2018woman\u2019 or \u2018menopause\u2019 on it, suddenly they think they can charge more<\/p>\n

Alison Bladh<\/p>\n

For women desperate for solutions to an understudied hormonal problem, this leaves room for clever marketing to steer women towards more expensive products by promising relief. This is problematic in general, but when the science on what works is as clear as with creatine, it can feel especially exploitative.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because a supplement is in fancy packaging, or it has the word \u2018woman\u2019 or \u2018menopause\u2019 on it, suddenly they think they can charge more,\u201d says Alison Bladh<\/a>, a registered nutritional therapist who specialises in women\u2019s health. \u201cIt\u2019s gendered marketing \u2013 it\u2019s basically the same product repackaged in more feminine colours, using words like empowerment, beauty and self-care. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bladh sees this happening across lots of supplements, such as magnesium glycinate and vitamin D \u2013 all of which are great for women, but if that fact is mentioned on the box, it often will cost more. Bladh recommends looking out for fillers, sweeteners and flavourings when buying supplements, and to make sure products come in a format the body can actually use. For example, some people are drawn to creatine gummies to get away from the gritty powder, but many creatine gummies have been found to contain almost no creatine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bladh often recommends creatine to her clients who are looking for a little help with everyday life. \u201cIt can be beneficial when you\u2019re stressed or tired, and when life feels tough. It can help with life tasks like lifting heavy shopping, climbing stairs or carrying children.\u201d <\/p>\n

The cognitive benefits are especially beneficial for women with hormonal imbalances: \u201cCreatine can help with mood support. The brain is a strongly energy-craving organ \u2013 creatine is already present in the brain, and supplementing can help because the brain needs energy to focus,\u201d says Bladh. But if you already feel strong and focused, it would have little additional benefit. <\/p>\n

Social media has made it easier than ever for advertisers to target people who are interested in wellness, touting endless beautiful supplements promising to fix all our problems. Bladh thinks women are wisening up to the supplement pink tax \u2013 we\u2019re hopefully growing more cynical. <\/p>\n

But at the same time, it\u2019s a market that\u2019s complicated and confusing, so Bladh can also see why a woman might go into a health food shop and see a beautifully packaged and expensive creatine product aimed at women, and assume that\u2019s the best one for her \u2013 even though the same good product comes in a cheap, plain tub just down in the men\u2019s aisle. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve never been a gym person, so I had no idea about creatine when I was first introduced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514017,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[49,48,84,395],"class_list":["post-514016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-health","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514016"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514016\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}