A Collagen and Creatine Label Checklist: What to Check Before Buying (No Brand Rankings)

Urgent first: allergy signs

Collagen products come from animal sources, including fish, so check the source before anything else if you have a food allergy. See Collagen Allergy. A case report describes a 9-year-old girl who had anaphylaxis after eating two fruit-flavored gummy tablets that contained fish collagen. [1] The authors warn that processed foods may contain fish collagen. [1] The NHS lists sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue, and very fast or difficult breathing, as signs to get emergency help immediately. [2] In the US, call 911.

What this checklist is and is not

We do not rank, name or recommend any product, and nothing here is advice on how much to use. The checklist is built from US federal labeling guidance, a US National Institutes of Health page, and published studies of products. Rules differ by country, and the FDA guidance we read is dated 2005. If you live outside the US, see Supplement Regulation by Country. A label can tell you what the maker states; it cannot prove what is inside. [3]

Checklist 1: the basics a US label must show

The FDA's labeling guide lists five required statements: the product name, the net quantity of contents, the nutrition labeling (the Supplement Facts panel), the ingredient list, and the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. [4]

• Supplement Facts panel present? The nutrition labeling is one of the five required statements. [4]
• Serving size. The guide says one serving equals the maximum amount recommended on the label per eating occasion. [5] Compare the serving size with how many scoops, capsules or gummies make it up. Per-serving numbers can look small or large depending on that.
• Ingredient list order. Ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight. [6] The words "Other Ingredients" are used when some ingredients are named as sources inside the panel. [6]
• Who made it. A name and place of business is required. [4]

Checklist 2: collagen specifics

• Type and source named? See also Reading a Collagen Supplement Label. Hydrolyzed peptides, gelatin and undenatured type II collagen (UC-II) are different products, and trial results do not carry over between them. See Collagen Types and Sources, Collagen Peptides vs Gelatin and Marine vs Bovine Collagen.
• Grams or milligrams? Amounts in studies range from about 40 mg of UC-II to several grams of peptides, so check the unit. [7][8] See the collagen amounts table.
• Source animal and allergens. If you have fish, egg or beef allergy, the named source matters, as in the case report above. [1]
• Blends. For a "proprietary blend", the FDA says the label must give the blend's name and the total weight of its other dietary ingredients. [5] A rule requiring each ingredient's own amount inside a blend is not described in the sources we read, so you may not be able to compare the collagen amount with a study.
• Marketing claims. A study of 176 skin, hair and nail supplements found most lacked independent testing, many used outdated Daily Values, and some had confusing dosing instructions. [9] It describes products advertised to "boost collagen". [9] See Collagen, Biotin and Beauty Supplements.
• Extras. If a blend adds biotin or other vitamins, read those lines too, and see Biotin.

Checklist 3: creatine specifics

• Which form? See also Reading a Creatine Label. Monohydrate is the form most studies describe; other marketed forms are a separate question. See Creatine Forms and Products and Creatine Monohydrate vs Other Forms.
• Single ingredient or mixed? Pre-workout and muscle-building products carry more risk of unlisted ingredients (see the next section).
• Amount per serving versus study amounts. See the creatine amounts table.
• Age warnings. Some labels say under-18s should not take creatine. A sports-nutrition society calls this a legal precaution; ask a pediatrician either way. [10]
• Gummies. We searched PubMed for tests of creatine gummy contents and found one trial that used 5 g a day of gummies; its abstract reports no label testing, and the maker donated the product. [11] See Creatine Gummies: Label Accuracy. Proper evidence not found for independent label-accuracy testing of creatine gummies in the abstracts we read.

Checklist 4: purity, contamination and testing

• Adulteration happens. A lab study of 149 creatine samples found 32 adulterated. [12]
• Sport and hidden ingredients. A systematic review found about 9 to 15% of supplements tested in studies were contaminated with prohibited or unapproved substances, most often pre-workout, weight-loss and muscle-building products. [13] Athletes who are drug tested should ask their sport's anti-doping body and a pharmacist. See Creatine Products, Contamination and Banned Substances.
• Heavy metals. A study of 30 sports protein supplements in China found all samples contained at least one of four toxic metals tested. [14] It tested protein supplements, not creatine, so we do not transfer the result.
• Words like "standardized", "verified" or "certified". NIH says these terms do not necessarily guarantee quality or consistency. [3] See Quality Testing and Certifications for what third-party programs do and do not mean.
• Limits of oversight. The FDA is not authorized to approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed, and it cannot test every product. [15][3]

Checklist 5: claims on the label

The FDA's guide gives the disclaimer wording that goes with such claims: the statement has not been evaluated by the FDA, and the product is not intended to diagnose, treat or prevent disease. [16] The skin, hair and nail study found these claims generally not verified by independent testing agencies. [9] See Collagen Myths and Marketing Claims Checked and Vegan Collagen and Collagen Boosters.