Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies Review (2024): Chewed and Approved by Our Experts
Whether you prefer to scoop and mix or consume it in gummy form, the best creatine supplements have been shown to offer a plethora of well-researched health benefits. Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies offer the same boost in strength, muscle mass, and recovery as their powdery counterparts, but are more reminiscent of gummy bears than a clump of dust you need to shake up or blend. (1) While you may pay more for the convenience, it may be worth it.
We get a bit of creatine from foods we eat, but as BarBend expert reviewer Dr. Charlie Seltzer says, it may not be enough for many people. “Creatine is contained in meat, but in order to reap the many benefits, you need to supplement. You simply cannot eat enough meat to make an impact,” he says. If a tasty and squishy chewable sounds like a more appealing delivery system than a powder, we think Bear Balanced’s unique formula is a good option for time-crunched athletes. Read on for our full Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies review, and learn more about how we test products by digging into the BarBend supplement testing methodology.
Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies
Medical disclaimer: The content on BarBend is meant to be informative in nature, but it should not be taken as medical advice. The opinions and articles on this site are not intended for use as diagnosis, prevention, and/or treatment of health problems. It’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before beginning a new fitness, nutritional, and/or supplement routine. Individual needs for vitamins and minerals will vary.
Main Takeaways
- These tasty gummies elide the scooping and mixing of traditional creatine powders.
- Our expert reviewer cautions that the stevia and sugar alcohols in the formulation could cause GI issues or bloating for some.
- Compared to common creatine powders, these gummies are around double the price per serving.
Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies Specs
According to BarBend expert reviewer Melissa Boufounos, CHN, creatine is the supplement she recommends most. “Creatine is the one supplement I recommend to most athletes of all ages — and even to people in general — because of its wide range of benefits beyond just performance,” she says. “It can enhance strength, boost muscle mass, aid recovery, and even offer neuroprotective benefits.”
Compared to common creatine powders, the best creatine gummies are relatively new to the supplement scene. Many utilize creatine monohydrate, the most well-researched type of creatine, but Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies actually use a slightly more pure version that goes by its brand name — CreaPure. (2) Before leaving its specialized facility in Germany, each batch is tested for purity. CreaPure is also featured on the Cologne List — an international quality management program that aims to minimize the risk of including banned substances in dietary supplements. (3)
After trying Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies for the first time, BarBend product tester Wes Stroud sees more gummies in his future. “Overall, I think this is a great creatine supp,” he says, adding taste to the list of this creatine’s benefits. “The taste, serving size, and formulation would definitely entice me to become a daily user.” Speaking of taste, he particularly recommends the Blueberry flavor, while noting that the high level of sweetness could be a positive or negative depending on the user.
Some creatine gummies we’ve tested use artificial sweeteners to create that gummy-bear sweetness, but Bear Balanced is sugar-free. Well, technically. Each of the three available flavors uses stevia, plus the sugar alcohols maltitol and sorbitol. “Sugar alcohols can cause GI distress when consumed in excess, especially in those with sensitive digestive systems,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Chelsea Rae Bourgeois. (4)
Anyone with sensitivities to this type of sweetener should tread lightly, but as BarBend expert reviewer Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, says, artificial sweeteners can also carry important risks. “The negative health effects of highly-processed foods and artificial sweeteners may include weight gain, an increased risk of chronic disease, and insulin resistance.” (5)
Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies could be a good option if scooping and mixing creatine is too much of a chore, but keep in mind you’ll be paying for that convenience. These tasty gummies can cost up to double what you’d find among high-quality creatine powders, but for some, the extra buck or so per serving may be worth it.
Who Should Use / Who Shouldn’t Use Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies
The convenience provided by these tasty creatine supplements offers advantages for some users over traditional creatine powders, but Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies may not be a good fit for everyone. Check out who we think could benefit most — and least — from adding these gummies to their regimen.
Recommended for:
- People looking to avoid scooping and mixing a traditional creatine powder
- Athletes who want to easily pinpoint their daily creatine dosage with 1-gram gummies
- Users seeking what’s said to be one of the purest forms of creatine on the market — CreaPure. (2)
Not Recommended for:
- Those working with a limited budget
- Anyone sensitive to stevia or sugar alcohols
- Someone trying to restrict the calorie intake — these contain 30 calories per serving
Our Experience Using Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies
The BarBend team of competitive weightlifters, certified personal trainers, and nutrition coaches have been around the creatine block. We’ve tried over 50 different creatine products, including several gummies from brands like Bear Balanced. We also enlist registered dietitian nutritionists, medical doctors, health coaches to assign ratings of 1 (lowest) to 5 (highest) across categories like formulation, taste, and value. Keep scrolling for a closer look at what our team thinks of Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies.
Ingredients and Formulation
Decades of research has identified creatine (particularly creatine monohydrate) as one of the best supplements for muscle growth on the market, but as a relative newcomer to the game, creatine gummies haven’t been formally tested as much. This makes scrutinizing the label and ingredients in the formula even more important for BarBend expert reviewer Chelsea Rae Bourgeois — once she found it.
“I had to hunt for the supplement facts. Things like that tend to make me want to take a step back from a brand,” she says. Bear Balanced includes the full label on their product page, but it requires a bit of digging through the product images. “The FDA doesn’t regulate dietary supplements, so it’s important that brands are transparent with their products. And the lack of transparency with the supplement facts gives me pause when considering the formula.”
Her rating of 2.5 out of 5 for formulation is no doubt affected by this oddity, but she notes another missed opportunity. “While you get 3 grams of creatine, [that’s] the low end of what research suggests as optimal dosing,” she says, highlighting two further dings for her score. “You also get an abnormally large amount of vitamin B12 and some sugar alcohols.”
Many studies agree on daily creatine dosage, with one even laying out guidelines for ideal absorption. “Creatine is best supplemented in forms of monohydrate with daily intakes of 3 to 5 grams, or for optimal absorption, 20 grams divided into 4 daily intakes of 5 grams in combination with carbohydrate and protein,” the study reads. “Carbohydrate supplementation before exercise is essential to improve exercise performance.” (1)
Beyond the relatively low creatine dosage per serving, Bourgeois does note an unexpected bonus she spots on the label. “Interestingly, each serving of three creatine gummies provides 5 grams of fiber. Most people fall short of their daily fiber needs, so the fiber boost may be a welcomed bonus,” she says. These gummies are also clear of any dairy and nuts, and are gluten-free, but people following keto diets should take note of the 8 grams of carbs per serving.
Bear Balanced also includes a bit more than your typical bare bones creatine powder. Their Creatine+ blend adds two amino acids we often see in the best pre-workout supplements that can support mental focus and muscular endurance — L-theanine and L-tyrosine. (6)(7)
The 50 micrograms of the alkaloid Huperzine A also aim to boost focus during a workout, but it’s the amount of vitamin B12 that catches Bourgeois’ eye. (8)(9) “You’ll notice you get almost 17,000% (yep, you read that right) of your daily vitamin B12 needs,” she says. “That obviously far exceeds your needs and is beyond what the average body can absorb.”
CreaPure vs. Creatine Monohydrate
Bear Balanced’s Creatine+ proprietary blend contains four nutrients, plus the main attraction — 3 grams of creatine. But this creatine is a unique type called CreaPure. So, what’s the difference? According to CreaPure’s website, “Creapure is the brand name for pure creatine monohydrate… exclusively produced at our specially-designed production facility in Trostberg.” (10) Simply put, CreaPure is creatine monohydrate like you’d find in other supplements, but the process used to manufacture it has been patented and its brand name is CreaPure.
We’re sure that CreaPure is very proud of their process, but should we just take their word for it? Turns out, four separate studies have reported that CreaPure is 99.9% pure. (2) Before leaving the facility, each batch is tested for purity, plus it’s featured on the Cologne List. “The Cologne List publishes products with minimized risk of doping, which have been tested by a globally recognized laboratory for selected doping substances,” their site reads.
Essentially, CreaPure may be slightly more pure than other types of creatine monohydrate that are manufactured under less stringent controls. The company also notes a few more benefits of their process for certain consumers. “Creapure is vegan and exclusively manufactured by chemical synthesis. Raw materials and intermediates are not derived from animal or herbal products resulting in no traces that may have originated from animal or herbal byproducts,” the website reads. “In addition, Creapure is produced in compliance with Jewish and Muslim food regulations and is both Kosher and Halal certified.”
Taste
After chomping down on these squishy creatine chewables, BarBend product tester Wes Stroud says they stand out in one area. “This is one of the sweetest gummy supplements I’ve ever tasted,” he says, scoring its Blueberry flavor 4 out of 5. “Depending on your taste, that could be a good thing or a bad thing.”
We’ve yet to sample the Peach Mango or Watermelon Burst options, but as far as how it feels, Stroud says these gummies have a natural comparison. “For me, I really liked the texture,” he says. “It leans more towards a natural fruit chew than an artificial Motts-esque gummy.” Just remember that powering that sweetness are a few sugar alcohols — maltitol and sorbitol. It also contains stevia extract, which has been shown to cause GI distress in some people, as well as leaving an unpleasant aftertaste. (4)
Price Per Serving
Calculating the price per serving for Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies will depend on how many gummies you choose to take at a time. Each gummy contains 1 gram, so the brand suggests taking three to five each day to reach the research-backed optimal dosage range. That means your price per serving will depend on how many you choose to consume each day, as well as if you plan on a creatine loading phase.
There are 90 gummies in a $50 pack and the label states that there are 30 servings in a bag. So they assume you’re only taking three per day, which would last one month. A three-gummy serving size comes out to $1.67 per serving. But what if you want to take five per day to hit the upper limit of that optimal range? Downing five per day would leave just 18 servings in that same $50 bag. Calculating…calculating… $2.78 per serving. In a word — yikes.
If you purchase through the Bear Balanced website, there are varying subscription options that could save you a few bucks per bag, but a one-time purchase is even more than it would be on Amazon — $60 instead of $50. Amazon also offers subscription discounts for replenishing your creatine supply, so shop around a bit before locking in your order.
Prices for creatine gummies are all over the place, but for the most part, they tend to land around $1.50 per serving. But if you value the inclusion of CreaPure or need to stick to a kosher or halal-friendly diet, the extra cost could be worth it. If the price is your main concern, though, you may be better off mixing up a creatine powder that offers bulk options. Something like Sports Research Creatine Monohydrate, for instance, is available for as little as $0.30 per serving, so do a bit of snooping around before you buy.
Third-Party Testing
Since creatine gummies are a late add to the supplement party, Bourgeois notes that there isn’t much by way of research on this delivery method. “Powdered creatine is one of the most widely studied sports supplements out there, but gummies aren’t often included in the clinical studies. At least not yet,” she says.
[Related: Creatine Side Effects]
The major hurdle? Not many labs can actually do the testing. In March 2024, one that can — Now Testing — did verify Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies’ formula, but noted the lack of facilities able to test creatine gummies in their report. “We were surprised that none of the third-party labs we typically use, which we consider the best, said they were able to test these gummies,” says NOW Senior Director of Quality Katie Banaszewski. “Given the rapid growth of that delivery system and the regulatory requirement to confirm label compliance, the industry needs to find a solution to this dearth of testing capacity.” (11)
Between that confirmation and the hoops of regulation that CreaPure jumps through before it ends up in these gummies, we rate its third-party testing 4.5 out of 5, saving half a point for the future progress of the testing itself.
What to Consider Before Buying Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies
“When considering whether to take creatine, I always advise understanding your specific goals and what results you’re hoping to achieve by supplementing,” BarBend expert reviewer Melissa Boufounos says. Before choosing Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies, keep key considerations like dosage and value in mind.
- Formulation: Bear Balanced gummies each contain 1 gram of creatine, so you can choose how many you want to take per day within the optimal range of 3 to 5 grams. But remember that there are other ingredients in the formulation. Consider how those additional inclusions might affect the pros and cons of creatine gummies for you.
- Dosage: The recommended dose of creatine supplementation per day is 3 to 5 grams. Each of these gummies contains 1 gram, so while you can simply consume three to five of them, consider just how much creatine you need per day and how that will impact how often you’ll need to replenish your supply.
- Third-Party Testing: While there is a dearth of testing on creatine gummies, the CreaPure used in this product is heavily regulated and considered to be among the most pure creatine available. Think about whether the lack of familiar certifications like Informed Choice or approval from other independent third-party labs is a deal breaker for you.
- Taste: Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies come in three flavors — Blueberry, Peach Mango, and Watermelon Burst. BarBend product tester Wes Stroud loves the Blueberry, but consider how much you tend to enjoy these options before committing to one.
- Value: Compared to other creatine gummies, Bear Balanced can be expensive. But compared to creatine powders, it can be very expensive. Before buying these tasty gummies, decide how many grams of creatine you’ll need to consume each day, then do the math to see how often you’ll need to re-up your supply.
Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies Vs. Competitors
To get a glimpse of what else is out there, we lined up two other creatine gummies we’ve tested to help you decide whether Bear Balanced is right for you. First off, you’ll notice the price discrepancy, as Swoly and Legion both fall well below Bear Balanced. The major differences are found in their formulations. First, anyone tracking calories should note that all three add more calories per serving to your daily intake than most powders.
[Related: Does Creatine Help You Lose Weight?]
Bear Balanced uses CreaPure as its source of creatine, plus sugar alcohols and stevia to sweeten its three flavors. Legion uses natural sweeteners, as well, but Swoly includes dextrose, a cornstarch-derived artificial sweetener. Take a look at the specs for yourself to see how they match up.
Places to Buy Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies
You can buy Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies on their website or through Amazon.
Customer Experience and Brand Reputation
Bear Balanced claims to have created the world’s first creatine gummy in 2020 and uses their proprietary blend to combine a unique form of creatine with a handful of other ingredients. “Our Creatine+ blend delivers pure creatine monohydrate by Creapure and additional essential nutrients to maximize the benefits of traditional creatine,” their website reads.
Among the customer reviews on Amazon, many highlight the convenience of popping a few gummies over mixing up a traditional powder. However, many users are split on the taste and texture.
Our Final Verdict on Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies
Creatine supplementation has traditionally come in one form — scooping and mixing, followed by cleaning up the mess created by that process. For those who either prefer a tastier option or can’t stand the thought of more dishes to clean (talking to myself), Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies offer a more convenient way to potentially increase strength, build lean muscle, and aid recovery. (1)
BarBend tester Wes Stroud likes that these chewable supps are closer to gummy bears than a scoop of dust, but compared to the ubiquitous powder form, they can be expensive. If you have some cash to spare and don’t mind a few grams of sugar-free sweeteners, we think Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies are an appealing option.
Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies FAQs
Do creatine gummies actually work?
Options like Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies use the same creatine monohydrate found in many creatine powders, just in gummy form. They often include a handful of other ingredients — like sweeteners — to keep in mind, but yes, you can count on the same wellness and athletic performance benefits of creatine powders, including building muscle, increased strength, and potentially faster recovery. (1)
How many creatine gummies should I have a day?
The optimal dosage of creatine is 3 to 5 grams per day, so when it comes to Bear Balanced Creatine Gummies, you’ll have some options. (1) Each gummy contains 1 gram of creatine, so if you want to stick to the low end, just have three per day. Conversely, you can take four or five to up your dosage. Just remember that means you’ll be buying replacement bags more frequently.
How do you use creatine gummies?
Using creatine monohydrate gummies is as simple as popping them in your mouth, chewing, and swallowing. Because you’ll avoid the hassle of scooping and mixing, their main benefit is convenience. But this delivery method can also be tastier compared to traditional creatine powders.
References
- Naderi A, de Oliveira EP, Ziegenfuss TN, Willems MT. Timing, Optimal Dose and Intake Duration of Dietary Supplements with Evidence-Based Use in Sports Nutrition. J Exerc Nutrition Biochem. 2016 Dec 31;20(4):1-12.
- Escalante G, Gonzalez AM, St Mart D, Torres M, Echols J, Islas M, Schoenfeld BJ. Analysis of the efficacy, safety, and cost of alternative forms of creatine available for purchase on Amazon.com: are label claims supported by science? Heliyon. 2022 Dec 6;8(12):e12113.
- KG, H. G. & Co. (n.d.). Cologne List® for athletes. Kölner Liste: Home. https://www.koelnerliste.com/en/
- Mäkinen KK. Gastrointestinal Disturbances Associated with the Consumption of Sugar Alcohols with Special Consideration of Xylitol: Scientific Review and Instructions for Dentists and Other Health-Care Professionals. Int J Dent. 2016;2016:5967907.
- Ghusn, W., Naik, R., & Yibirin, M. (2023). The Impact of Artificial Sweeteners on Human Health and Cancer Association: A Comprehensive Clinical Review. Cureus, 15(12), e51299.
- Dassanayake, T. L., Kahathuduwa, C. N., & Weerasinghe, V. S. (2022). L-theanine improves neurophysiological measures of attention in a dose-dependent manner: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Nutritional neuroscience, 25(4), 698–708.
- Jongkees, B. J., Hommel, B., Kühn, S., & Colzato, L. S. (2015). Effect of tyrosine supplementation on clinical and healthy populations under stress or cognitive demands–A review. Journal of psychiatric research, 70, 50–57.
- Huperzine A. (2004). Drugs in R&D, 5(1), 44–45.
- Ankar, A., & Kumar, A. (2024). Vitamin B12 Deficiency. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.
- CREAPURE® – effective and pure. Creapure. (2024, November 16). https://www.creapure.com/en
- Maggie Jaqua, C. D. (2024, March 4). Now testing IDS creatine gummies failings (plus brands that deliver). WholeFoods Magazine RSS. https://www.wholefoodsmagazine.com/articles/16736-now-testing-identifies-creatine-gummies-failings
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