Creatine Chaos: Push Hits Pause After Supplement Scandal Erupts
Push has halted sales of its creatine monohydrate gummies while it launches a “thorough investigation” into claims it’s selling “sweets” as supplements.
This comes after James Smith took aim at the brand and several others in his latest online exposé.
Smith, who says his partner, friends, and family all bought Push gummies after being “slammed” with paid ads, has alleged they fall well short of what’s promised on the label.
In his most recent vlog, the 36-year-old urged the operator to “come off sale immediately” after calling “check mate.”
Push has since obliged, stating it’s now looking into the accusations.
In a statement shared with Gymfluencers, the brand said: “We are aware of recent claims being raised publicly about the creatine content in Push Creatine Monohydrate Gummies.
“From the beginning, our mission at Push has been to offer a product that people can trust, and that trust is something we’ll always work hard to earn and protect.
“We recognise that the recent claims have caused confusion, concern and doubt, and we want to apologise to our loyal customers, suppliers and community.
“As soon as these claims came to light, we paused sales of our gummies while we undertake a thorough investigation.
“We’ve also initiated fresh, independent testing of product samples directly from batches in New Zealand with third-party independent laboratory, Eurofins.
“Since we launched, we’ve made independent third-party testing a cornerstone of our business, and it’s a step we’ve embedded into our manufacturing and quality control process to ensure the integrity of our creatine monohydrate gummies.
“Initial testing was conducted with Eurofins in June 2024 and again in August 2024.
“In February 2025, we significantly increased our testing protocols by initiating ongoing third-party testing through Eurofins of every single batch before our product reaches the market.
“All verified results to date have confirmed that each Push gummy meets or exceeds our stated label claim of 1,670mg of creatine monohydrate per gummy.
“We’re fully committed to responding to this issue and will share further updates as soon as possible as our investigation progresses.
“We will share more information when it becomes available.”
The Testing Controversy
In the wake of Smith’s takedown of Ovrload earlier this year, Push released a statement declaring that tests designed for powders would “inaccurately show no creatine present” when used on pectin-based gummies.
Instead, the brand pointed to Eurofins’ modified USP Creatine Monograph as the only accurate method for such products.
That stance was again echoed when Smith dropped the first of two quick-fire videos on the matter.
He alleged Push’s Strawberry and Apple flavoured gummies showed 2.5% or less of the purported creatine dose while using the HPLC testing method.
The fitness dark knight then unleashed the second video, revealing what he called his “pocket ace.”
It transpired Smith had not only delayed the release to seek legal advice, but also to test Push gummies using their own method.
Smith said: “In my eyes, if we sent it to their lab, using their tests they claim work, and if I was to get it signed off by the very same person who signed off their testing, surely they would now come back containing creatine, right?”
According to Smith, both the Strawberry and Apple flavours of Push Gummies returned a “not detected” result for creatine content using the same USP Creatine Monograph.
He claims to have tested the exact same batch (PGL3612) that Push published results for on its website — though Push’s version of the lab report was partially redacted.
“I think at this point we cannot blame the testing method… How is it the batch you sent to your factory comes back redacted with creatine, and the exact same batch I sent to the same factory, to the same person, came back with no creatine detected?
“You’ll even notice when we sent the gummies, we sent a sealed bag, so we couldn’t have interfered with the batch.”
Smith pointed to another discrepancy between his report and Push’s. The analysis type reads “Consignation Testing” instead of “Sealed Bag.”
“That’s interesting,” he added. “Surely if you were sending your own batch to China it would have gone in a sealed bag like we did.
“Hopefully at this point you’re starting to connect the dots. We now know there’s no creatine in these gummies from their own labs,” he alleged.
In a further twist, Smith shared what he claims is a message trail between himself and Push.
During the exchange, he asked whether Push conducted the testing themselves or relied on the factory.
Rather than sending the gummies to Eurofins directly from New Zealand — where the company is based — Smith says he was told that a third-party agent in China, unrelated to the manufacturer, handles testing.
Push allegedly referred to this as “a matter of logistics.”
“We asked the question, ‘did your factory supplier introduce you to the agent?’, and from there, the DMs start to go cold,” Smith said.
“So they don’t do their own testing. Apparently it’s an agent and they don’t even know where the testing happens, even though it’s on their own documents.
“And as they aren’t doing their own testing, they can’t actually authenticate their own documents.
“It’s starting to sound a lot like Ovrload here, which is crazy because after the Ovrload takedown, you would think that anyone out there that runs a creatine gummy business would double check they’re not fraudulently being misled by their provider.”
What Happens Next?
Smith claims to have debunked Push’s testing argument, calling it a “deflection.”
He thinks, like Ovrload, Push has been “f**ked up good and proper” by a Chinese supplier giving one set of gummies to Eurofins for testing and another set — containing little to no creatine — to the brand to sell on as supplements.
As per Push’s statement, it’s now sending batches directly from its New Zealand headquarters to verify whether that’s the case.
For the time being, Push is standing by claims its gummies provide full efficacy. However, as the investigation progresses, we’ve been promised further updates.
As we know, Ovrload found its previous manufacturer to be “cutting corners” following a similar inquiry.
The brand has since relaunched with a new supplier in mainland Europe, two fresh flavours, and stringent testing protocols.
Customers have flooded to Push’s comments demanding refunds and calling the gummies a “scam” in light of Smith’s reported findings.
If the allegations do transpire to be true, Push has a major clean-up operation on its hands.
At the time of writing, all flavours of Push gummies are listed as sold out on the brand’s website.
