Vow Nutrition founder, Simon Stevens, has revealed why he steered clear of selling the now-controversial creatine gummies.
Several brands were recently outed by fitness dark knight James Smith during an investigation into the popular jellies.
Ovrload was the first to come under fire back in March after testing revealed their gummies contained little to no creatine at all.
Smith’s public takedown forced young founder Johnny Lye to halt sales, switch suppliers, and relaunch — complete with an apology video.
He admitted that while some batches were genuine, others massively missed the mark.
More recently, Smith turned his sights on Gains Nutrition, Unique Physique, Supplmnt, and Push — all of whom, he claims, failed to deliver what was promised on their product labels.
Push has since frozen sales, launching a full investigation into the online star’s findings.
All of this prompted Stevens, a champion bodybuilder who founded Vow Nutrition in 2019, to speak up about his own encounter with creatine gummies.
In a recent LinkedIn post, he claimed to have uncovered efficacy issues during the brand’s own research and development process.
What he discovered, he says, led him to favour Creatine Chews instead — a hard-sweet style alternative that offered a more reliable solution.
“When we began R&D for our new Creatine Chews, we tested several manufacture samples and competing products in gummy form,” Stevens wrote.
“What we found raised major concerns: Many of the creatine gummies we tested did not contain the full amount of creatine listed on the label.
“In some cases, the creatine levels had degraded over time — in extreme cases, down to near zero.
“Why? Because creatine is not water-soluble, and the way gummies are formulated — often with high moisture and acidity — creates an environment where creatine can break down into creatinine, rendering it less effective or ineffective altogether.”
Stevens said he didn’t go public with the information, as he believed most brands genuinely didn’t know they were potentially selling duds.
He claims that if the gummies were tested on the day of production, they might have passed — but argues the format can’t sustain the promised creatine dose over time.
“In fact, I’d bet good money that many of them trusted what they were told by manufacturers, just like we almost did,” he continued.
“So the issue isn’t just what’s in the product, it’s how long that ingredient survives in that format. That’s a formulation issue, not a branding one.
“I’ve never once believed in publicly damaging another brand for what could be an honest mistake, especially in an industry that already struggles with trust.
“Instead, we focused on solving the problem.”
Vow Nutrition Creatine Chews: What You Need to Know
Vow Nutrition’s Creatine Chews promise a firmer, low-moisture format that “protects the ingredient and delivers the full dose consistently, even months later.”
The vegan-friendly offering packs 833mg of ultra-pure creatine monohydrate per chew, totalling more than 3g when taken in the suggested four-gummy serving.
Dextrose, a simple sugar, is also included to aid rapid absorption.
Vow Nutrition’s Creatine Chews come in three super low-calorie flavours: Mint, Strawberry, and Apple, Mango & Lime.
In addition to being available on the brand’s website, they’re also stocked by major health and wellness retailers, including Boots and Holland & Barrett.
The Takeaway
Stevens isn’t the first person to raise serious questions about whether creatine gummies can live up to their claims.
The bites had their doubters even before James Smith blew the conversation wide open with his testing series.
It’s worth noting that WellBoost, Myprotein’s Myvitamins, and Known Nutrition did all match their claims during Smith’s investigation.
Newcomer Nootra also says genuine results can be achieved with creatine gummies using the correct manufacturing process.
Either way, it’s another interesting insight into a saga that just refuses to fizzle out.
