Creatine and Collagen: Can You Take Them Together, and Which Do You Need?
Love Life Supplements
Reviewed by Sarah Law, Dip CNM, Naturopathic Nutritionist
Creatine and collagen: yes, you can take them together, and for most healthy adults there is no reason not to. They do different jobs, so one does not replace the other. Creatine monohydrate tops up the phosphocreatine stored in muscle, and it is the better-evidenced choice for strength and power in training: 3 to 5 g a day is the dose the research uses. Collagen peptides are a protein rich in glycine, proline and hydroxyproline, and the trials that paired them with strength training used 15 g a day. Choose creatine if your goal is strength and power, collagen if your interest is connective tissue, skin or extra protein, and both if you train and want both. The catch with most ready-made "creatine plus collagen" blends is the collagen dose: of the three we checked, the highest gives 5 g a serving, a third of the trial amount. Two separate tubs, our Creavitalis Creatine Monohydrate (5 g a scoop) and Ultimate Collagen Peptides (15 g of bovine collagen a scoop), cost £2.30 a day on our UK store, or £2.07 for a new subscriber.
Our figures come from our printed labels. Love Life Supplements Creavitalis Creatine Monohydrate gives 5,000 mg (5 g) of Creavitalis creatine monohydrate per scoop, nothing else, 60 servings a tub, vegan. Our Ultimate Collagen Peptides gives 15 g of BODYBALANCE hydrolysed bovine collagen, 40 mg of UC-II undenatured chicken collagen and 200 mg of vitamin C (250% of the NRV) in an 18.2 g heaped scoop, 13.5 g of protein, 0 g of sugar, 30 servings a tub. An independent Eurofins test of collagen batch 06500062 measured 6.64 g of glycine per serving against 6.32 g on the label, and vitamin C at exactly 200 mg. Creavitalis is £39.95 on our UK store and $54.02 on our US store (£35.96 and $48.62 for the first Subscribe & Save order); Ultimate Collagen Peptides is £48.95 on our UK store (£44.06 first subscription order) and is not sold on our US store. Both are covered by our 60-day money-back guarantee.
Creavitalis Creatine Monohydrate: 5 g per scoop, micronised, unflavoured, 60 vegan servings. Sold on our UK and US stores.
View creatine
Ultimate Collagen Peptides: 15 g bovine collagen, 40 mg UC-II and 200 mg vitamin C per scoop, unflavoured, 30 servings. Sold on our UK store.
View collagen- Different things. Creatine is a small compound your muscles store as phosphocreatine. Collagen is a structural protein, sold as hydrolysed peptides.
- Together is fine. No known interaction, and they mix in the same drink. We found no trial that tested the pair on its own, so each one's evidence stands separately.
- Creatine has the stronger evidence for strength and power, and it carries an authorised health claim in the UK and EU. Collagen has no authorised claim of its own.
- Collagen trials used 15 g a day alongside strength training. The three ready-made blends we checked give 0.5 to 5 g of collagen a serving.
- Collagen is not a complete protein: it contains no tryptophan and little leucine, so it does not replace whey or a protein-rich meal.
- Cost: blends cost $0.89 to $1.17 (or £0.95 on offer) a serving; two full-dose tubs of ours cost £2.30 a day. You pay more for the full collagen dose.
Creatine vs collagen: the side-by-side comparison
Creatine and collagen are often sold as a pair, especially to women who train, but they are not two versions of the same supplement. The table sets them side by side using the research and regulators' positions cited on this page.
| Question | Creatine monohydrate | Collagen peptides |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A compound made from three amino acids, stored in muscle as phosphocreatine and used to regenerate ATP in short, hard efforts | The main structural protein in skin, tendon, cartilage and bone, broken down (hydrolysed) into small peptides for supplements |
| Typical daily amount in research | 3 to 5 g a day, or about 20 g a day split into four doses for 5 to 7 days if loading | 15 g a day in the strength training trials; 2.5 to 10 g a day in many skin trials |
| What the research mostly measured | Strength, power, lean mass with resistance training, across ages | Fat-free mass and strength with resistance training, skin hydration and elasticity, activity-related joint comfort |
| Size of the evidence | Hundreds of controlled trials and several position stands | Dozens of trials, many funded by collagen suppliers |
| Authorised health claims (UK and EU) | Yes: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise (3 g a day) | None for collagen itself; vitamin C, often added, contributes to normal collagen formation |
| Protein quality | Not a protein | A protein, but incomplete: no tryptophan and little leucine |
| Suitable for vegans | Yes (synthetic creatine monohydrate) | No: bovine, marine, chicken or eggshell membrane sources |
Sources: the ISSN creatine position stand and the collagen trials in the reference list; the GB nutrition and health claims register; amino acid profile from our collagen label. Typical amounts are what the cited trials used, not personal advice.
The practical point: because they do different jobs, the real question is not "creatine or collagen" but which of them suits your goal, at what dose, and whether a two-in-one blend gives you enough of each.
Can you take creatine and collagen together?
Yes. Creatine and collagen can be taken together, in the same drink and at the same time of day, and we found no reported interaction between them. Creatine works by building up muscle stores over days of daily use, and collagen is digested like any other protein, so neither gets in the other's way. In a PubMed search on 28 October 2026 we found no controlled trial that tested creatine and collagen peptides together as a two-ingredient pair, so there is no evidence that the combination does more than each one does alone; equally, there is no reason to expect it to do less.
Three practical points make taking both easier:
- Mix them in one drink. Both of ours are unflavoured. Creavitalis is micronised for water, and our collagen dissolves in hot or cold drinks, so coffee, a smoothie or a shake all work.
- Keep each at its own label dose. Taking both does not change the amount of either: 3 to 5 g of creatine and one scoop of collagen.
- Take them daily, not just on training days. Creatine depends on consistency, and the collagen trials gave it every day for 12 weeks.
"Most of my clients who take both simply stir them into the same morning drink. Creatine is about the daily habit rather than the timing, and collagen dissolves just as easily in coffee or a smoothie, so I suggest whichever drink you already have every day, with each one kept at the amount on its label."
Sarah Law, Naturopathic Nutritionist | Optimised Female
If you also use an electrolyte drink, see creatine and hydration: should you take it with electrolytes?
Creatine or collagen: which do you need?
If you can only choose one for training, choose creatine: it has far more evidence for strength and power, and it is the cheaper of the two at a full daily dose. Choose collagen if your interest is the connective tissue that training loads, skin, or adding a protein you can stir into coffee. Take both if you lift weights regularly and want both.
Pick by what you want from it
Creatine. It is one of the most studied sports supplements, and 3 g a day carries an authorised claim for performance in repeated short bursts of high-intensity exercise.
Creatine first, with resistance training. A meta-analysis of 22 trials in adults aged 57 to 70 found more lean mass and strength with creatine than placebo. Collagen at 15 g a day also has positive trials in older men.
Collagen. Its trials measured skin hydration and elasticity and activity-related joint comfort. Creatine has no comparable trials for these.
Collagen adds protein (13.5 g per scoop of ours), but it is incomplete. If protein is the main goal, a complete protein such as whey or essential amino acids does more for muscle.
For creatine on its own, our creatine buyer's guide and gummies vs powder vs capsules comparison go further. For collagen, see collagen powder vs capsules vs gummies.
What does the research show for creatine?
Creatine monohydrate is one of the best-researched supplements in sport. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand concludes that it is the most effective ergogenic nutritional supplement currently available for increasing high-intensity exercise capacity and lean body mass during training, and that it is safe for healthy people at recommended doses.1 A 2021 review by the same research group worked through the common worries (kidney damage, hair loss, dehydration, cramping) and found that the evidence does not support them in healthy people.2
The benefit is not limited to young athletes. A meta-analysis of 22 randomised trials with 721 men and women, mean ages 57 to 70, found that creatine taken during resistance training added an average of 1.37 kg more lean tissue than placebo, with greater gains in chest press and leg press strength.3 That is why creatine is increasingly taken by women and older adults, not only by people building size; see is creatine safe for women? for the questions women ask most.
In the UK and EU, creatine is one of the few sports ingredients with authorised health claims: creatine increases physical performance in successive bursts of short-term, high-intensity exercise (with a 3 g daily intake), and daily creatine can enhance the effect of resistance training on muscle strength in adults over 55. There is no NRV for creatine because it is not an essential nutrient, and in the US the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists it among supplements for exercise and athletic performance without setting an RDA.9
What does the research show for collagen?
The most relevant collagen trials for people who train gave 15 g of collagen peptides a day alongside 12 weeks of resistance training, against a placebo with the same training:
- Older men: 53 men with age-related muscle loss (mean age 72) gained 4.2 kg of fat-free mass on collagen against 2.9 kg on placebo, with greater gains in quadriceps strength and a larger fall in fat mass.4
- Young men: 57 recreationally active men gained more fat-free mass on collagen than on placebo; strength rose in both groups, with a trend in favour of collagen.5
- Women: 77 premenopausal women gained more fat-free mass and hand-grip strength on collagen than on placebo, and lost more body fat.6
Two cautions keep those results in proportion. First, several of these trials involved the Collagen Research Institute or collagen suppliers. Second, collagen is a weak trigger for muscle building on a gram-for-gram basis: in older women, 30 g of whey twice a day raised muscle protein synthesis over 6 days, while the same amount of collagen did not raise it significantly above baseline.7 Collagen contains no tryptophan and little leucine; our label lists 0.41 g of leucine per 18.2 g scoop. So think of collagen as an addition to a protein-rich diet, not a replacement for one.
Outside muscle, a 2021 meta-analysis of 19 trials with 1,125 participants (95% women) found improvements in skin hydration and elasticity with hydrolysed collagen against placebo, mostly over about 90 days.8 In a 24-week trial in athletes with activity-related joint discomfort, 10 g a day of collagen hydrolysate improved several joint comfort scores against placebo.10 And a small crossover study found that 15 g of vitamin C-enriched gelatin taken an hour before short exercise doubled a blood marker of collagen production.11 None of this is an authorised health claim for collagen in the UK or EU; the authorised claim belongs to vitamin C, which contributes to normal collagen formation for the normal function of skin, bones, cartilage, gums, teeth and blood vessels.
How much creatine and collagen should you take?
For creatine, 3 to 5 g a day is enough for most adults; larger people sometimes use up to 10 g. A loading phase of about 20 g a day for 5 to 7 days fills muscle stores faster but is optional, because 3 to 5 g a day reaches the same level in about a month.1 For collagen, 15 g a day matches the strength training trials, and 10 g a day matches the joint trial. Neither has a UK NRV or a US RDA, so the table shows the reference values that do apply to what is in the scoop.
| Nutrient | Research or label amount | UK reference | US reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creatine monohydrate | 3 to 5 g a day (ours: 5 g a scoop) | No NRV; authorised claim at 3 g a day | No RDA; listed by the NIH Office of Dietary Supplements as a performance supplement |
| Collagen peptides | 15 g a day in strength trials (ours: 15 g a scoop) | No NRV; counts towards the 50 g protein reference intake | No RDA; counts towards protein (RDA 0.8 g per kg body weight for adults) |
| Vitamin C (in our collagen) | 200 mg a scoop | NRV 80 mg (ours: 250%) | RDA 90 mg men, 75 mg women; upper limit 2,000 mg (NIH) |
UK figures: NRV and reference intakes from retained Regulation (EU) 1169/2011. US figures: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements fact sheets and the National Academies protein RDA. Read 28 October 2026.
For more on timing and loading, see how to take creatine and collagen peptides dosage and timing.
Creatine and collagen blends vs two tubs: labels and price compared
We read the supplement facts of three ready-made creatine and collagen blends, one from each of three well-known brands, and set them against buying our creatine and collagen as two tubs. All three blends give a usable creatine dose. None gives the 15 g of collagen used in the strength trials, and one does not state its collagen dose at all.
| Product | Creatine per serving | Collagen per serving | Servings | Price per serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Love Life Supplements: Creavitalis + Ultimate Collagen Peptides (two tubs) | 5 g creatine monohydrate (Creavitalis) | 15 g bovine collagen + 40 mg UC-II, with 200 mg vitamin C | 60 (creatine), 30 (collagen) | £2.30 a day (£0.67 + £1.63); £2.07 first subscription order. US: creatine $0.90, collagen not sold |
| NeoCell Creatine + Multi Collagen Bio-Peptides Protein | 5 g creatine monohydrate | 3 g (bovine, fish, chicken, eggshell membrane), plus 1 g L-taurine | About 30 | $0.89 ($26.65, 285 g) |
| Ancient Nutrition Creatine + Collagen | Part of a 5.5 g blend; the front of pack says 5 g | Not stated: fermented eggshell membrane collagen in the same 5.5 g blend | 30 | $1.17 ($34.99, 165 g) |
| Myvitamins 3-in-1 Creatine + Collagen + Electrolytes (sold by Myprotein) | 3.4 g creatine monohydrate (Creavitalis), 3.0 g creatine | 5 g bovine collagen, plus 268 mg sodium and added vitamins | 20 | £0.95 on offer (£18.99; usually £32.99, £1.65); out of stock when read |
Competitor figures from each brand's own product page and supplement facts image, read 28 October 2026. Our figures from our printed labels; our prices read live from our UK and US stores the same day. Prices change; check before you buy.
What the table shows:
- Blends are cheaper per scoop because they hold less collagen. To reach 15 g of collagen from NeoCell you would need five scoops, which would also give you 25 g of creatine, five times the usual dose.
- A blend fixes the ratio. With two tubs you can take creatine every day and collagen when it suits you, or stop one without losing the other.
- Read the allergens. NeoCell lists egg and fish; Ancient Nutrition lists egg. Ours is bovine with chicken-derived UC-II, so it is not suitable for vegetarians.
- Proprietary blends hide the split. Ancient Nutrition lists creatine and collagen as one 5.5 g figure; if the creatine is 5 g, as the front of the tub says, that leaves about 0.5 g for the collagen.
We also sell The Complete Shake, which puts a month of our Creavitalis, chocolate essential amino acids and Ultimate Collagen Peptides together: per its product page, 10 g of creatine, about 10 g of essential amino acids and 15 g of collagen a day, for £129.95 (£4.33 a day) on our UK store. The amino acids supply the tryptophan and leucine collagen lacks.
When should you take creatine and collagen?
Take them at whatever time of day you will remember, every day. Timing makes little difference to creatine, because the benefit comes from muscle stores built up over weeks; some studies favour taking it close to training, but the difference is small next to taking it consistently.2 Collagen can be taken any time; the strength trials gave it after training sessions, and the gelatin study gave it an hour before exercise.4,11 A simple routine: both in one drink with breakfast, or in your post-training shake on training days and with breakfast on rest days.
Who should check with a doctor before taking creatine or collagen?
Most healthy adults can take both at the label doses. Check with your GP, doctor or pharmacist first if any of these apply:
- Kidney disease or reduced kidney function. Creatine is safe for healthy kidneys at normal doses, but it raises blood creatinine, a marker used to check kidney function, which can confuse a blood test.2 Tell your doctor you take it before any kidney test.
- Pregnancy, trying to conceive or breastfeeding. There is too little research on creatine supplements in pregnancy; ask first.
- Under 18. Our creatine label says it is not intended for anyone under 18.
- Food allergies or diet. Collagen is always animal-derived: bovine, fish, chicken or egg. Check the source on the label.
- Regular medication or a long-term health condition, including anything affecting the liver or kidneys.
Creatine can add around 1 to 2 kg of body weight in the first weeks, especially with a loading phase, mostly water stored inside muscle, which matters if you compete in a weight category; see does creatine cause bloating or water retention? Some people get a mild stomach upset from large single doses of either supplement; splitting the dose or taking it with food usually helps.
"Before adding either, I look at the basics: is someone eating enough protein across the day, and are they training regularly? Creatine and collagen both make the most sense alongside resistance work, so if the training is not there yet, I would start with that and add one supplement at a time."
Sarah Law, Naturopathic Nutritionist | Optimised Female
How we check our creatine and collagen
Every batch of ours comes with a certificate of analysis, and both products have independent results published on our testing page and product pages.
The collagen figures come from Eurofins report AR-733-2026-00087334-03 (July 2026), which also confirmed proline (2.35 g against 1.89 g on the label) and hydroxyproline (1.74 g against 1.79 g) within measurement uncertainty, and found no Salmonella. The creatine figures come from the certificate of analysis for Creavitalis batch 52500309, made on 17 June 2026, which also confirms the batch is non-GMO and suitable for vegans. Creavitalis is made in Germany by AlzChem, the maker of Creapure; for the difference between the two, see Creapure and Creavitalis vs other creatine.
Where Love Life Supplements is not the best choice
We sell both products on this page, so here is where another option may suit you better.
- Lowest price per scoop. NeoCell ($0.89) and the Myvitamins blend on offer (£0.95) cost less per serving than our two tubs (£2.30), as long as 3 to 5 g of collagen is enough for you.
- One scoop, flavoured. If you want a single flavoured drink with electrolytes, ours is two unflavoured powders.
- Collagen in the US. Our Ultimate Collagen Peptides is sold on our UK store only. US readers can buy our Creavitalis creatine from our US store.
- Vegan or vegetarian. No collagen is vegan. Our creatine is, so if you avoid animal products, take creatine alone.
- Sport testing. Neither of our products is certified by a sport anti-doping programme. If you are tested in competition, choose a product certified by Informed Sport or NSF Certified for Sport.
Frequently asked questions
Can you take creatine and collagen together?
Yes. They do different jobs, we found no reported interaction, and they can go in the same drink. Keep each at its own label dose: 3 to 5 g of creatine and one scoop of collagen a day. Ask your doctor first if you have a kidney condition or take regular medication.
Is creatine or collagen better?
For strength and power, creatine: it has far more evidence and an authorised health claim for performance in short, high-intensity exercise. Collagen is the choice for connective tissue, skin and extra protein, with trials that used 15 g a day alongside strength training. Many people who lift take both.
Does collagen contain creatine?
No. Collagen is a protein and contains glycine and arginine, two of the amino acids your body uses to make creatine, but no creatine itself. If you want creatine, take creatine monohydrate.
Can you mix creatine and collagen in coffee?
Yes. Our collagen dissolves in hot or cold drinks, and creatine can be stirred into the same cup. Drink it soon after mixing rather than leaving it to stand, and stir well, because creatine dissolves more slowly than collagen.
Are there side effects of taking creatine and collagen together?
None specific to the pair have been reported. Creatine can add 1 to 2 kg of water weight in muscle early on, and either can upset the stomach in large single doses. Creatine raises blood creatinine, so tell your doctor you take it before a kidney test.
Is a creatine and collagen blend as good as two separate products?
For creatine, usually yes: the blends we checked give 3 to 5 g. For collagen, usually no: they give 0.5 to 5 g a serving against the 15 g used in the strength trials. Two tubs cost more per day but let you take a full dose of each.
About the Reviewer: Sarah Law, Dip CNM
Sarah Law is a Certified Naturopathic Nutritionist and Functional Practitioner specialising in hormonal health, gut health, and evidence-based nutrition. She holds a Diploma in Naturopathic Nutrition from the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM, London) and is a Certified Functional Health Coach. Sarah combines naturopathic principles with modern functional nutrition science to help her clients make informed health decisions.
About the Author: Ben Law
Ben Law is the founder of Love Life Supplements and host of the Optimised Health Show. He is a qualified Advanced Dietary Supplement Advisor and Primal Blueprint Certified Expert, and has spent 14 years building transparent, research-led formulations manufactured to GMP and BRC standards. He wrote this guide from the published trials, regulators' own publications, each brand's own product pages and labels, and our own label and certificate data.
NeoCell, Ancient Nutrition, Myvitamins, Myprotein, Creavitalis, Creapure, BODYBALANCE and UC-II are trademarks of their respective owners; the competitor brands are not affiliated with Love Life Supplements. Learn more about Ben.
References
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:18. PMID 28615996
- Antonio J, Candow DG, Forbes SC, et al. Common questions and misconceptions about creatine supplementation: what does the scientific evidence really show? J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2021;18(1):13. PMID 33557850
- Chilibeck PD, Kaviani M, Candow DG, Zello GA. Effect of creatine supplementation during resistance training on lean tissue mass and muscular strength in older adults: a meta-analysis. Open Access J Sports Med. 2017;8:213-226. PMID 29138605
- Zdzieblik D, Oesser S, Baumstark MW, et al. Collagen peptide supplementation in combination with resistance training improves body composition and increases muscle strength in elderly sarcopenic men: a randomised controlled trial. Br J Nutr. 2015;114(8):1237-1245. PMID 26353786
- Kirmse M, Oertzen-Hagemann V, de Marées M, et al. Prolonged Collagen Peptide Supplementation and Resistance Exercise Training Affects Body Composition in Recreationally Active Men. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1154. PMID 31126103
- Jendricke P, Centner C, Zdzieblik D, et al. Specific Collagen Peptides in Combination with Resistance Training Improve Body Composition and Regional Muscle Strength in Premenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Nutrients. 2019;11(4):892. PMID 31010031
- Oikawa SY, Kamal MJ, Webb EK, et al. Whey protein but not collagen peptides stimulate acute and longer-term muscle protein synthesis with and without resistance exercise in healthy older women: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;111(3):708-718. PMID 31919527
- de Miranda RB, Weimer P, Rossi RC. Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(12):1449-1461. PMID 33742704
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
- Clark KL, Sebastianelli W, Flechsenhar KR, et al. 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Curr Med Res Opin. 2008;24(5):1485-1496. PMID 18416885
- Shaw G, Lee-Barthel A, Ross ML, et al. Vitamin C-enriched gelatin supplementation before intermittent activity augments collagen synthesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2017;105(1):136-143. PMID 27852613
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin C: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. ods.od.nih.gov
- Great Britain nutrition and health claims (NHC) register (creatine and vitamin C entries). gov.uk
Product facts: NeoCell Creatine + Multi Collagen Bio-Peptides Protein, Ancient Nutrition Creatine + Collagen, Myvitamins 3-in-1 Creatine + Collagen + Electrolytes, all read 28 October 2026.
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