# Transparent Labs Creatine HMB

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/transparent-labs-creatine-hmb
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/creatine
- Placement: #12 of 17 in Creatine, C tier
- Brand: Transparent Labs
- LP on this board: 391
- Last researched: 2026-09-17T06:11:26.614Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

The most marketed creatine in the category, and an HMB blend you pay a premium for on claims plain monohydrate matches. Buy Thorne Creatine Monohydrate instead.

## For

- Crowned best creatine supplement of 2026 by Forbes Vetted
- Named Best Creatine Overall by Fortune
- Forbes Vetted's top pick and Fortune's Best Creatine Overall
- Creatine monohydrate core
- Well-made product

## Against

- HMB add-on drives cost without proven benefit over plain monohydrate
- Premium blend rather than certified pure monohydrate
- Costs more than plain monohydrate for no proven gain
- The added HMB carries far weaker evidence than the monohydrate core
- Costs a premium over plain monohydrate for unproven extras

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 7 of 12 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Consolidated from 23 cited sources across 19 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Goldman Laboratories | Jordi Mascio | B | https://www.goldmanlaboratories.com/blogs/blog/elev8ng-vs-transparent-labs-creatine?srsltid=AU7gw4U8GZZKu-czmQnF76bI_bjsvgTS_VRHyuczkfkZlxHMVdm07jy1 | fetched and confirmed |
| Fortune | Christina Snyder | B | https://fortune.com/article/best-creatine-supplements/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Home Court Athlete | homecourtathlete.wordpress.com | C | https://homecourtathlete.wordpress.com/2026/05/09/transparent-labs-review-2026-are-their-supplements-worth-it/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Men's Health | Charles Thorp, NASM | B | https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/g40182295/best-creatine-supplements/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Innerbody | Daniel Imperiale | B | https://www.innerbody.com/best-creatine-for-muscle-growth | fetched and confirmed |
| Legion Athletics | Michael Matthews | D | https://legionathletics.com/what-is-creatine-hmb/?srsltid=AU7gw4VZQByU52053X4AqmyFfywEN_0QaZp1vLkMPUsEEH4eFuHegY91 | fetched and confirmed |
| mindbodygreen | mindbodygreen.com | B | https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/best-creatine-supplements-for-women?srsltid=AU7gw4Vo7xmRhQFmLGYAUTuuGGvPwU20rtXKrMCMq0R72wwQRvFsUUn4 | fetched and confirmed |
| Garage Gym Reviews Everything | Garage Gym Reviews Everything | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sVZ-lOSZck | fetched and confirmed |
| Tech Tested | Tech Tested | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JvwK5s9HsA | fetched and confirmed |
| BarBend | BarBend | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmjVDoFGqGo | fetched and confirmed |
| InstantGuide | InstantGuide | C | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-0mG9O64CY | fetched and confirmed |
| FK Medicals | FK Medicals | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Gbvo5skiA | fetched and confirmed |
| Galactic Shopping Review | Galactic Shopping Review | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9RPdxKkOLI | fetched and confirmed |
| Naked Nutrition | Stephen Zieminski | C | https://nakednutrition.com/blogs/supplements/best-creatine-monohydrate-powders | fetched and confirmed |
| BarBend | Whitney Linsenmeyer, Ph.D., R.D., L.D. | B | https://barbend.com/best-creatine-supplements/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Generation Iron Fitness & Strength Sports Network | Austin Letorney | B | https://generationiron.com/transparent-labs-creatine-hmb-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Generation Iron Fitness & Strength Sports Network | Austin Letorney | B | https://generationiron.com/best-creatine-supplements/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Consumer Health Digest | Rachel Straub, MS, CSCS | B | https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/fitness/best-muscle-growth-supplements.html | fetched and confirmed |
| Facebook | - | B | https://www.facebook.com/transparentlabs/posts/if-you-want-a-stronger-and-more-consistent-performance-on-the-track-or-trails-cr/1373267804845949/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Goldman Laboratories | Jordi Mascio | B | https://www.goldmanlaboratories.com/blogs/blog/best-creatine-drink-mix?srsltid=AU7gw4VI8ei-zGRAmC9zegEl8Ai-2SZ9VNo3jZA8BswypJddH-LMXjAd | fetched and confirmed |
| Instagram | - | C | https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTDzkx0EY26/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Good Housekeeping | Valerie Agyeman, R.D. | C | https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/what-to-buy/g70685547/best-creatine-supplement/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Facebook | - | B | https://www.facebook.com/100086981121661/posts/ive-been-using-transparent-labs-creatine-hmb-for-years-now-it-has-5g-of-creatine/1020565680852793/ | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 7 | Naked Nutrition Creatine | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/naked-nutrition-creatine |
| 8 | Swolverine Creatine Monohydrate | B | https://stierproducts.com/products/swolverine-creatine-monohydrate |
| 9 | Legion Recharge Creatine | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/legion-recharge-creatine |
| 10 | Momentous Creatine | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/momentous-creatine |
| 11 | Onnit Creatine Unflavored | C | https://stierproducts.com/products/onnit-creatine-unflavored |
| 13 | RAW Nutrition Creatine | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/raw-nutrition-creatine |
| 14 | Free Soul Creatine Monohydrate | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/free-soul-creatine-monohydrate |
| 15 | Create Creatine Gummies | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/create-creatine-gummies |
| 16 | Jinfiniti Creatine + ATP | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/jinfiniti-creatine-atp |
| 17 | SWOLY Creatine Gummies | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/swoly-creatine-gummies |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/creatine.

## What this tier means

- C: Fair. Acceptable in the right situation, outclassed at its price.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/transparent-labs-creatine-hmb.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.