Transparent Labs Creatine HMB Review
Creatine + HMB + Vitamin D in one scoop — does the enhanced formula justify the premium? We break down the ingredients and test results.
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB. Our #4 rated creatine.
Transcript
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB puts creatine, HMB and vitamin D into one flavored scoop. We checked the label, the certifications and the price. Here's what we found. Creatine is one of the most studied sports supplements there is. So the real question is the extras. Is the HMB worth paying for? Or should you just buy plain creatine? First, the good news. Each scoop has five grams of creatine monohydrate. That's the standard daily dose in the International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand. Now the HMB. One scoop has one and a half grams. The ISSN's HMB position stand works out to about three grams a day for an eighty kilo adult. So one scoop gives you roughly half. On quality, it's strong. NSF Certified for Sport lists it, and Transparent Labs links its lab results on the product page. One catch: there's vitamin D in every scoop, so the brand says not to use it for loading. The trade-off is price. It's forty-nine ninety-nine for thirty servings, about a dollar sixty-seven a scoop. Plain creatine costs a fraction of that. So, who should buy it? If you want creatine and HMB together, in a scoop that tastes good, it's a solid pick. If you just want creatine, plain monohydrate does the main job for much less. Read the full review, with all our sources, at getevident.co.
Quick Summary
Creatine HMB is a flavored creatine plus HMB and vitamin D, at a much higher price than plain creatine. The vitamin D on the label is 500 IU, not 1,000.
What we could re-read on Oct 26, 2026
| Feature | On the product page |
|---|---|
| Vitamin D3 | 12.5 mcg (500 IU) |
| Prices in the HTML | $49.99 and $39.99, different variant ids |
| Servings used for the $1.67 figure | 30, from the earlier label check. Not re-counted in this pass. |
Creatine and HMB milligrams were not re-parsed from the HTML in this pass, so they are not reprinted here. The older 1,000 IU line is wrong.
For a plain creatine comparison, see the best creatine and the Optimum Nutrition creatine review.
Frequently Asked Questions
NSF lists Creatine HMB as NSF Certified for Sport. The product page also lists Informed Choice. Confirm the current listing before you buy, because certification status can change.
On Oct 26, 2026 the product page heading read 12.5 mcg (500 IU). The page also tells people not to use this product for a creatine loading phase because of the vitamin D.
The same page HTML showed $49.99 and $39.99 on different variant ids. $49.99 divided by 30 servings is about $1.67. We did not assign which id is the one-time price versus a subscription.
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB is a well-made enhanced formula for people who want creatine + recovery support in one product. The flavors are a genuine plus. However, the premium over pure creatine is significant, and the HMB dose may be sub-therapeutic. Best for those who value convenience and taste over cost efficiency.
Evident Ratings
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB
Sub-scores are category scores on a 1–5 scale, shown out of 10.
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB: The Enhanced Formula
Transparent Labs takes a different approach — instead of pure creatine, they combine 5g creatine monohydrate with 1.5g HMB (beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate), 500 IU vitamin D3, and BioPerine (black pepper extract for absorption). It's the most comprehensive creatine formula we tested, and the one that sparked the most debate on our team.
The Formula Breakdown
Creatine Monohydrate (5g)
The standard clinically effective dose. Nothing fancy here — just good, reliable creatine monohydrate. Not Creapure-branded. NSF lists Creatine HMB as NSF Certified for Sport, and the product page lists Informed Choice.
Transparent Labs publishes a certificate of analysis (purity testing) and ingredient verification testing on its product page (checked Oct 16, 2026).
HMB (1.5g)
HMB is a metabolite of leucine (an amino acid) that has modest evidence for reducing muscle protein breakdown during intense training. A 2017 meta-analysis in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that HMB supplementation may help preserve lean mass during caloric restriction and reduce markers of muscle damage during intense exercise.
The evidence is decent but not overwhelming, and the 1.5g dose is at the lower end of what studies have used (most use 3g/day). Whether this addition justifies the price premium over pure creatine is debatable.
Vitamin D3 (500 IU)
A useful inclusion for the many people who are Vitamin D deficient, though 500 IU may not be sufficient for those with significant deficiency (2,000-5,000 IU is more common for correction). It's a nice-to-have, not a game-changer.
BioPerine (5mg)
Black pepper extract claimed to improve absorption of other ingredients. The evidence for this with creatine specifically is limited — creatine monohydrate already has excellent oral bioavailability (~99%).
Taste & Mixability
Unlike most creatine products, Transparent Labs offers multiple flavors: Blue Raspberry, Sour Apple, Tropical Punch, Black Cherry, and Unflavored. The flavored versions taste good — sweet without being cloying — and mix well in 8-12oz of cold water. The additional ingredients (HMB, Vitamin D) don't affect taste.
This is a genuine advantage for people who dislike the gritty, mineral taste of unflavored creatine or don't want to mix it into another drink.
Value
At $1.67/serving, Transparent Labs is significantly more expensive than pure creatine monohydrate products. The cost premium pays for HMB, vitamin D, flavoring, and NSF Certified for Sport. The product page also lists Informed Choice. If you were going to buy HMB and Vitamin D separately anyway, the bundle is reasonable. If you just need creatine, you're overpaying for ingredients you may not need.
Who This Is For
- People who want creatine + additional recovery support in one product
- Those who prefer flavored creatine over unflavored
- Athletes in cutting phases who want HMB's anti-catabolic properties
- People who value convenience over cost optimization
Who Should Look Elsewhere
- Budget-conscious users — pure creatine monohydrate is 5-10x cheaper per serving
- Those who already take HMB and Vitamin D separately (avoid doubling up)
- Purists who want single-ingredient supplements
What We Found
What we liked
Enhanced formula with HMB and Vitamin D
Multiple flavor options that taste good
NSF Certified for Sport; Informed Choice on the brand page
Full 5g creatine dose per serving
Transparent labeling — no proprietary blends
Our concerns
Expensive ($1.67/serving) compared to pure creatine
HMB dose (1.5g) is below most research doses (3g)
Not Creapure
Unnecessary BioPerine — creatine already has ~99% bioavailability
Our Verdict
Transparent Labs Creatine HMB is a well-made enhanced formula for people who want creatine + recovery support in one product. The flavors are a genuine plus. However, the premium over pure creatine is significant, and the HMB dose may be sub-therapeutic. Best for those who value convenience and taste over cost efficiency.
Frequently Asked Questions
HMB has modest scientific support for reducing muscle breakdown during intense training and caloric restriction. The 1.5g dose in Transparent Labs is at the lower end of studied doses (most research uses 3g/day). It may provide a small benefit but is not a dramatic performance enhancer. The creatine monohydrate is the primary effective ingredient.
Creatine monohydrate causes mild water retention in muscles (not subcutaneous bloating) as it increases intracellular hydration. Some users report initial mild GI discomfort. Starting with 3g/day and increasing to 5g can minimize this. The added HMB and BioPerine do not typically cause additional bloating.
Yes. Most pre-workouts don't contain 5g of creatine, so adding TL Creatine HMB is fine. However, check your pre-workout label — if it already contains creatine (even a smaller dose) or HMB, adjust accordingly to avoid overdosing. The Vitamin D in TL's formula shouldn't conflict with any standard pre-workout ingredients.
The brand's FAQ says not to use it for creatine loading because that would mean too much vitamin D, and that 2–3 servings a day is safe.
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Transparent Labs Creatine HMB
Researched and scored by Evident Reviews using our published criteria (owned brands disclosed)
Background
Transparent Labs is a direct-to-consumer brand known for its complete label transparency — no proprietary blends, all ingredients disclosed at full clinical doses.