Does Creatine Cause Acne? What the Evidence Actually Shows

If you've searched this, you've probably seen the same chain of logic: creatine raises DHT, DHT drives oily skin, oily skin means breakouts — so creatine must cause acne. It sounds plausible. But no study has actually tested it, and the one paper the whole idea leans on never went near anyone's skin.

Here's what the evidence supports, and — just as importantly — where it runs out.

The Short Answer

No — there is no good evidence that creatine causes acne.³ The worry is a chain of assumptions: creatine raises DHT, DHT boosts sebum, more sebum means more acne. The problem is the very first link. It rests on a single 2009 study that measured DHT in the blood and never looked at skin, sebum, or a single pimple¹ — and that DHT result has never been replicated.³ No trial has ever measured whether creatine users break out more than non-users. So the honest position isn't "creatine has been proven safe for skin"; it's that the mechanism people fear was never demonstrated in the first place.

Be clear on how thin this is: this is a weaker evidence base than the creatine and hair-loss question, where at least one 2025 trial went and measured hair directly. For acne, no one has run that experiment at all.

Where the Worry Comes From: The 2009 DHT Study

Almost every "creatine causes acne" claim traces back to the same paper that fuels the hair-loss myth. It's worth seeing exactly what it did — and didn't — find.

What the study found

In 2009, van der Merwe and colleagues studied 20 college-aged rugby players (16 completed the full protocol).¹ Participants ran a heavy loading protocol — 25 grams a day for a week, then 5 grams a day — while researchers tracked hormones. After loading, DHT rose about 56% and the DHT-to-testosterone ratio climbed about 36%. Total testosterone didn't move.¹

Because DHT is the androgen most associated with oily skin and acne, that 56% figure got recycled into "creatine causes breakouts." For the full breakdown of this study, see our hair-loss guide — the same numbers, the same limitations. Here, what matters is what it left untouched.

What it did not show

So the entire acne worry is built on one unreplicated hormone measurement that says nothing about skin. That's a speculative bridge — "higher DHT might mean more sebum which might mean acne" — not a finding.

How Acne Actually Forms (and Where DHT Fits)

To see why that bridge doesn't hold, you need the real mechanism of acne. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, a breakout forms when four things line up: androgens (including DHT) stimulate the sebaceous glands to produce more sebum (oil); that oil combines with dead skin cells and clogs the follicle; the bacteria Cutibacterium acnes (formerly P. acnes) multiplies in the clogged pore; and the result is inflammation — the red, swollen pimple.⁵

DHT is genuinely part of this — it's why acne often flares in puberty and why androgen-driven conditions can worsen skin. But "androgens play a role" is not the same as "a modest, unreplicated bump in blood DHT will break you out."

What the Broader Evidence Says

Step back from the one 2009 outlier and the hormone picture looks very different.

Roughly a dozen studies have measured creatine's effect on testosterone and DHT, and — apart from that single 2009 paper — none has shown a consistent, replicated increase in DHT.³ The most direct test to date is a 2025 randomized controlled trial: 12 weeks of 5 grams a day of creatine versus placebo in resistance-trained men, with no significant difference in DHT between the groups.² That trial was designed around the hair-loss question — see our hair-loss guide for the full write-up — but its hormone result is exactly what an acne worry hinges on, and it points away from the myth.

The safety literature is settled in the same direction. The International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand calls creatine monohydrate safe and effective and names weight gain as the only consistently reported side effect — acne isn't on the list.⁴ A 2021 review of common creatine misconceptions reaches the same conclusion: the evidence doesn't support the androgen-driven fears built on that lone study.³

"But I Broke Out After Starting Creatine"

Plenty of people genuinely notice more breakouts right around the time they start creatine. That experience is real — but timing isn't cause, and there are more likely explanations sitting right next to your new scoop. Check these before blaming the creatine:

• Harder training and sweat. People usually start creatine when they're ramping up their training. Sweat and friction (helmets, hats, tight gear, wiping your face with a gym towel) can aggravate existing acne. Sweat doesn't cause acne, but it can make it worse — so shower and gently cleanse soon after a workout rather than letting sweat and oil sit.⁵
• Diet changes riding along. Starting a supplement often comes with eating more for muscle gain — frequently more whey protein and dairy. Dermatology research points to a modest, mostly observational association between high-glycemic diets and dairy (skim milk in particular) and acne.⁶ If your breakouts started with a new whey shake habit, the dairy is a more evidence-backed suspect than the creatine.
• Coincidental timing. Acne fluctuates on its own with stress, sleep, hormones, and skincare. A flare in your first few weeks on creatine may simply be a flare that would have happened anyway.

None of these are creatine causing acne. They're the ordinary things that change when your routine changes.

Should You Stop or Switch Creatine?

There is no evidence-based reason to stop creatine for the sake of your skin — no study has shown it causes acne to begin with.³

And don't fall for "acne-safe," "DHT-free," HCl, or buffered creatine marketing. No specialty form has been shown to lower DHT or reduce sebum compared with monohydrate — that's a positioning angle, not a research finding.³ Plain creatine monohydrate remains the most-studied form by a wide margin, which is the real reason to prefer it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does creatine cause acne?

No — there's no evidence it does. No study has ever shown creatine users break out more than non-users, and a 2021 review of creatine misconceptions found the androgen-driven fears aren't supported by the data.³ The worry is a speculative chain of assumptions, not a demonstrated effect.

Does creatine increase DHT — and would that cause acne?

In one unreplicated 2009 study, DHT rose about 56% during heavy loading, but it stayed in the normal range and the study never measured skin.¹ A 2025 randomized trial found no DHT difference versus placebo.² Even if DHT did rise modestly, sebaceous glands respond mainly to local receptor sensitivity and multiple factors — not to a small bump in circulating DHT.⁵

Why did I break out after starting creatine?

Timing usually explains it. Starting creatine often coincides with harder training (more sweat, which can aggravate acne) and diet shifts like more whey and dairy, which have a modest observational link to breakouts.⁶ Those are more likely culprits than the creatine itself — check them first.

Does creatine cause acne in women?

There's no evidence it does. The same reasoning applies: creatine hasn't been shown to consistently raise the androgens that feed acne, in women or men.³ Women respond to creatine much like men do, and no trial has linked it to breakouts in either.

Is there a creatine that won't cause acne?

This is the wrong question, because no form has been shown to cause acne. "Acne-safe" or HCl and buffered creatines don't lower DHT or sebum compared with monohydrate — that's marketing, not evidence.³ Plain monohydrate is the most-studied choice.

Should I take creatine if I'm already acne-prone?

There's no evidence-based reason it would make acne-prone skin worse — creatine's only consistently reported side effect is weight gain, and acne isn't on that list.⁴ Keep your usual skincare and post-workout hygiene, and if your acne is severe or persistent, work with a dermatologist regardless of whether you supplement.

The Bottom Line

The creatine-and-acne story is one unreplicated hormone study stretched into a skin fear it never tested. That 2009 paper measured DHT in the blood, not sebum, pores, or a single breakout — and no study has reproduced even that.¹ Acne is driven by genetics, hormones, oil, clogged follicles, and bacteria,⁵ and if you broke out after starting creatine, sweat and diet changes are the far more likely explanation than your scoop.

New to creatine and want a well-tested option? See our evidence-based creatine monohydrate picks. Curious about a related worry, or want the basics first? Read about the hair-loss myth this shares a study with, what creatine actually is, or why the early weight gain isn't fat.