Are you paying for the supplement or for the packaging?

I’m going to tell you something the supplements industry would rather not hear. Not because I like causing a stir, but because, after years as a sports nutrition coach, I regularly come across athletes who spend a fair bit of money every month on a tub with a cool logo, whilst the tub next to it contains virtually the same thing for a quarter of the price.

“Almost” – I’ve deliberately included that word. Because it’s not black and white. There are situations where a higher price makes sense, and situations where you’re simply paying for the packaging. Knowing the difference – that’s what it’s all about.

I don’t earn anything from supplements myself. No commission, no affiliate link, no “exclusive partner discount” that’s actually just a way of making money. That makes it easy to be honest, and being honest is exactly what I’m going to do here.

Let’s have a look at how the factory works first

Somewhere in a production hall – often in Germany, the Netherlands or the US – creatine monohydrate is manufactured. This powder is a raw material, just like sugar or flour. It has a market price, is traded in large batches, and its chemical composition is the same everywhere.

That raw material is sourced by supplement brands. And this is where it gets interesting: many of those brands do not manufacture the products themselves at all. They place orders with so-called private-label manufacturers: companies that produce exactly the same product for dozens of different brands, each time with different packaging. So the cheap own-brand product and the expensive premium brand could literally come from the same batch. Different label, same powder.

What happens next determines how much you pay. The brand hires a designer, strikes a deal with a top athlete, buys advertising space, pays the gym for a prime spot on the shelves and carefully builds up a brand identity. All those costs have to come from somewhere. They come out of your pocket.

Supplement brands are actually advertising agencies

That might sound harsh, but that’s just how it works. If you have two identical jars of creatine, you can’t compete on the product itself. So you compete on the story. The packaging that conveys that this is for seriousathletes. The ambassador with a six-pack and a medal. The feeling that, by buying this, you’re also moving a little bit in that direction.

And it works. Not because people are stupid, but simply because brand strategy has an effect on everyone.

Where things really get a bit murky is when it comes to what the industry calls a proprietary blend . A blend of ten impressive ingredients, with only the total weight listed on the packaging. How much of each? That remains a closely guarded secret. The result is that ingredient number four – the only one for which there is genuine scientific evidence – may be present in a dosage that has no physiological effect. Yet it is on the list, with a fancy name and a little asterisk.

When cheap really is cheap

Start taking creatine again. It’s one of the most thoroughly researched supplements available, with an impressive body of scientific evidence. The effective daily dose is 3 to 5 grams of creatine monohydrate. That’s it. No more, no less.

A kilo of creatine monohydrate from an unknown own-brand product will easily set you back around €15 to €20. A “premium” version from a major sports brand with attractive packaging and a well-known ambassador? Expect to pay between €40 and €50 for a similar or even smaller quantity. The creatine molecule is largely identical in both cases. There is no ‘luxury’ version.

You see the same pattern with whey protein powder. If you compare the best-known brands on the market, the protein content is usually quite similar, at around 74 to 82 grams of protein per 100 grams of powder, sometimes up to 90 grams for specific isolates. Meanwhile, the price per kilo varies considerably: the cheapest whey brands are around €20 to €25 per kilo, whilst better-known or “premium” brands can easily cost €30 to €45 per kilo, for a virtually identical protein content. You are essentially paying for brand recognition, packaging and marketing, rather than for a substantially better product.

But sometimes, more expensive really is better

Magnesium is a good example of the opposite. Cheap magnesium supplements often contain magnesium oxide: a form that is poorly absorbed by the body. Magnesium bisglycinate or magnesium citrate is absorbed considerably better, but costs more. So in this case, you are paying for something that is actually better in terms of its composition. That is a legitimate price difference.

For athletes subject to doping controls at competition level, a quality mark such as NZVT or Informed Sport is also relevant. These products have been tested by an independent laboratory for contaminants and banned substances. That costs money, and this is reflected in the price. For the recreational sportsman who plays a spot of football on Sunday mornings, this is no reason to pay three times as much. But for a top-level athlete, it may be the only responsible choice.

So the point is that you know why is slightly more expensive. A higher price that’s justified is fine. A higher price that mainly benefits the marketing department is less so.

The calculation that almost nobody does

Most people compare jars, whereas the only fair comparison is based on the price per gram of active ingredient. That information is right there on the label; you just have to look for it yourself.

The simplest rule of thumb: if something is significantly more expensive than a comparable product, ask yourself why. A quality mark? A demonstrably better grade of raw material? Fine. Attractive packaging and a well-known brand name? Then you know enough.

What’s in it for you

No list of ten action points. One thing is enough.

Next time you buy a supplement, take a moment to check the label to see what the price per gram of active ingredient is. Compare that with a cheaper alternative. And ask yourself whether the difference is justified, or whether you’re actually paying for the packaging.

Thirty seconds’ work, potentially saving years of unnecessary expenditure.

The supplements industry is huge, profitable and very good at selling the idea that more expensive means better. That’s sometimes true, but by no means always. And now you know when it is and when it isn’t. That’s exactly why I’m writing this.

Do you have any questions about what would be best in your situation? Please feel free to Contact As an independent sports nutrition coach, I don’t earn anything from selling supplements, and to be honest, I wouldn’t know how I could still look at myself in the mirror if I did.