A plant based protein powder mix coating the mixing ball of a blender bottle
Tony WebsterCC BY 2.0
Illustrative. A plant based protein powder, not creatine.
California Just Signed a Law That Lumps Creatine In With Diet Pills for Under 18s
A New Jersey bill I have been tracking would stop minors from buying creatine and diet pills, but it was introduced and stalled. This week California did the thing New Jersey did not: it signed one into law, in the largest state market in the country.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2030 on September 28, 2026, banning the sale of over the counter diet pills and supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building to anyone under 18.
- According to a law firm analysis, the ban reaches products containing creatine, green tea extract, garcinia cambogia or steroids, with age checks in stores and online and penalties of up to $500 per violation.
- Creatine is one of the best studied supplements there is, yet it now sits in the same legal category as fat burners. Industry groups oppose the law, and I could not read the statute text or its effective date myself.
What the law actually does
According to the governor's office, AB 2030 bans the sale of over the counter diet pills and dietary supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building to anyone under 18. The bill's author was Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, and the governor signed it on September 28, 2026.
The law firm Akin Gump, which publishes an FDA focused legal blog, summarized the details. Coverage extends to products containing creatine, green tea extract, garcinia cambogia or steroids. Stores have to check ID for buyers who do not look over 18. Online sellers have to verify age and require an adult photo ID signature on delivery. Civil penalties run up to $500 per violation, and the attorney general, county counsel and city attorneys can all enforce it.
The governor's release explains the reasoning with two figures: nearly 1 in 10 adolescents have used these kinds of products, and users are six times more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder within three years. Those are the governor's numbers. I did not check the study behind them.
Why creatine is the odd one out
Garcinia cambogia and green tea extract fat burners are marketed on promises the evidence rarely backs up. Creatine is a different animal. It is one of the most thoroughly studied supplements in existence, and I have written before about how it raises the creatinine number on a blood test without damaging the kidneys. Putting it in the same bucket as steroids and weight loss pills treats a product people take for training and, increasingly, for brain research, as if it carried the same risk profile as the rest of the category.
That is the part parents, teen athletes and retailers are going to have questions about. A law written around "muscle building" language has to land somewhere, and according to this summary it landed on creatine.
A state by state patchwork is forming
New York already has its own version, passed in 2023 and upheld on appeal. California is now signed. New Jersey is still pending. Industry groups including the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association and the Natural Products Association oppose these laws, and Akin Gump notes a petition against New York's law is pending at the US Supreme Court on First Amendment grounds. I could not independently verify that petition.
Trade group opposition is advocacy. It tells you where the industry stands, not whether the products are safe or unsafe for teenagers.
Honest caveat
I could not open the chaptered bill or its effective date, because the state legislature's site was blocked to my fetcher. The creatine specific coverage comes from a law firm summary, not from the statute text itself. The six times eating disorder figure is the governor's claim and I did not check the underlying study. The Supreme Court petition against New York's law is reported by Akin Gump only. And industry opposition is advocacy, which is not evidence of harm or of safety.
What this means for you
If you are a parent of a teenager who trains, the practical question is what happens at the register and on delivery, and I would wait for the statute text and effective date before assuming anything about a specific product. If a teen is already taking creatine or any weight loss product, the useful move is a conversation with their doctor, not a panic.
If you are an adult, nothing here changes what you can buy. What it does is show where state law is heading, and how broadly a "muscle building" category can be drawn.
Primary sources
- Governor Newsom's press release, September 28, 2026, announcing the signing, the ban language and the adolescent use statistics
- AB 2030 bill text, California Legislative Information (I could not read the chaptered version or effective date)
- Akin Gump Eye on FDA, legal analysis of the covered ingredients, ID verification and penalties
- NutraIngredients, September 29, 2026, industry reaction to the signing
Common questions
Does the California law ban creatine for teenagers?
According to a law firm analysis, the law covers over the counter supplements marketed for weight loss or muscle building to under 18s, and that includes products containing creatine. I could not read the statute text or its effective date, so I would treat the exact creatine coverage as reported rather than confirmed.
Is creatine actually dangerous for teens?
This law does not say it is, and I am not claiming that either way for teenagers specifically. Creatine is one of the best studied supplements for adults, and the law groups it with fat burners and steroids based on how products are marketed, not on a creatine specific safety finding that I could verify.
Does this affect adults?
No. The sales restriction applies to anyone under 18. Adults can still buy these products, though stores may ask for ID if a buyer does not look over 18.
Stay Curious.
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