Teenagers in California will soon find it harder to purchase creatine or muscle building supplements from retailers after new age verification laws come into effect from January 1st, 2027.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2030 (AB 2030) into law on September 28th, 2026. Assembly member, Josh Lowenthal introduced the bill, which states it is illegal to sell these products to anyone under the age of 18 unless they have a prescription.
Creatine, a commonly used sports supplement, has now become a topic of conversation. However, there are concerns around how retailers will determine whether a product is a general dietary supplement or a muscle building supplement.
The bill does not ban all dietary supplements, it targets over-the-counter diet pills and dietary supplements that are labelled, marketed or described as weight loss or muscle building.
However, there are specific ingredients included that may cause authorities to believe the product falls into this category including:
Creatine
Green Tea Extract
Green Coffee Bean Extract
Raspberry Ketones
Garcinia Cambogia
Steroids
Importantly, these ingredients have not all been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for weight loss or muscle building. AB 2030 separately identifies ingredients approved by the FDA for these purposes, steroids, and five specifically named ingredients: creatine, green tea extract, raspberry ketone, garcinia cambogia and green coffee bean extract. The presence of these ingredients is one of the factors a court may consider when determining whether a product is marketed for weight loss or muscle building.
Products that make claims about reducing your body fat, altering your body weight, affecting your metabolism, increasing your muscle mass or improving your strength may also fall under this category.
If a product is sold in a section with other muscle building supplements or weight loss supplements, or if a product is marketed using promotional material that makes claims relating to muscle building or weight loss, then the product could come under scrutiny.
Although having creatine or any of the above ingredients does not mean the product is banned, they can be taken into consideration to determine the purpose of the product.
This means that AB 2030 does not automatically prohibit every creatine product from being sold to minors. For example, a creatine supplement marketed specifically for muscle growth could fall within the law's scope. However, a product containing creatine should not automatically be considered prohibited solely because of that ingredient. Its labelling, marketing claims, advertising and retail placement may also be considered.
The restriction also extends beyond conventional sales. The legislation prohibits selling, offering to sell or giving away covered products to anyone under 18, including as part of retail or wholesale promotions.
Both physical and online retailers will need to follow the new legislation.
Physical stores must ask to see proof of identity if a customer is attempting to purchase a product and cannot reasonably determine the customer appears to be under 18 years old. Retailers can also choose to limit access to these products.
Online delivery retailers must confirm that the customer is aged 18 or above.
Under AB 2030, delivery sellers, including online retailers, must use either or both of the following methods to verify a purchaser's age:
Obtain the buyer's full name, date of birth and residential address and verify these details through a commercially available database, or an aggregate of databases, consisting primarily of government-sourced information and regularly used for age and identity verification.
Require an adult aged 18 or above to sign for the delivery and present valid government-issued photographic identification showing that they are at least 18 years old.
The database used for verification must not be owned or controlled by the delivery seller or subject to changes or additions made by the seller.
There may be fines of up to $500 per violation. The California Attorney General, county counsels and city attorneys have the authority to enforce the law.
Those under 18 who have a prescription to purchase these products are not affected.
This new legislation has been introduced due to increasing concerns around adolescents using weight loss and muscle building products.
Weight loss pills and supplements are of particular concern as they are often marketed as a quick fix to body image issues. Adolescents often discover these through social media, fitness influencers and online advertising.
A systematic review and meta-analysis looking at the use of over the counter weight loss products by adolescents was published in JAMA Network Open in 2024. Researchers analyzed 90 studies involving 604,552 participants.
The results found that approximately 8.9% of adolescents in the general population had used non-prescription weight loss products. This figure represents lifetime use. The study also found that 2% of adolescents in the general population had used these products in the past week, 4.4% in the past month and 6.2% in the past year. Across all included populations and time periods, the overall pooled prevalence was 5.5%. The products examined included diet pills, laxatives and diuretics, rather than creatine specifically.
It also found links between using these products and concerns about low self-esteem, depression and an increased risk of eating disorders.
This has led to calls for stricter regulations around products marketed towards young people.
Supporters of the bill believe that restricting these products could help protect adolescents from potentially harmful products and misleading marketing.
Creatine is one of the most commonly used supplements in sports. It is naturally found in the body, where it helps provide energy to muscles during short bursts of high intensity activity. It can also be found in food such as meat and fish. Creatine monohydrate is commonly sold in powder form and used by adults to improve their performance in exercise and increase muscle strength. However, there are concerns around adolescents using creatine.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has highlighted concerns around performance enhancing substances in young athletes including creatine. Many young athletes use these products to improve their performance and appearance. Their clinical report on performance enhancing substances state:
"Most adolescents can significantly improve their strength and athletic performance through normal maturation, appropriate training, and adequate nutrition. Most young athletes do not gain much benefit from supplement use."
The AAP reaffirmed this clinical report in August 2025, with reference and data updates. Its guidance continues to highlight the limited performance benefits of these substances for most young athletes compared with appropriate nutrition, training and natural physical development. It also raises concerns about contamination in performance-enhancing supplements.
There are also concerns around the quality of products. Dietary supplements are not regulated in the same way as prescription medications by the US. Manufacturers have a duty to ensure their products are safe and correctly labelled. Unlike prescription medications, they are not approved by the FDA for safety and effectiveness.
However, the FDA does regulate dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). It does not approve dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed. Manufacturers and distributors are responsible for ensuring that their products are not adulterated, misbranded or otherwise in violation of federal law.
For certain new dietary ingredients, manufacturers or distributors must also submit a notification to the FDA at least 75 days before introducing the product into interstate commerce. This notification must include information supporting the conclusion that the ingredient is reasonably expected to be safe under its intended conditions of use.
However, the FDA can take action against products that are adulterated, misbranded or don’t meet federal requirements.
This leads to concerns around incorrect labelling, contamination and undeclared substances. Although this new legislation does not mean that all creatine products are unsafe. This legislation has been backed by public health and eating disorder prevention organizations. Organizations like the American Herbal Products Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition and Consumer Healthcare Products Association have expressed concerns.
One main issue raised by these organizations is identifying what items are included in this category. Creatine and green tea extract can be found in many nutritional and wellbeing products. However, those representing the industry feel that not all products should be restricted simply because they contain these ingredients.
Concerns have also arisen regarding the responsibility placed on retailers. Online retailers may need to implement third party verification processes or alter methods of delivery which could incur additional costs to smaller businesses.
It has also been raised by industry groups that there is not a clear difference between items marketed for weight loss or muscle building and general wellbeing/sports.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) have specifically questioned the ingredient-based criteria. They argue that ingredients such as creatine and green tea extract are also used in general nutrition, wellness, energy and sports supplements that are not necessarily marketed for weight loss or muscle building.
AB 2030 will come into force from the 1st January 2027 meaning retailers and supplement companies do not have much time to consider what category their products fall into, what labels and marketing they use and how they will verify age.
This will create a distinction for the consumer between general dietary supplements and those used for weight loss/muscle building.
The legislation received support from public health and eating disorder prevention organizations. The Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders (STRIPED) and the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) were co-sponsors of the bill. Other supporters included the Academy for Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorders Association.
However, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) and Natural Products Association (NPA) opposed the bill. The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) opposed it unless amended.
AHPA and NPA also argued that the legislation was overly broad and could restrict access to beneficial dietary supplements.
Overall, it shows that there are bigger issues to consider relating to adolescents being influenced by fitness and body image marketing, regulation of dietary supplements and who should take responsibility for protecting young consumers.
With fitness and supplements becoming more popular amongst young people, this new legislation in California is an important step to regulate products that are marketed to help you transform your body.
References:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Questions and Answers on Dietary Supplements.” Accessed November 10, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/food/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements/questions-and-answers-dietary-supplements.
Hall, Natasha Yvonne, Dhanushi Madhushani Hetti Pathirannahalage, Cathy Mihalopoulos, S. Bryn Austin, and Long Le. “Global Prevalence of Adolescent Use of Nonprescription Weight-Loss Products: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” JAMA Network Open 7, no. 1 (2024): e2350940. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.50940.
LaBotz, Michele, and Bernard A. Griesemer. “Use of Performance-Enhancing Substances.” Pediatrics 138, no. 1 (2016): e20161300. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1300.
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