Creatine Age Verification on Amazon: NY and CA Rules Guide

If your creatine order asked for age verification or wouldn't ship, the likely cause is a state law on online sales of muscle-building and weight-loss supplements. New York's law has applied since April 22, 2024. It bars sellers from selling or delivering covered products to anyone under 18, and it requires an adult to sign for the package and show a government photo ID. California's version, AB 2030, is expected to take effect January 1, 2027. Whether a particular creatine product is covered depends on how it is labeled and marketed. For Amazon's own handling, check the age prompt and delivery options at checkout, or ask Amazon customer service.

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Creatine age rules at a glance (as of November 13, 2026)

Does Amazon verify age for creatine orders?

The only Amazon reporting on this question is from the Associated Press. In an April 25, 2024 story, AP said it was “unclear how large online retailers like Amazon will ensure they aren't shipping the supplements to minors in the Empire State.” Amazon did not respond to AP's request for comment. Read the AP story on New York's supplement law for the full context.

For what Amazon does at your checkout today, look at the age prompt and delivery options on your order. If your order was stopped, Amazon customer service is the place to ask why.

What does the New York law require for online orders?

New York's law is in New York General Business Law section 391-oo. It covers “delivery sales” made by a “vendor, including online retailers.” NutraIngredients describes the bill as covering supplements “labeled, marketed or otherwise represented as ‘weight loss' or ‘muscle building'” (May 23, 2024).

For delivery, the law requires the package to be signed for by an adult aged 18 or older. The signer must show a valid, government-issued photo ID proving they are at least 18. Polsinelli's April 2024 summary puts it this way: online retailers “will need to work with their common carriers.” You can read creatine age restrictions by state for a side-by-side overview.

The penalty is set out in the statute: a court “may impose a civil penalty of not more than five hundred dollars,” and information-use violations can reach $1,000. The Attorney General may also seek an injunction.

What does the California law require, and when does it start?

California's AB 2030 is California AB 2030 text, Chapter 720 of the Statutes of 2026, which adds Health and Safety Code section 109030. It was signed September 28, 2026. CRN's bill notice says it is expected to take effect January 1, 2027. The california creatine age restriction guide covers the 2027 timeline in more detail.

California's verification rule differs from New York's. A delivery seller may use either or both of two methods. The first is checking the buyer's full name, birth date and residential address against a database “consisting primarily of data from government sources.” The database “shall not be in the possession or under the control of the delivery seller.” The second is shipping with a method that requires an adult at least 18 to sign, who shows a government-issued photo ID.

Marketing counts too. The statute lists as a factor whether the seller “Grouped the product with other weight loss or muscle building products in a display, advertisement, internet website, or area of the store.”

How are other online sellers handling the New York rule?

AP reported in April 2024 that The Vitamin Shoppe said “buyers in New York will need to present an ID on delivery.” Its general counsel, Carlos Lopez, wrote in a March 1, 2024 op-ed that the rules mean “every shipment of restricted product be subject to an ID check” at delivery.

Other sellers have published their own steps. MitoQ's New York FAQ says that if your cart has an affected product, it asks you to confirm your age at checkout and ships by an adult-signature method. MitoQ names its Longevity Creatine Complex as the only affected product. Cellucor's New York FAQ says covered orders carry an additional shipping charge that is shown in the cart, and that its free shipping threshold does not cover it.

Venable's Claudia Lewis told NutraIngredients in May 2024 that many clients use third-party age-confirmation services, and that companies are working with delivery vendors to “confirm and have a record of age verification.” Supplement Advisory Group's Asa Waldstein said in the same article: “Companies like UPS charge extra for this service, and often, these costs are passed on to customers.”

Has the New York law been enforced or challenged in court?

The lawsuits are industry challenges to the New York law itself, not suits about particular online sales. In a February 9, 2026 report, Holland & Knight's report on the age-limit cases said the Second Circuit affirmed the denial of a preliminary injunction in CRN v. James (159 F.4th 155, 2d Cir. 2025).

CRN's CRN's October 2026 announcement says the Supreme Court denied certiorari in No. 25-1145, and the case continues in district court. A separate Natural Products Association suit in the Eastern District of New York was dismissed without prejudice for lack of subject matter jurisdiction on June 13, 2024, according to PricePlow's industry news report.

On enforcement, Lewis said in May 2024 that “time will tell how New York intends to enforce the new law.” Kelley Drye's March 2024 analysis expected “secret shopping” campaigns that would send findings to the Attorney General. For any enforcement question, ask the New York Attorney General's office through its New York Attorney General contact page.

What changed, and when?

Key dates ahead

• January 1, 2027: California's AB 2030 is expected to take effect, according to CRN's bill notice.
• Ongoing: The CRN case continues in district court after the Supreme Court denied certiorari.

Who does this affect?

The laws apply to delivery sellers, which include online retailers. Cellucor's New York FAQ says the law also applies to “physical retail stores located in New York.” If you live in New York, your online creatine order is covered when the product is labeled or marketed for weight loss or muscle building. Waldstein told NutraIngredients that ingredients “like creatine” will “likely fall under this law, whether or not they directly claim to help with weight loss or muscle gain.”

New York's law bars sales of covered products to buyers under 18, and it has applied since April 22, 2024. California's AB 2030 is expected to take effect January 1, 2027, and it sets the same under-18 limit. In New York, the package must be signed for by an adult 18 or older who shows ID at delivery. California allows a database age check as an alternative to adult signature, so an adult signature at the door is not the only option there.

Common mix-ups

• The law says 18, but the ID asks for 21. Cellucor's FAQ says most shipping companies verify age only for those 21 and older. Kelley Drye's March 2024 analysis reported that most common carriers verify age at 21, and that age-gating at 18 “is not broadly offered or will cost extra.”
• Protein powder is treated differently. New York does not apply to protein powders or protein drinks unless they contain another ingredient that would qualify alone.
• Free shipping does not cancel the adult-signature charge. Cellucor and MitoQ both say their free shipping thresholds do not cover this delivery method.
• Lawsuits are not the same as a stay. The cases challenge the New York law itself, and CRN's case continues in district court.
• California is not in effect yet. AB 2030 is signed, and its January 1, 2027 start is expected.

Can I buy creatine online if I'm under 18?

New York's law already bars sellers from selling or delivering covered products to anyone under 18. California's AB 2030 contains the same rule and is expected to take effect January 1, 2027. If you're under 18 and wondering about creatine, talk with a parent or guardian and your doctor or pediatrician. You can also read can you buy creatine online under 18 for the age rules in plain language.

Questions about creatine itself

Two studies in the PubMed database address creatine and muscle. A 2023 randomized, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 17 healthy males for eight weeks. Creatine supplementation increased muscle thickness compared with placebo in both the traditional training and blood flow restriction groups, with no significant difference between the two treatments (p = 0.349). The trial also reported that creatine increased muscle performance at 30% of 1RM when combined with blood flow restriction training.

A 2001 study of creatine during energy restriction gave male resistance trainers 20 g per day of creatine for four days. Muscle total creatine rose 15 to 16% in the creatine group, while the placebo group showed no change. The study also reported that creatine “did not affect body fat or protein loss.” You can read more in Creatine Benefits: Human Studies (our research library).

For questions about hair loss, thin hair, what to expect after a month, whether creatine is safe, or whether a teen should take it, ask a doctor or pediatrician. The guide What Does Creatine Do? Benefits and Safety covers the general picture.

Before you order

• At checkout, look for an age confirmation prompt and the delivery method and surcharge shown in your cart.
• Ask Amazon customer service how it handles age checks and adult-signature delivery for this product.
• If you buy from a different seller, ask which delivery method it uses for New York or California orders.
• If you're in California, check the status of AB 2030 before any order placed after January 1, 2027.
• For enforcement questions, contact the New York Attorney General contact page.

By the Gym Floor Guide Editorial Team