Below is an email I recently sent to a private client of mine. Since the number one question I receive is “What is the safest infant formula?,” I thought some of you might be interested in my analysis of the two safest brands of baby formula, HiPP vs. Holle (both from Europe). Note that whichever formula you choose, you should always use a water filter to remove chlorine (carcinogenic) and fluoride (linked with lowered IQ). (Here’s more on why you should get a filter and which ones I like.)
Dear E.:
So the bottom line is I would recommend Holle formula as the best option, but it’s not without some problems, unfortunately (yet again it becomes clear that nothing can compare with breastmilk). HiPP is superior in a few ways, but I’ll explain why ultimately I would go with Holle below.
Here’s what I considered when researching HiPP vs. Holle:
- Palm oil. Palm oil is an ingredient that a lot of people worry about (suspected to affect bone density), and both HiPP and Holle contain it. However, because they each contain a blend of other oils (like coconut and sunflower), I don’t think the amount is as concerning. They do both also contain rapeseed oil, otherwise known as canola oil, which is also somewhat controversial. It’s worth noting that Baby’s Only doesn’t contain palm oil–but it does contain soybean oil, which I don’t like, so not really a huge win.
- Aluminum issue. The HiPP ready-made formula is preferable to the HiPP powder because the latter has strangely high aluminum levels, although even the ready-man has borderline levels. (I can’t figure out why–possibly because it comes in aluminum pouches (within a cardboard box)). However, in general I actually DON’T like ready-made formulas because they contain soy lecithin (sometimes extracted with hexane…and soy is problematic anyway because of its estrogenic properties). On the other hand, the amount of lecithin is relatively small, and probably worth the trade-off. Note that the HiPP Growing Up milk in powder form actually has much lower levels of aluminum (but you can’t use that until after 12 months, and it does contain soy lecithin. Sigh). Bottom line here is go for ready-made or Growing Up milk if you do get HiPP, but with Holle you don’t have to worry about this.
- LCP oils. The addition of omega 3 and 6 oils in U.S. formulas is controversial because of the extraction methods (super complicated issue so I’ll spare you all the details). HiPP has these added oils, but I suspect the extraction methods are probably required to be cleaner in Europe. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to get to the bottom of this, so it’s a question mark and potentially another negative for HiPP. And studies show that the addition of the oils doesn’t improve the nutrition for babies anyway, so their absence isn’t really a negative for Holle.
- Organic practices. Both of these companies have been around for more than 50 years, and the dairy products from both come from grass-fed, organic cattle, certainly of a higher quality that anything you get here. Holle farms are certified organic and biodynamic–which I’ll simplify by saying is like organic-plus, with very strict standards from the processing all the way to the packaging. Another point in the Holle column.
- Sugars. All formula has a lot of sugar (breastmilk is naturally quite sweet), and HiPP wins in this category, as it uses lactose as a sweetener, which is the best option (and also the most expensive). Holle uses maltodextrin (a plant-based sweetener), although it seems to use less of it than most American formula brands. And here’s an update from July 2015: Lebenswert is a newish formula under the Holle umbrella. The Stage 1 Lebenswert formula contains lactose instead of maltodextrin, and Lebenswert is now available at here!
- Prebiotics. This is another win for HiPP. Holle doesn’t contain these, and it’s one of the big things found in breastmilk but missing from formula.
Bottom line: Both HiPP and Holle are superior to American formulas, in my opinion. They lack many of the concerning ingredients found in most formula you get here, don’t have white sugar or corn syrup in them, and also skip some preservatives and the carrageenan found even in other organic formulas. If it were my baby, I would probably choose Holle because of the aluminum issues with HiPP–which to me is more concerning than the maltodextrin (the only major downside to Holle). The lecithin, biodynamic farming, and LCP oil issues further put Holle in the lead. And if you choose Stage 1 Lebenswert, you skip the maltodextrin as well.
Stay sane,
200 comments
Keren
That’s very helpful, thanks so much! Just two follow-up questions:
– If using Holle, would you recommend giving baby a non-hexane extracted DHA supplement (such as Honest brand) or do you believe there’s no proven benefit so no need? (As a side note, I’m supplementing breastfeeding with formula, about 50/50 currently.)
– Could you explain what the benefits of prebiotics are? Since Holle is missing this, is there a supplement you’d recommend?
Thanks again!
Nate
Well the bad news is that the Artisana.co.uk site has been taken offline. I have been ordering the HIPP stage 1 for my son since January. First Amazon was forced to take it off the list and now this site has been taken down. I ordered 6 boxes on April 5th and have not seen the shipment yet. There are other sites that sell it from overseas however their prices are much higher than Artisana. I am really disappointed.
Nate
Miriam
I would be very interested in them. Are they still available??? Please let me know. Ecuabella1 at gmail.com
Maia James
Hi Keren-
No, Holle does not contain LCP oils (the ones advertised to boost eye and brain development, although studies haven’t really shown them to be effective in doing so). Yes, it does contain iron.
Keren
This may go against what makes Holle the most natural option, but do you know if its formula is iron-fortified or contains any of the eye/brain development benefits?
Maia James
Thank you so much for the feedback, Jeane! Yes, I don’t want to officially recommend any vendor until I have thoroughly vetted them. I have been having phone calls with many of them and will be coming out with an official recommendation soon!
Laura
Actually that organic site is in Germany so I now buy Holle from bIobaby24 which is in NYC, USA! Unfortunately they don’t have HiPP.
Maia
My research has led me to believe that no, there is not a risk from the radiation.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/01/12/145107755/why-x-rayed-food-isnt-radioactive-and-other-puzzles
Zara
I heard the shipment of these European brands go through X-rays.Do you have any insight and whether it’s harmful or not?
Jeane
I saw that you removed some of your website recommendations on where to buy these formulas. I purchased through Tora foods as well as Formuland via paypal. Both had minimal shipping costs but were over $30/box. It seemed safe especially with the paypal option but I saw that bioBaby24 does not have that option but is definitely the cheapest I’ve seen for Holle (around $20) (I would purchase Hipp because it is a better deal except my baby seems to be more gassy on it). Looking forward to seeing what you can find out about these sites.