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
Lynne
Thank you so much for the comprehensive research! If one were to use Holle, is there a supplemental way to replace the prebiotics?
john
The goat milk formula is a good bet, Veronica, although only as an “add on,” as you can see on their website.
Celia, we cannot guarantee any of the vendors listed—these are just places that sell the formula and many people have purchased with them with no issues.
Veronica
What about the Holle goat milk formula? How does it stack up?
Celia
Hi, can I trust formuland.com to buy Holle?
Lindsay
Do Hipp or Holle contain any added DHA? If so do we know their extraction method? Curious if they are using the non GMO method that Baby’s Only uses.
Also, what’s the best oatmeal for an infant? Preferably one sold in the US that is a true GMO-free oatmeal? Earth’s Best used hexane extraction in their DHA formulas but curious if their oatmeal is the same. I can’t seem to find this info anywhere!john
Hi Vidhya-
It’s true that there is no guarantee about the aluminum levels of Holle—and the company has been unresponsive to my requests for more information because they say they are not allowed to sell their products in the US market. We continue to try to get additional information on all infant formulas and will post updates as we do! In the meantime, the best that parents can do is choose the safest formulas based on current research. This is part of what makes this issue so complicated!
john
Hi! Yes, it is our opinion that these European brands are probably superior to Baby’s Only, although Baby’s Only is still a good choice for formula-feeders.
Vidhya
Hello.
I just found the aluminium study on biomedcentral.com and holle was not one of the products included in the test. Who know how much is in that formula? Several other European formulas were. I’m not sure of a study like this with u.s formula either.
Vidhya
Hello
Do you know if the study about aluminium in baby food formula included holle? It is a lot in the hipp formula. But I wonder which products were included.
Thanks.
Jennifer Obert
Hello,
So these brands are thought to be safer/better than Baby’s Only DHA/ARA?