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
Maia James
This would be a good question for your pediatrician; I don’t want to make a recommendation for a dairy-sensitive baby.
Maia James
I haven’t done a thorough review of Topfer, but it generally looks comparable to Holle (maltodextrin being the only not-so-great ingredient).
Johannes
Hey Cassie,
in German iron means “Eisen” so look for Eisen when checking for iron values. Regards Johannes - organicbabyfoodshop.comJohannes
Hey Nancy,
Are you still interested in more Holle Infant Formula? Regards JohannesJohannes
Try to use HiPP Lebenswert as it is usually even better digestible than Holle.
Best regards Johannes PS: Just in case: You can choose between HiPP, Holle and Lebenswert Bio in our new online store at http://organicbabyfoodshop.comJohannes
Hello Anika,
here is Johannes from OrganicBabyFoodShop.com. We are aware that there is some trouble with the shipping sometimes. Thats also why we created a new shipping (and warehousing system) that ships only the freshest batch directly form Hamburg, Germany to you! Check it out if you’re still serious about getting the best organic baby formula. http://www.organicbabyfoodshop.comRobert Navarro
Hi all,
Best, -RobertOur daughter is 10 months old, and we’ve been giving her Holle Infant Milk (and the Honest DHA supplement) since nearly the beginning. We started on stage 1, moved to stage 2 and will be giving her stage 3 till she’s one year old.
While I have been a huge advocate of Holle (and still feel it’s one of the best out there), our Doctor told us at the last appointment that our daughter is low on iron and we would have to give her an iron supplement. When we compared the iron content of Holle to most other formula brands we found that Holle is about 37% less than the others – and this most likely is why she is iron deficient.
We are going to try Baby’s Only Organic with the next baby and hope it doesn’t constipate.
Melissa
Is this store a safe store. Another blog about these formulas said to order from bristore.co.uk. Also I got the UK version of hippvthis time and not the German and she’s been 24hrs since the change in formula and she’s been spitting up a lot more than usual. Guess that’s from the switch. She didn’t spit up at all on the German one though
Briana
Do you have any experience with hipp’s hypoallergenic formula? I see it still has lactose in it, so does that mean that my baby will have a reaction if he has a dairy sensitivity, or is it broken down enough where he should tolerate it? Strange it’s labeled hypoallergenic if dairy allergies can’t drink it. Thanks!
Kim
What do you think of Topfer? I emailed Organic Munchkin and told him about my baby’s personal situation (underweight, picky eater, and gas) and he recommended that along with the Holle. Thank you!