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
Steve
To start with, anything you import into a country might go through x-ray.
X-Ray of mailpieces is totally harmless, here are some facts: Radiation dose of mail x-ray-scanner : 0.01 mrem One day of natural background radiation : 1 mrem One day of man-made radiation : 1 mrem Average commercial airplane flight (4 hours) = 4 mrem http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/bio-effects-radiation.html http://www.radiationanswers.org/radiation-blog/Airport_xray_scanners.html So if you take your kid on a day at the beach, the exposed radiation will be 20 times higher (natural and man-made radiation together), than a mailpiece will take from a scan. Best Regards Steve – Milkbutler.com – Your reliable source for organic babyfoodThe other question, is it harmfull or negligible ?
kris
Hi Maia,
I love your website and recommendations and am a faithful customer – your products are fantastic. Just wanted to let you know that there appears to be a problem with the supplier Organic Baby that you mention in this post – they appear to be having some problems and do not respond to voicemail or email. They took a very substantial $$ order from me via PayPal and never sent the Holle formula. And have not responded to me over the past 3 weeks or refunded my money. Their voicemail appears to be full, as well. PayPal is investigating, I just thought you should know in case another of your customers has a similar problem with them.ellen
sooooo, i’ve read this and all the comments like 3 times. can someone just tell me where to order from? at this point i’m cool with either hipp or hole. some of the websites seem shady. where should i order from? organicbaby15 maybe seems most legit? someone please just tell me where to order. thanks guys!
desperate and tired momma of 4 here, who just cannot do anymore research here. thanks!Alisa
Hi Maia,
Do you have any info on the differences between the UK and German formulations of HiPP? Also, thanks for your website. It’s truly a godsend.kylie
Hi Im hoping someone can possible help me with my question… Ive been giving my 5 month old holle goats milk formula stage 1 which she loves and I love giving to her however Ive been having to mix it with either the old crap formula or some all organic corn syrup (both of which I HATE doing) other wise she ends up having incredible hard poops which seem to hurt her coming out….. Anyone else have this issue or know why it’s happening / what I can do?
thanks
Organicbaby15
Limited time only.
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Alin Andrade
Hi Maia, so my daughter is now 9 months old and the Holle Lebenswert Infant Formula 1 says it is up to 6 months but I have continued to give it to her since Formula 2 and up all have other ingredients I would prefer her not to have. Do you know if it is ok to continue her on the Formula 1 up to her 12 month birthday?
Sari
Does Holle stage 1 from the UK contain high aluminum levels? Can’t seem to easily access Lebenswert at this time.
Leslie Tang
Hi! Do you have any feedback on the website British corner shop? They ship hipp to the US and wanted to see if they would be a trusted source to get my baby formula. Thank you in advance!
kelley elton
what is the difference in iron between holle stage 1 and stage 2