HiPP Versus Holle: Which European Infant Formula is Healthier?
Written by:
Maia James
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,
Maia, Founder & CEO
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200 responses to “HiPP Versus Holle: Which European Infant Formula is Healthier?”
I have 3 boxes of HiPP Organic 1 from Birth onwards First Infant Milk 800GM for sale at $25 per box. We bought it in the UK and would no longer be needing it. Email me at fumi210@gmail.com if your interested.
And – there are no memberships or limited stocking! I think there is a 12 box per order limit, but that is reasonable. Cheers.
I buy HIPP straight from the UK. I used to use Artisana, thank goodness I paid with PayPal and was able to get my last $200 back after they shut down their site. I now use http://www.britsuperstore.com/
Super fast! I ordered on Saturday and received on Thursday! The cost (incl shipping) was almost the same price than the same quantity of Enfamil or Similac.
I got 4 boxes of 800g (3200g total) for $140.00. That is $35 per box of 800g or $0.04375 per gram. Compare to $26 for 629g of Enfamil Newborn which is $0.04133 per gram. Totally worth the extra $0.00242 per gram for a far superior product! And customer service was very responsive, helpful, and quick as well.Hey, I hope you dont mind but I really have this strong urge to recommend a British website that i used to order 15 NEW boxes of Hipp and 12 Ready to feed.
British Online Supermarket – http://www.britishonlinesupermarket.com/
It was Quick, with no NO Daily Quotas and no NO Membership Fees. No nonsense in short.
The best part is that it is literally half the price of the American website that are selling it. Some of these American website give you a feeling that they are doing you a favor that they are selling it to you. I didnt like that and I am so happy I found this site.
Apparently you make an order and then the folks in the UK go out and shop for the items.
I made the order on Oct 13 , on Oct 16 I got a confirmation email that the order was shipped and today (the 20th) I got all the sealed boxes. 7 Days.
They said it will take about 2-3 weeks.
Below is the order i made so you can compare the costs: (works out to about $22-$23 per 800 g box!!)
DESCRIPTION QUANTITY PRICE COST
Hipp Organic Infant Milk 800g 15 £10.49 £157.35
No. Shipped 15
Hipp Organic First Infant – 12 £1.19 £14.28
Milk 200ml
No. Shipped 12
Subtotal: £171.63
Shipping & Handling: £77.99
Total: £249.62I swear i have no affiliation to the website, just one very very happy customer! My name is Amir Simkhai, you can check me on Facebook.
Hello, have you been happy with the products you received from this website?? I just went to the site and you are right, the prices are definitely the cheapest I’ve seen.
Hi all! I wanted to provide another resource for mommies looking to order Holle products here in the US. We sell Lebenswert Bio 1 and other Holle products at http://www.purelylovedorganics.com. Hope this helps!
How do you still have this in stock ? I thought there was a worldwide shortage?
Hi, there was a worldwide shortage because I was trying for the longest to get this, then I finally found that organicbaby15 are now stocked with it.
I was looking at the nutrition facts of Holle and there is fluoride in it. Is this safe for babies?
My understanding is that the fluoride found in Holle (and other) formulas is the naturally-occurring variety—from the milk used to make their formulas.
Hi Maia,
Since our daughter is only about 8 lbs 11 oz, (and the minimum dosage for the Premium Organic DHA supplement is 1.0 ml for a 10 lb baby) my Pediatrician suggested 0.5 ml. However, we stopped the Premium Organic and went to Hipp Organic First Infant (stage 1) while we are waiting for our shipment of Holle Organic Goat Milk (Formula 1) to arrive. We first tried Baby’s Only Organic (with Hexane-free DHA and ARA) but it really constipated our baby. Then we went to the Premium Organic which did the same. Our Pediatrician suggested Enfamil Newborn (which we tried just to see if her constipation would improve) + mineral oil . . . but after a lot of research I bought the Holle Organic Goat which I am really looking forward to getting a hold of. Unfortunately the Hipp Organic has the high aluminum issue or we would stick with it. Our baby seems to love it, and her poop has returned to something resembling what you get with breast milk. For what it’s worth, I agree with you. Holle all the way, and from what I can tell the “Goat Milk” formula is even better!
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