HiPP is a European organic infant formula made by a family-owned German company that has been producing baby food since the late 1800s. It’s one of the most popular formula brands in Europe and has gained a significant following among parents in the U.S. and Canada, even though it isn’t officially sold in those markets. Parents are typically drawn to HiPP for its organic certification, its use of prebiotics and probiotics, and ingredient lists that differ noticeably from most American formula brands.
A Family Company With Deep Organic Roots
HiPP started when Joseph Hipp, a confectioner in the Bavarian town of Pfaffenhofen, made a simple baby cereal from crushed rusks and milk for his twins when his wife had trouble nursing. That was in the late 1890s. The product caught on locally, and over the following decades, three generations of the Hipp family built it into one of Germany’s best-known baby food brands.
The company’s turn toward organic farming happened when Georg Hipp met a Swiss pioneer of organic agriculture named Dr. Hans Müller. That encounter reshaped the entire business. HiPP adopted ecological production methods for its fruit and vegetable ingredients, and eventually made organic sourcing a core part of its identity. The company motto, “The best from nature. The best for nature,” still guides its product development today. Under the management of Georg’s sons, HiPP expanded into a brand built around ecological, economic, and social sustainability.
What’s Actually in HiPP Formula
HiPP formulas use organic cow’s milk (or goat’s milk, depending on the line) as their protein base, combined with a blend of vegetable oils to replicate the fatty acid profile of breast milk. Palm oil is one of those oils, included because it’s the only vegetable oil naturally rich in palmitic acid, which makes up roughly 24% of the total fatty acids in breast milk. Research suggests that adequate palmitic acid improves stool consistency in formula-fed infants, producing softer, more yellowish stools similar to those of breastfed babies. HiPP sources its palm oil from organic smallholder farms planted on old pastures, not cleared rainforest.
What sets HiPP apart from many competitors is its use of both prebiotics and probiotics in certain formulations. The prebiotic is GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides), a type of fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. The probiotic strain is Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT 5716, a bacterium that occurs naturally in human breast milk. In clinical research, the combination of GOS and this probiotic strain produced intestinal parameters in formula-fed infants similar to those in breastfed infants, and the pairing was associated with a lower incidence of gastrointestinal infections.
HiPP also uses Metafolin, a naturally derived form of folate, in its German and Dutch lines. This is a more bioavailable form than the synthetic folic acid found in many standard formulas, meaning your baby’s body can absorb and use it more efficiently.
German, Dutch, and UK Versions
HiPP isn’t a single formula. It comes in three main regional versions, each with meaningful differences in ingredients, packaging, and available stages. If you’re ordering HiPP from overseas, knowing which version you’re getting matters.
HiPP German
The German line offers the widest range of options: cow’s milk, goat’s milk, hypoallergenic, anti-reflux, and comfort formulas. It comes in 600g cardboard boxes and is available in five stages, from PRE (birth) through Kindermilch 2+ (24 months and up). One important detail: most German stages contain starch as a secondary carbohydrate alongside lactose. However, the German PRE stage is starch-free, and a starch-free version of Stage 2 is also available. German formulas include both prebiotics and probiotics.
HiPP Dutch
The Dutch version is packaged in 800g tin cans and comes in four stages. Its biggest selling point for many parents is that every stage uses 100% lactose as the carbohydrate source, with no starch at any stage. Dutch formulas contain both prebiotics and probiotics and use Metafolin for folate. The specialty range is more limited, focusing on goat’s milk options but not offering anti-reflux or comfort versions.
HiPP UK
The UK line also comes in four stages, with 600g boxes for standard formulas and 800g tins for specialty options like anti-reflux and comfort. UK formulas are starch-free and contain prebiotics, but they do not include probiotics. The UK line recently added Metafolin to its recipe, bringing it in line with the German and Dutch versions. It does not offer hypoallergenic or goat’s milk options.
Starch: Why It Matters to Parents
The presence or absence of starch is one of the most common things parents compare when choosing a HiPP version. Starch acts as a thickener and secondary energy source. Some parents prefer starch-free formulas because lactose is the primary carbohydrate in breast milk, and they want to keep the formula as close to that profile as possible. Other parents find that a small amount of starch helps their baby feel fuller and spit up less. Neither option is harmful. If you have a preference for starch-free, the Dutch formula or the German PRE stage are your best bets.
Specialty Lines for Sensitive Babies
HiPP makes several formulas designed for specific digestive issues. The anti-reflux formula uses natural locust bean gum as a thickening agent, which has a proven reflux-reducing effect. This thickener causes the formula to stay down more easily after feeding.
The hypoallergenic (HA) line uses extensively hydrolyzed protein, meaning the milk proteins are broken down into much smaller pieces. This makes them less likely to trigger an allergic response. Clinical research on HiPP’s HA formula showed very low allergenicity while still preserving certain immune-signaling components that may help a baby’s body develop tolerance over time. The HA formula also includes GOS and the same probiotic strain found in the standard line, and tolerability in studies was similar to breastfed infants.
The comfort formula is designed for babies with general fussiness, gas, or mild digestive discomfort. It’s available in the German and UK lines but not the Dutch.
Buying HiPP in the United States
HiPP is not registered with the FDA and does not appear on the FDA’s list of infant formulas currently marketed in the U.S. All infant formula sold in the country, whether made domestically or internationally, is required to meet U.S. safety and nutritional standards, and manufacturers must notify the FDA at least 90 days before marketing a formula. HiPP has not completed this process.
Parents in the U.S. and Canada typically purchase HiPP through third-party importers and online retailers. The FDA has cautioned that imported formulas bought this way may not meet U.S. requirements, and that important recall or safety information may not reach buyers through unofficial channels. HiPP does meet European Union regulations, which have their own strict standards for infant nutrition, but the two regulatory systems are not interchangeable. If you choose to import HiPP, buying from an established retailer that handles shipping and storage properly is important, since formula quality can degrade with improper handling or long transit times.