The Best Hypoallergenic Baby Formulas
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.This in-depth, parent-friendly guide will help you find and buy the best hypoallergenic baby formulas. You will learn what types of hypoallergenic baby formulas are available, what ingredients to avoid in formula, and where you can reliably purchase the best hypoallergenic baby formula. I update this post monthly to ensure that all of the information below is recent and accurate!
Finding the safest and healthiest formula for your baby can be a stressful process! I’ve heard from many of you that my guide to the best organic baby formula has been helpful in making that process a bit easier.
But navigating the world of hypoallergenic formulas can be even more stressful – because on top of trying to find a healthy solution, you know that your baby is getting sick from the milk protein in regular formula!
I was lucky enough to have two kids who didn’t have any allergies, but I have talked to so many moms who are frustrated with the lack of options for healthy, safe, organic, hypoallergenic baby formulas. So that’s why I created this article!
Some of the items below were given to me to review by the manufacturer or as part of an affiliate program. I may receive commissions if you make a purchase through the links provided. I only recommend products I’ve actually evaluated, I believe are the highest quality, and can do the most to help you and your family. By purchasing any of these products from the links below, you help keep this blog running, so thanks for your support!
Keep in mind that every person & situation is different, especially yours, so make sure to talk to your doctor and see how these guidelines and tips can help you. These tips are not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard or delay in seeking professional medical advice because of something you read here!
Below, I have listed the best hypoallergenic baby formula on the market today, followed by more details on each. Click on the formula name to go to the best online retailer of the formula.
The 15 Best Hypoallergenic Baby Formulas: 2021 Guide
While no hypoallergenic formula is perfect, the 15 hypoallergenic baby formulas below are considerably better than the rest. You can click on the formula name in the table below to find the best online retailer of the formula.
HiPP HA PRE
Try first if: Your baby has a cow’s milk allergy or sensitivity and you haven’t tried another hypoallergenic option (or you’re trying to move away from the US hypoallergenic options because of concerns over ingredients). Has extensively hydrolyzed protein, (86-87% broken down), 100% whey (no casein), no starch, but with the same lactose content as a non-hypoallergenic baby formula.
HiPP HA Stage 1
Try first if: Your baby has a cow’s milk allergy or sensitivity and you haven’t tried another hypoallergenic option (or you’re trying to move away from the US hypoallergenic options because of concerns over ingredients). Has extensively hydrolyzed protein, (86-87% broken down), 100% whey (no casein), starch added, and the same lactose content as a non-hypoallergenic baby formula.
HiPP HA Stage 2
Try first if: Your baby is over 6 months of age, has a cow’s milk allergy or sensitivity and you haven’t tried another hypoallergenic option or are moving up from HA Stage 1 (or you’re trying to move away from the US hypoallergenic options because of concerns over ingredients). Has extensively hydrolyzed protein, (86-87% broken down), 100% whey (no casein), starch added, and the same lactose content as a non-hypoallergenic baby formula.
HiPP Comfort
Use if: Your baby has a cow’s milk allergy or sensitivity and HiPP HA hasn’t worked. Most similar to a US hypoallergenic formula. Extensively hydrolyzed protein, (86-87% broken down), 100% whey (no casein), reduced lactose content and modified fats.
Kendamil Goat
Goat milk formula is easier to digest because goat milk has A2 milk protein (vs A1 which is in cow’s milk and is harder to digest). Kendamil uses whole goat milk instead of skimmed milk. It also has no palm oil, no soy, no added sugars, and is 100% vegetarian – uses plant based DHA/ARA with NO hexane extraction. Contains prebiotics, has a whey:casein ratio that mimics breastmilk for easy digestion. Is technically not organic, but is non-GMO and has Red tractor certified ingredients. This means Kendamil follows rigorous production standards and the farms they obtain their goat milk from do not use growth hormones or antibiotics.
Kabrita USA
Use if: Your baby has a cow’s milk sensitivity, but not a cow’s milk allergy. Goat milk formula has been a good option for babies with a cow’s milk sensitivity. But if your baby has a diagnosed cow’s milk protein allergy, they may have an issue with goat milk protein as well. Note: Kabrita is technically a toddler formula, but meets the nutritional requirements for an infant formula. Make sure your pediatrician is ok with you using Kabrita for your baby before you start this (or any other) formula.
Holle A2
Holle A2 cow milk formula is created from 99% organic ingredients and has no added sugars. Babies who have trouble digesting regular formula (made with A1 cow’s milk) may do better on A2 cow’s milk. The A2 beta-casein protein type is typically easier to digest than A1 milk proteins (which is the more common protein found in cow’s milk) This formula allows babies to continue drinking cow’s milk but without the protein that causes the discomfort. Contains DHA, but does not contain ARA, prebiotics or probiotics.
Holle Goat
The only 100% organic goat milk formula available. A good alternative to Kendamil if you are looking for a truly organic goat milk formula with no ARA and pre/probiotics added (it does have DHA added). The main drawback to this formula is the added maltodextrin. It also doesn’t have a whey:casein ratio that’s identical to breastmilk so it can cause constipation in some babies.
Alimentum® Ready to Feed
Use If: Your baby has a cow’s milk protein allergy, HiPP HA and Comfort have not worked, and you are looking for an option with less sugar (and you’re not as concerned about carrageenan). Carrageenan is a food stabilizer and thickener which can cause inflammation in the body. Between the two versions of Alimentum it’s a tradeoff with more sugar and no carrageenan vs. less sugar and added carrageenan.
Alimentum®
Use if: You have tried HiPP HA and HiPP Comfort and neither have worked, and your baby has a cow’s milk protein allergy. 93% hydrolyzed, so worth trying if HiPP HA and HiPP Comfort don’t work.
Nutramigen® Ready to Feed
Use If: Your baby has a cow’s milk protein allergy, HiPP HA and Comfort have not worked, and you are looking for an option with less sugar (and you’re not as concerned about carrageenan). Carrageenan is a food stabilizer and thickener which can cause inflammation in the body. Between the two versions of Nutramigen it’s a tradeoff with more sugar and no carrageenan vs. less sugar and added carrageenan.
Nutramigen®
Use if: You have tried HiPP HA and HiPP Comfort and neither have worked, and your baby has a cow’s milk protein allergy. This is almost identical to Alimentum, so they are pretty interchangeable. It’s 93% hydrolyzed, so worth trying if HiPP HA and HiPP Comfort don’t work.
Gerber Extensive HA
This formula is supposed to be 100% hydrolyzed, so it’s even more broken down than Alimentum / Nutramigen. Use if: You have tried HiPP HA and HiPP Comfort and neither have worked, and your baby has a cow’s milk protein allergy.
Neocate®
Use if: You need an amino acid based formula, and the other formulas on this list don’t work
EleCare®
Use if: You need an amino acid based formula, and the other formulas on this list don’t work
What types of hypoallergenic formulas are out there?
Soy Formulas
While these are an alternative to cow’s milk formulas, 8-14% of infants with a cow’s milk allergy will react to soy. On top of that, too much soy for infants hasn’t been studied in terms of its long term effects – so I don’t like recommending soy formula, especially non-organic soy formula, for babies with a cow’s milk protein allergy.
Goat Milk Formulas
This can be a good option if your baby has a cow’s milk sensitivity vs. a diagnosed cow’s milk protein allergy. For Goat Milk formulas, I’d recommend: Kendamil Goat, Kabrita USA or Holle Goat. For more details on goat milk formula, check out What’s the Best Goat Milk Formula for Your Baby?
Partially Hydrolyzed Formulas
These take a cow’s milk protein whey and break it up into large pieces. But this can still trigger an allergic reaction in babies who are allergic to cow’s milk.
Extensively Hydrolyzed Formulas
These are hypoallergenic. They are made for infants who can’t digest or are allergic to intact cow’s milk protein. These formulas break the casein (the cow’s milk protein) into pieces.
The healthiest options in this category actually come from Europe.
HiPP Comfort is most similar to a US hypoallergenic formula. It has extensively hydrolyzed whey protein (86-87% broken down) and does not contain casein (100:0 ratio). In addition, HiPP Comfort has a reduced lactose content. What’s interesting about HiPP Comfort is that while, in formulation, it is the closest to a US hypoallergenic formula and is more broken down than HiPP HA, it’s technically not labeled as a hypoallergenic formula in the EU for regulatory reasons. Comfort is typically indicated for gassiness, colic and constipation. We do, in practice, find that parents seeking a “hypoallergenic” formula have been successful with Comfort, so for those who have babies who are sensitive to both whey and casein, this may be the formula for you!
HiPP HA or HiPP HA PRE is another fantastic option, because it does contain extensively hydrolyzed whey protein (86-87% broken down), and it doesn’t contain casein (100:0 ratio), but it does not have a reduced lactose content. The difference between HA PRE and HA is that PRE has no starch added.
Common Extensively Hydrolyzed formulas in the US include Alimentum® or Nutramigen®, which are about 93% broken down – so slightly more than Comfort/HA. Gerber HA is 100% hydrolyzed, so it’s the most hydrolyzed formula that I’ve found. But if your baby tolerates HA or Comfort I would choose those over Alimentum/Nutramigen for a variety of reasons (more on that below!) Note: If you are looking for more information on the best baby formula made in the US, and you don’t need a hypoallergenic option, I’d recommend looking at this post.
Amino Acid Based Formulas
These are hypoallergenic. These don’t include whole protein molecules at all. Instead, they contain all the basic amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. These are the most expensive and are used when babies react even to extensively hydrolyzed formula. Common and Amino Acid Based formulas in the US include Neocate® or EleCare®. These don’t have great ingredients, but there isn’t a better option that I’ve found out there!
What makes European hypoallergenic formulas better than US formulas?
- No processed or refined sugars (syrup, syrup solids, maltodextrin, sugar, brown rice syrup, etc).
- Minimal synthetic nutrients: this includes lutein, lycopene, nucleotides, l-methionine. I won’t go into details on each nutrient listed above, but essentially – many are processed with neurotoxic solvents or are either themselves listed as a toxic ingredient.
- They taste much better than the US hypoallergenic formulas! US hypoallergenic formulas are notorious for tasting and smelling horrible – and that can make it even more challenging to get your baby to drink them. But because they’re made with whole food and minimally processed ingredients the European formulas are usually well tolerated by babies in terms of taste and smell.
- They’re pretty comparable in price, and sometimes even cheaper than the US hypoallergenic formulas.
- Note: while most HiPP formulas are organic, HiPP Comfort and HiPP HA are technically not certified organic because the hydrolyzed protein is not available in an organic form.
So are the US formulas really that bad?
Even if you just look at the sugar content and ignore the highly processed ingredients, yes. Look at the ingredients from some of the most popular brands – and you’ll see that over 50% of the ingredients are literally just sugar. That’s just like spoon feeding your infant table sugar! It’s ridiculous. And the two options without a high amount of sugar (Nutramigen® and Alimentum® ready to feed versions) have carrageenan added.
- Alimentum®: Corn Maltodextrin (35%), Casein Hydrolysate [Derived from Milk] (18%), Sugar (15%), High Oleic Safflower Oil (10%), Medium-Chain Triglycerides (10%), Soy Oil (8%).
- Neocate®: Corn Syrup Solids (51%), Refined Vegetable Oil (Medium Chain Triglycerides (8%), High Oleic Sunflower Oil (6%), Sunflower Oil (4%), Canola Oil (4%)), Fructooligosaccharides (Oligofructose (4%), Inulin (0.5% )
- Nutramigen®: Corn Syrup Solids (48%), Vegetable Oil (Palm Olein, Coconut, Soy, and High Oleic Sunflower Oils) (26%), Casein Hydrolysate (Milk) (16%)*, Modified Corn Starch (4%)
If you compare that to the Ingredients in HiPP Comfort or the Ingredients in HiPP HA – you’ll see that there is zero added sugar for both of these formulas!
So if your little one is allergic to cow’s milk protein, I’d definitely recommend trying HiPP Comfort or HiPP HA before any of the US based hypoallergenic formulas.
As for where to purchase these formulas, I’m in personal contact with the owners of all of these companies: MyOrganicCompany, Bottles and Burps, Organic Formula Shop, Organic’s Best, and Organic Baby Food, and I feel comfortable recommending them to you as options!
I hope this post helped you navigate finding best hypoallergenic baby formulas available today. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact me here – I respond to every message I get!
Hi there! My baby had bloody stools on the Hipp HA formula. Do I understand correctly that the Hipp Comfort may be a good alternative? The only formula she hasn’t reacted to is Alimentum, but with the current shortage, we have been unable to purchase it.
Hi Parker! Potentially, yes, HiPP Comfort may end up being better for your baby if she didn’t react well to HiPP HA, since HiPP Comfort is more broken down than HiPP HA is (it has reduced lactose and modified fats in addition to the hydrolyzed proteins that HA has). You won’t know for sure if Comfort will work until you try it, there’s no real way to tell ahead of time unfortunately. So if your pediatrician is supportive of you trying it, then go ahead and see if HiPP Comfort works better for her!
Hi, my baby drinks hypoallergenic baby formula. He used to drink Nutramigen but now with the formula shortage I have been switching him to whichever hypoallergenic formula I could find. I wanted to switch him to Europen formulas, but his pediatrician said not to do that since how he formulas are transported here is not regulated. Is there any way to make the formulas are what they are claimed to be and that they are transported safely?
Thank you!
Hadas
Hi Hadas! The distributors I list in my post all meet the quality guidelines for transporting formula safely and never sell counterfeit formula. Personally, I would feel comfortable ordering from any of them and I have actually ordered from all of them and used their formulas for my kids. That said, that is my personal opinion and I would never advise you to go against what your pediatrician says. You should feel comfortable with whatever decision you make! If you don’t feel comfortable with European formulas and your pediatrician is not supportive, you probably should stick to the hypoallergenic formulas available in the US. Hope that helps!
I just bought the hipp HA PRe but my 2 month baby didn’t like it at all I’ve trying so hard he drinks it but unfortunately he refuses I don’t know if it is the taste because his face says everything and almost vomit.
Are all these tastes the same?
I do really want to try another hypoallergenic European which are supposed the cleanest
Hi Jennita! I’m sorry to hear your baby didn’t like the taste of HA PRE! All hypoallergenic formulas taste slightly different from one another, but in general, none of them will taste like breastmilk or like regular formula because the milk proteins have been broken down, and that produces a very distinct taste. You could try HiPP Comfort, but that’s even more broken down than HIPP HA PRE so he may not like that either. If your pediatrician approves, you could try mixing the HA formula with a regular formula to see if that helps him transition to it better – but don’t do that without talking to your pediatrician first! Hope that helps, let me know if you have any other questions!
My grandson was born with Nec and has been exclusively on Puramino infant formula, after trying a few others that upset his stomach at birth. He is now 8 mos. old and my daughter has been unable to find Puramino formula anywhere. I don’t know why there is now apparently a shortage of this formula; but what can she give him in the alternative, that will not upset his stomach?
Or can you tell me where I can locate Puramino infant formula, whether in store or online? We live in Las Cruces, NM. Thank you.
Hi Rosanne! Thank you for reaching out! It looks like Puramino is an amino acid based formula, so the comparable options would likely be Neocate or Elecare. The problem is — many of these formulas were recalled which might be why you can’t find Puramino anywhere either! I would talk to your grandson’s pediatrician to figure out what alternatives might work for him – feel free to show his pediatrician my list of options to help you choose!