HiPP vs. Kendamil Formula: Which Is Right for Your Baby?

Comparing HiPP vs Kendamil usually starts with a pile of tabs: two European brands, several versions of each, and labels written in English, German or Dutch.

The short answer: there is no single winner, and the right formula depends on what you want to see on the label and on your pediatrician's advice. Among the standard Stage 1 formulas compared here, HiPP's UK, German and Dutch labels list organic skimmed milk first, with palm oil and fish oil. Kendamil Classic and Organic list whole milk first, no palm oil and DHA from algae oil. Formuland carries both: browse HiPP formula in UK, German and Dutch versions, or the Kendamil range in UK and EU versions.

Disclosure: Formuland sells both brands; this HiPP vs Kendamil comparison does not rank them. Ingredient facts come from each brand's own label pages for the UK (hipp.co.uk, kendamil.com), Germany (hipp.de) and the Netherlands (hipp.nl); prices and stages come from our store. Checked November 8, 2026. This is general information, not medical advice.

What to Look for When You Compare HiPP vs Kendamil

Read the label of the exact version you plan to buy. Both brands sell national versions, and a UK can and a German box of the same brand can list different ingredients. These are the points that separate the two brands:

• Label version: UK, German or Dutch for HiPP; UK or EU for Kendamil.
• Milk listed first: skimmed milk or whole milk.
• Oils: which vegetable oils, and whether palm oil is listed.
• DHA source: fish oil or algae oil. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega-3 fat.
• Extras: GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides), FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides), 3'-GL (3'-galactosyllactose) or a lactic acid culture.
• Organic status: certified organic or not.
• Stage and age: follow the age range on the label; ranges differ by brand and version.
• Price per ounce of powder, which we calculate below.

The German and Dutch HiPP cans and Kendamil's EU cans are sold under Regulation (EU) 2016/127. It requires DHA in every infant formula and follow-on formula, and allows sucrose in infant formula only when it is made from protein hydrolysates. It also generally limits pesticide residues to 0.01 mg/kg per active substance, with stricter limits for a few substances. UK-labeled cans follow UK law, and all of these are different rulebooks from U.S. infant formula requirements, so ask your pediatrician about any formula you choose.

None of these points makes one brand right for every baby. They tell you what is in the can, so you can compare like with like.

HiPP Organic Baby Formula

HiPP's standard infant formulas are organic, and Formuland sells them in three versions: UK, German and Dutch. This HiPP vs Kendamil comparison covers all three HiPP versions. Shop them in our HiPP formula collection.

What Is on the HiPP Stage 1 Label

The HiPP UK Organic First Infant Milk label lists organic skimmed milk first, then an organic whey product, organic vegetable oils (palm, rapeseed and sunflower), organic lactose and organic GOS. Its DHA comes from fish oil: 13.2 mg per 100 ml of prepared formula, with the same amount of ARA (arachidonic acid) from Mortierella alpina oil.

The German and Dutch Stage 1 labels share that base: organic skimmed milk, a whey product, the same three oils and fish oil. They add a lactic acid culture, Limosilactobacillus fermentum CECT5716. HiPP's name Combiotik refers to that culture together with GOS. The UK label lists no culture.

3 HiPP Versions: UK, German and Dutch

Shop each version in its own collection: HiPP UK formula, HiPP German formula and HiPP Dutch formula. The Dutch line runs to HiPP Dutch Stage 4, a toddler milk; follow the age on the can. HiPP's German recipe-update page says its Combiotik formulas change from autumn 2026 (taurine is added) and asks parents not to mix old and new powder in one bottle, so check the label on the box you receive.

HiPP Specialty Formulas: HA, Comfort and Anti-Reflux

HiPP also makes formulas for specific situations, which sit outside the main HiPP vs Kendamil comparison. Each one is a decision for your pediatrician, not a label to pick on your own.

• HA: HiPP's German glossary spells HA as hydrolysierte Anfangsnahrung, formula made with hydrolysed (broken-down) milk protein; HiPP HA is in our HA formula collection. The German HA 1 label says it must not be used if a cow's milk protein allergy exists or is suspected. In that case, ask your pediatrician which formula to use; the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says to ask your pediatrician to recommend a hypoallergenic formula when a baby needs one, and our guide to HA and hydrolyzed formula explains the difference.
• Comfort: HiPP UK Comfort is a food for special medical purposes (FSMP). Its label page says it should only be used on the advice of a healthcare professional and lists reduced lactose and partially hydrolysed whey protein. The NHS says partially hydrolysed comfort formula is not suitable for babies with cows' milk allergy.
• Anti-Reflux: HiPP Anti-Reflux is also an FSMP. The UK label page lists carob bean gum as a thickener and says to use it only on the advice of a healthcare professional. The NHS adds that anti-reflux formula is for use under medical supervision and may need different preparation; our reflux and formula guide has more.

Kendamil Baby Formula

Kendamil is the other half of the HiPP vs Kendamil question. Its UK range has three Stage 1 formulas: Classic, Organic and Goat. Formuland also stocks Kendamil's EU-labeled Premium and Bio Nature cans. Shop them all in our Kendamil collection, or read our Kendamil formula review for the whole range.

What Is on the Kendamil Stage 1 Label

The Kendamil Classic First Infant Milk UK label lists whole milk first, then skimmed milk, lactose, vegetable oils (sunflower, coconut and rapeseed) and demineralised whey powder. It adds GOS and FOS, and its DHA comes from oil of the microalga Schizochytrium: 16.1 mg per 100 ml. The nutrition table also lists 3'-GL at 0.01 g per 100 ml.

The Kendamil Organic First Infant Milk label lists organic whole milk, organic demineralised whey and organic skimmed milk, the same three oils in organic form, organic lactose and organic GOS, with 16.1 mg of algae-oil DHA per 100 ml. Its nutrition table also lists 3'-GL, and Kendamil describes it as certified organic. Neither UK label lists a lactic acid culture, and Kendamil's pages say it never uses palm oil or fish oil.

Kendamil Classic, Organic and Goat Ranges

Kendamil also makes Kendamil Comfort. Its label page calls it a food for special medical purposes to be used under medical supervision, with partially hydrolysed protein and reduced lactose. As with HiPP Comfort, it is not for cows' milk allergy (NHS), and that choice belongs with your pediatrician.

Cow's Milk vs. Goat's Milk

Both brands sell goat milk formula, so a HiPP vs Kendamil choice can also be a goat-to-goat choice. Our goat milk formula guide covers the category, and the goat milk formula collection lists every brand we carry.

The Kendamil Goat First Infant Milk label lists whole goat milk and demineralised goat whey first, the same three oils as Classic and 16 mg of algae-oil DHA per 100 ml; see the Kendamil goat formula collection. HiPP's German goat PRE label lists organic skimmed goat milk first, with palm, rapeseed and sunflower oil. Formuland sells HiPP goat formula in Dutch cans and German boxes.

Goat milk formula is not an allergy formula. The NHS says goats' milk formula is not less likely to cause allergies than cows' milk formula and is not suitable for babies with cows' milk allergy, and AAP says the same. Kendamil's own goat label says it is not suitable for children with cow's milk allergy. Plain goat milk is not infant formula: the NHS says pasteurised goats' milk can be a drink from 1 year.

Comparing HiPP vs Kendamil Side by Side

This is the HiPP vs Kendamil comparison in one table, using the Stage 1 labels of the cans and boxes Formuland sells. Each column summarizes selected facts from one named-market label (the German column uses HiPP's updated recipe label), checked November 8, 2026.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Ingredients

These are label facts. None of them on its own means one formula will suit your baby better than another.

Price per Ounce

Here is the price side of HiPP vs Kendamil: one-time prices for a single can or box at Formuland, checked November 8, 2026, divided by the ounces of powder (800 g = 28.22 oz).

Powder price is not cost per bottle, because scoop sizes and mixing ratios differ by brand. Prices are before any multi-pack discount or Subscribe & Save, which takes 7% off eligible items, and Formuland offers free U.S. shipping on orders of $100 or more.

Which Formula Is Right for You?

No single formula is best for every baby, and the HiPP vs Kendamil choice is no exception. Start from your label priorities, then talk with your pediatrician:

• If you want whole milk listed first and no palm oil, look at Kendamil Classic or Kendamil Organic.
• If you want a certified organic formula, compare HiPP (UK, German or Dutch) with Kendamil Organic.
• If you want a lactic acid culture on the label, HiPP's German and Dutch Combiotik formulas list L. fermentum; the UK HiPP label does not.
• If you prefer DHA from algae oil rather than fish oil, Kendamil's labels list algae oil.
• If you are choosing between HiPP German PRE and Stage 1, PRE lists lactose as its only carbohydrate and Stage 1 adds starch.
• If your baby has a diagnosed condition, such as an allergy or reflux, the formula choice belongs to your pediatrician.

To compare more European formulas, see our European baby formula comparison chart.

Switching Between HiPP and Kendamil

Whichever way you go on HiPP vs Kendamil, talk with your pediatrician before you switch. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says to talk with your child's doctor or nurse if you want to switch infant formula brands or types.

1. Ask your pediatrician, and tell them which version (UK, German, Dutch or EU) you plan to use.
2. Check the product category and the age on the new label, not the stage number alone. The NHS says follow-on formula should never be given before 6 months and that first infant formula can stay your baby's main drink until 1 year; toddler milks are for children over 12 months.
3. Use only the scoop that comes with that can or box and follow its own water directions; never swap scoops between products.
4. Switch bottle by bottle on the plan your pediatrician agrees: replace one whole bottle at a time.
5. Never combine two formula powders, or two prepared formulas, in one bottle. During a switch, every bottle is one formula, prepared with that product's own scoop and directions.
6. Note feeds and diapers, and call your pediatrician with any concern.

Preparation directions differ too. HiPP's German label says to cool boiled water to about 40 to 50 °C, while Kendamil's UK label says to use water that is still at least 70 °C. Follow the label of the can you use, throw away leftovers after a feed and never warm a bottle in the microwave.

Powdered formula is not sterile. The CDC lists extra preparation steps for babies younger than 2 months, born prematurely or with a weakened immune system, so ask your pediatrician for a plan. Our guide to preparing and storing baby formula covers water, scoops and storage times.

Shop HiPP & Kendamil Formula at Formuland

Formuland carries HiPP in UK, German and Dutch versions and Kendamil in UK and EU versions, with duties and taxes included. Each collection lists stages, sizes and stock for both sides of the HiPP vs Kendamil choice:

Questions about versions or stages? Email our team and we will help you find the right can.

Disclosure: Formuland sells HiPP and Kendamil formulas, including every product and collection linked in this guide. This HiPP vs Kendamil comparison does not rank them and makes no claim that either brand changes how a baby feeds, digests or grows. Label facts are from the brands' UK, German and Dutch pages and can change; read the can you receive. Decisions about your baby's formula belong with your pediatrician.

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