Hi, I'm María.
Source Context, Formula Atlas is run by María López Botín and her husband, from Spain. María is a primary school teacher and a mother of two, not a clinician and not a nutritionist. The site's editorial focus is European-style organic infant formula, Kendamil, Holle, HiPP, Lebenswert, and the rest, because we believe their composition standards (EU 2016/127: lactose-primary mandatory, GOS+FOS prebiotic blend, no corn syrup solids, narrower nutrient windows) are genuinely closer to breast milk than the FDA baseline. We're affiliated with Organic's Best Shop because, after years researching formula sourcing, OB is the most reliable way to buy these European brands if you don't live in the EU. The affiliate relationship didn't shape our editorial preference, the editorial preference is what made the affiliate partnership make sense. Full disclosure at /disclosure.
About the name change, From 2018 through early 2026 I published this research as BLW Store at blwstore.com, originally framed around baby-led weaning. As the work narrowed to infant formula specifically, the BLW framing stopped fitting what readers were finding here. In 2026 I rebranded as Formula Atlas at this domain. The author, the editorial standards, the methodology, and the affiliate relationship are unchanged, only the framing matches the focus now.
I'm not a doctor, a pediatrician, or a registered dietitian. I'm a parent who got obsessed with what actually goes into infant formula while choosing one for my own kids, and ended up reading FDA labels, EU regulations, and manufacturer spec sheets the way other parents read bedtime stories.
Formula Atlas is the side-by-side comparison site I wish had existed when I started. Since 2018 I've used, compared, and tracked reformulations across US and European brands, the ones sold here on Organic's Best Shop, the ones parents import from Germany and the Netherlands, and the big US brands like Similac, Enfamil, and Bobbie.
At a glance
- Started tracking formula
- 2018
- Formulas in the Atlas
- 111
- Brands covered
- 50
- Ingredient explainers
- 29
- Outer-section pillars
- 63
- Comparison articles
- 57
- Buying guides
- 22
- Q&A articles
- 30
- Last Atlas sweep
- 2026-08-18
- Medical credentials
- None, not a clinician
- Primary monetization
- Organic's Best affiliate
Editorial principles
- One household, and no pretending otherwise. There is no editorial team and no agency. Records are drafted with AI against primary sources and published with that status visible on every record as
verified_by. We would rather you check the sources than take our word. - Primary sources only. FDA, EU regulation, USDA, manufacturer datasheet, peer-reviewed literature. Wikipedia and affiliate aggregators are explicitly excluded. Full methodology.
- Single affiliate, fully disclosed. Organic's Best Shop only. Disclosure policy. No sponsored brand content. No paid placement.
- Verification dates on every record. The changelog tracks recalls, reformulations, and content updates publicly.
- Regulator wins ties. If a manufacturer label disagrees with FDA or EU regulation, the regulator wins and the record gets flagged. Never the other way around.
- No medical advice. Pediatrician consultation is recommended before any formula switch, especially for diagnosed conditions (CMPA, reflux, lactose intolerance).
How I verify every entry
Every Atlas record is built from primary sources, never marketing copy. The order of authority I follow:
1. Regulatory primary
FDA 21 CFR Part 107 (infant formula), FDA warning letters and recalls, EU Regulation 2016/127 (infant formula), EU Regulation 2018/848 (organic), USDA National Organic Program, Codex Alimentarius. If the regulator and the label disagree, the regulator wins and the record gets flagged.
2. Manufacturer primary
Official ingredient declarations, technical data sheets, press releases announcing reformulations. Every SKU record cites at least one manufacturer source. When a manufacturer reformulates silently, the freshness sweep (FDA RSS, RASFF, Google Alerts) is meant to catch it; the changelog is the public audit trail.
3. Peer-reviewed literature
PubMed, Cochrane, AAP policy statements, ESPGHAN position papers. Used when a specific ingredient or practice has a contested evidence base (DHA sourcing, palm olein absorption, probiotic strain-specificity, sn-2 palmitate claims).
4. First-hand use
I use these formulas. Observations about smell, mixability, stool consistency, and how they sat with my kids are labelled parent-experience note in the record so you always know what's my observation versus what's on the label or in a regulation.
The full methodology page documents every rule the Atlas follows and the order of authority it applies. If a record ever contradicts the methodology, the methodology wins and the record gets fixed.
What I don't do
- Give medical advice. I always recommend you talk to your pediatrician before switching formulas.
- Quote Wikipedia, affiliate aggregators, or AI-generated summaries as sources.
- Recommend a formula I haven't read the full label and regulation paperwork for.
- Publish AI-generated images of products. The Atlas uses real product photos from manufacturers, Organic's Best (affiliate partner), and US retailers under fair-use for editorial review. Placeholder images are deterministic SVG, never generative AI.
- Work with any formula brand in a sponsored capacity. The only affiliate relationship is Organic's Best Shop (disclosed on every relevant page).
How money moves through this site
When you click a link to Organic's Best Shop and buy a formula, they pay me a small commission. That's it, the whole business model. There is no sponsored content, no paid placement, no brand paying me to promote their products. Every affiliate link is marked rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" in the HTML and disclosed in the visible text near it.
Brands I cover but that Organic's Best doesn't sell (Similac, Enfamil, Bobbie, ByHeart, and most US-retail brands) generate no revenue for me. I cover them because parents asking "should I switch from Similac to HiPP" need both sides of the comparison to be documented honestly, not just the half that pays.
Find me
Formula Atlas isn't on Instagram. I started in 2018 making baby-led weaning content at @learnwithus_blw, but the more I researched infant formula the more I realized parents going into formula feeding had no centralized place to compare brands compositionally, every product page is marketing copy, every comparison was either thin or commission-aligned. Building this Atlas became more useful than continuing the Instagram cadence. The handle still exists as an archive of the BLW era; I rarely post there now.
For corrections, source tips, or requests to add a specific formula to the Atlas, email marialbotin@gmail.com. I read every message; replies take a few days.
This site provides research and comparisons, not medical advice. Consult your pediatrician before changing your baby's formula.