Beef Tallow Is the New Secret Ingredient… In Skincare?
A lot of people think frying foods in beef tallow yields the yummiest taste (hence the downfall of McDonald’s fries after the 1990 switch from tallow to vegetable oil). While the main discourse on the subject revolves around whether or not beef tallow, which is high in saturated fat, is bad for your health, there’s been growing rumblings about the ingredient in another industry: skincare.
Cow fat doesn’t exactly sound like something you’d want to rub onto your face, but its composition has a lot of elements that make it appealing for skincare. Skin-benefiting nutrients naturally found in tallow, or rendered animal fat, include fatty acids and vitamins commonly added to skincare: oleic, palmitic, stearic, and linoleic acids; and vitamins A, D, K, E, and B12. One scoping study exploring beef tallow and its effects on skin found research supporting the ingredient’s moisturizing, hydrating, and anti-microbial powers. The study also cited research that linked tallow to the reduction of itchiness caused by eczema and psoriasis in both humans and mice.
While TikTokers have a fascination with using actual beef tallow from brands like Epic straight on their faces, some who tested the skinfluencer hack found the pure versions greasy and a little smelly. In line with the growing interest in the animal-derived ingredient for skincare, cosmetics companies have been steadily rolling out their own tallow products, blending the thick substance with complimentary ingredients to improve the smell and texture, which makes for a more approachable way into the trend. In addition to being more appealing, research indicates that combining tallow with other unsaturated fatty acid-rich ingredients can create an emulsion that’s more beneficial to the skin than just tallow alone. The final products promise skin-moisturizing and anti-aging benefits as well as anti-inflammatory properties some people even credit with nixing some types of stubborn acne. In addition to moisturizers, research has found that tallow-based soaps can be more effective than chemical options at healing wounds, and they’re less drying and better at keeping skin plumped up with moisture.
There are still research gaps that need to be explored — but one thing we love about the emerging trend? It’s all-natural, and the companies incorporating beef tallow into their lineups usually adhere to a more stringent non-toxic ethos than beauty brands you often see at your local CVS or Sephora, which still rely on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and additives.
Toups and Co Organics has several balms, salves, and creams that use 100 percent grass-fed and finished beef tallow mixed with olive and essential oils, and people with rosacea, eczema, and dry skin have sung the products’ praises for the results. Primarily Pure combines tallow from grass-fed cows with fatty acid-rich emu oil as well as marshmallow root, calendula flower, and essential oils in its Everything Balm. People swear by this product to treat everything from sunburns and razor burns to skin dryness, uneven texture, redness, and rosacea. The brand also uses tallow as the key ingredient in some of its other creams, body butters, and lip oils. And Amallow offers a Whipped Tallow Cream that features organic sweet almond oil (among other ingredients), which has oleic, linoleic, and palmitic acids to complement the 100% grass fed and finished beef tallow in its Tallow Based Collection. There is a surprisingly high volume of other tallow creams on the market currently, and you can expect to see more make their debut as the clean beauty trend continues to pick up steam.
Beef tallow-forward beauty products probably aren’t for everyone, and dermatologists point out that the substance is comedogenic — meaning it can clog pores. If you have sensitive or oily, acne-prone skin, it might increase breakouts. If you’re considering dabbling on the trend to treat a skin condition, consult your doctor first.
