Beef tallow face creams are gaining popularity in the natural skincare world, but are they truly beneficial or just another fleeting trend? Derived from rendered beef fat, tallow is rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K, and closely mimics the fatty acids found in human skin, making it a potentially nourishing moisturizer. Advocates praise its hydrating, anti-inflammatory properties, while critics question its appeal and sustainability. As interest in ancestral skincare grows, the question remains: Does beef Tallow deliver real results or just hype?
Packed with Skin-Loving Nutrients
So many of you are thinking to yourself; Gross, animal fat whipped up to put on my face. Hard pass. Well, that is a basic description. But let me tell you why you are oversimplifying this and why you are overlooking a few key facts. Not just the thought of whipped beef fat, but there are more than fatty oils in this cream.
So, the main reason we put any type of cream or oil on our skin is for what? Benefits range from a healthier glow to pushing some moisture into our dry pores, to anti-aging, to just helping our skin hydrate and take on the day of endless screen time, pollution, and our daily life. To facilitate this, we need vitamins to help this process. Well, beef tallow is packed with vitamins and minerals! Vitamins A, D, E, K, Omega-3, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), to be blunt.
Now let’s break down these real fast! Vitamin A boosts cell turnover, helping to reduce fine lines and acne scars. That alone should make us all turn our heads and consider that this is good stuff, right? Well, vitamin D strengthens the skin barrier and may ease conditions like psoriasis or eczema. Oh, so it helps ease conditions, huh?
Ancient Fat, Modern Magic: The Return of Beef Tallow
Well, let’s keep going! Vitamin E: Acts as an antioxidant, fighting free radicals and reducing irritation. Ok, take my money, please! Oh, and Vitamin K? Well, that helps contribute to healing processes by reducing redness, inflammation, or discoloration. Oh, so you are telling me this is organic and is boosting things that lab-created creams say they do, but never really do? Interesting!
Fatty acids are fats that our bodies need, sort of like healthy fats that our bodies need (cue the carnivores). So Omega-3 fatty acids help lock in moisture and promote skin hydration. Oh, the healthy glow! I fight against dry skin all day long! So, beef tallow helps? You bet your cute bottom it does!
Conjugated linoleic acid is a type of omega-6 fatty acid that may have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. A big word that is an organic fat that fights for our skin health. Got it! Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. I looked up and extensively read about these. They, in a nutshell, benefit overall health, especially Cardiovascular health. So remember, whatever you put on your skin gets absorbed into your system. Mainly your blood, and then it gets broken down further.
Other nutrients, yes, there is more to this! Antioxidants help protect the skin from environmental stressors. Like mother-in-laws? Just asking for educational purposes! Fatty acids, similar to the skin’s natural oils, promote deep hydration and nourishment. Hmm, sounds to me like there are a lot of benefits that outweigh putting things like beef tallow on my face.
However, two key negatives have been highlighted at the Mayo Clinic. The saturated fat is high in saturated fat, which could increase inflammation when consumed in large quantities. They suggest using this in moderation, like any food or skincare product.
Naturally Compatible with Human Skin
It’s a weird idea to think that animal fat (or anything about an animal) closely resembles us. Well, according to PubMed Central, this is one of those times! Beef tallow is considered bio-compatible with human skin. Its composition closely resembles the lipids and fatty acids found in OUR skin’s epidermis. This is nuts, I know! Beef tallow similarity helps maintain the skin’s natural balance and can improve hydration and strengthen the skin’s barrier.
Interesting fact: the lipid composition (all the good fats) is found to be crucial for maintaining the skin barrier. What is the skin barrier? Well, we know our skin needs hydration, correct? Well, the skin barrier helps prevent trans-epidermal water loss. It locks in all that good hydration our skin needs to stay pretty and healthy!
What else does that mean? Well, in simplest form, (I did a lot of reading before I found it broken down to a 1st-grade level), Beef Tallow contains so many good things which support skin health, cell turnover, and antioxidant protection. Also, it naturally softens the skin and helps to restore its elasticity without harmful chemicals. Oh yes, all those lab-made products have harmful chemicals that, over time, damage our skin beyond repair. Oh, and one more thing. It contains microbial cell membranes that can help stop the growth of certain bacteria and fungi.
Real Benefits or just Beauty Buzz?
So we’ve discussed the amazing vitamin-packed goodness that makes up the beef tallow at a basic level of skin health. Well, did you know it goes further than just your skin? Studies over at Mayo have shown more than just skin goodness. Not only is beef tallow bursting with a mega amount of vitamins, but its full body benefits will have you glowing from the inside out, from the tips of your hair to the bottoms of your feet!
The vitamins that are absorbed into our bodies are essential for various bodily functions, including immune support, bone health, and cellular functions! The fatty goodness vitamins and omegas help support our immune systems. In essence, it helps build a heartier immunity to all the things we fight. Like the common cold, it fights off the bacteria from that razor nick and that shady nail salon your friend took you to, that may or may not have been questionable.
So there is a main ingredient in a few of these vitamins, choline! Which is a nutrient that plays a role in brain function and nerve health. I bet you are a lot like me and are asking why we haven’t heard of this before. And why hasn’t this been a thing? Well, it has! It became a hot commodity during the Bronze Age. The ancients used it to cook with, used it like butter, made candles, and YES, even makeup and face creams were made with it! The ancients used what they could, and they had plenty of beef fat. No labs to create high-priced anti-wrinkle stuff. They were more aware and healthy than we could ever imagine.
The Ethics and Sustainability Factor
Many of us are, in fact, animal lovers and want to make sure that they are not just slaughtering cows to make this whipped cream. Well, according to the USDA, each producer has to follow humane guidelines as well as only be allowed to source the fat from the livestock industry that practices said guidelines. “Any products have to be ethnically sourced from grass-fed animals to ensure the health and well fair of the product, animal, and consumers.”
The FDA has long been in question about how it approves certain medications, products, and chemicals. They tend to lean towards inorganic. “Beef tallow is not FDA-approved for topical use on the skin. It is an unregulated product, meaning there are no established standards or guidelines for its use in skincare…” But they also don’t approve of herbal medicine, like vitamins and fatty acids.
With that being said, consumers may find it difficult to verify how and where the tallow was sourced, but if you dive into the company you are thinking about buying from, they tend to share how they source. Many women-owned small businesses like Amallow.com and prettyfarmgirl.com. They tell you their stories, how they source the tallow, and the amazing journey that the tallow has been for them.
The Eco-Friendly Tallow Lowdown
The beef tallow that the creams are made from is often the fat that would be discarded, making it a way to reduce waste in the meat industry. Wait, so this is using all of the animal instead of throwing it away? Are you telling me this is ethical and treating the animal so that it matters to the last bit? Yes, yes I am!
Also, by sourcing locally, we help the Earth. How? By cutting the carbon footprint that sourcing across the country or the world! So we are cutting down on pollution! One more positive thing! Lab-grown or synthetic moisturizers can reduce dependence on animal products but may involve petrochemical inputs into our bodies. The less harmful chemicals are coming into our bodies. Remember when I said what we put on our skin is absorbed into our systems? Yeah, let me be more mindful, especially about beef tallow!
Trend Alert or Tried-and-True?
History always repeats itself, whether it’s fashion, food, or health. It tends to always circle back. For centuries, people have used animal fats, including tallow, for skin care. Beef tallow was a staple in traditional medicine and home remedies, especially before the rise of petroleum-based and synthetic skin care. Yes, you read that right, petroleum-based! Sit with that for a moment.
Beef tallow’s fatty acids are remarkably similar to human sebum, making it naturally moisturizing and well tolerated by many skin types. Now, if you are a vegan or vegetarian, we understand your hesitancy and reluctance to use these products. The vitamins and minerals that are found in the tallow are amazing for supporting skin health.
The recent interest in ancestry health, paleo lifestyles, and minimalist skincare routines has brought Tallow back into the spotlight! Rightfully so! Look at our ancestors’ health when there were only the basics around. They had better sleep patterns, skin, and habits, and no chemicals that broke down their bodies. A better and healthier way, don’t you think?
The Comeback Fat
Influences and niche skincare communities are fueling beef tallow’s popularity by touting its benefits for sensitive, dry, or acne-prone skin. Now, this only goes skin deep, and can only help when we do our part. That includes our sleep schedules, diets, and active lifestyles. It’s not a band-aid, it’s a tool we should use to help not just our skin but our health.
The bottom line is that beef tallow is NOT new, but its current popularity is a trend rooted in traditional practices with a modern rebranding. Whether it remains mainstream likely depends on the broader shifts in consumer attitudes toward animal products and sustainability.
