Does Beef Tallow Belong in Skincare?

“Ancestral skincare.”
“Back to basics.”
“Just like our great-grandmothers used.”

Beef tallow, the rendered fat of cows, has found its way into modern skincare, thanks to the rise of natural, paleo and Tik-Tok beauty influencers. The claims? That it’s closer to our skin’s natural oils, highly nourishing, and safer than modern lotions “full of chemicals.”

But is any of that true?
And more importantly, does beef tallow offer anything you can’t already get from existing skincare products?

Let’s look at the chemistry, the claims, and whether this trend holds up.

What Is Beef Tallow?

Beef tallow is rendered animal fat from the fatty tissue of cows. When properly processed, it’s solid at room temperature andcontains a blend of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, primarily:

• Palmitic acid

• Stearic acid

• Oleic acid

These fatty acids are also found in plant-based butters (like shea and cocoa) and in human sebum, which is where a lot of the “bio-identical” marketing comes from.

Tallow is also sometimes claimed to contain trace amounts of fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, although their levels are typically too low to be considered active cosmetic ingredients.

What Tallow Can Do in Skincare

Tallow is an emollient.
Like other fats and butters, it:

• Softens skin

• Prevents transepidermal water loss (TEWL)

• Creates a barrier on the skin surface

• Has a relatively low chance of causing irritation, assuming it’s well-purified

In short: it moisturizes.

From a formulation perspective, tallow behaves similarly to other saturated fats. It’s semi-solid, occlusive, and compatible with many anhydrous systems (like balms and salves). It can be used in emulsions as a fatty component, though its odor and texture may require masking or blending.

What Tallow Can’t Do (That the Hype Suggests It Does)

Many of the boldest claims about beef tallow are based more on nostalgia and natural fallacy than science. For example:

“Tallow is better because it’s from animals, like us.”

While it’s true that tallow contains some of the same fatty acids found in human sebum, so do plenty of plant-based oils like jojoba oil, for example, which closely mimics sebum in structure and function.

Also, your skin barrier doesn’t care whether oleic acid came from a cow or a sunflower. It cares about structure, concentration and context.

“Tallow is rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K.”

Unless the tallow is specifically fortified or fractionated, the levels of these vitamins are not standardized and not present in meaningful cosmetic concentrations. You’ll get better results from using stabilized derivatives of these vitamins like retinyl palmitate (A) at proven concentrations.

 “Tallow heals eczema and acne.”

There’s no clinical evidence that tallow treats skin conditions. Like any occlusive, it may reduce dryness-related irritation. But it doesn’t have antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory activity on its own.

In fact, the oleic acid content in tallow (about 40–50%) could worsen barrier function in some people with sensitive or compromised skin, especially those with eczema, where linoleic acid is often more beneficial.

What About Safety, Spoilage, and Stability?

This is where things get less appealing.

• Oxidation risk: Animal fats are prone to rancidity unless properly stabilized.

• Odor: Even deodorized tallow has a distinct smell, which can be hard to mask.

• Contamination risk: If not processed and purified correctly, it could contain unwanted byproducts (residual proteins, microbial load, or heavy metals depending on sourcing).

• Shelf life: Without antioxidants, tallow-based formulas may degrade faster than those with stabilized synthetic esters.

Also, unlike cosmetic-grade ingredients that go through standardized quality control, small-batch tallow products often rely on home rendering or unverified sources. That’s a safety concern.

Is Tallow More “Natural” Than Other Ingredients?

Only if your definition of “natural” is incredibly flexible.

Tallow is natural in the sense that it’s minimally processed and derived from animals but so are many plant oils. And from a regulatory standpoint, “natural” has no legal meaning in the US so any perception of superiority is purely branding.

It’s also worth noting: the cosmetic industry moved away from animal-derived ingredients decades ago not just for ethical reasons, but for standardization, consistency, and safety.

So, Is There Anything Tallow Does That You Can’t Get Elsewhere?

Not really.

Everything tallow offers like occlusion, softness, barrier protection can be achieved with:

• Shea butter

• Petrolatum (yes, it’s synthetic, but also highly effective and safe)

• Lanolin

• Esters like isopropyl myristate or C12-15 alkyl benzoate

• Lipid-based actives tailored for skin barrier repair

What tallow has going for it is marketing appeal to audiences seeking ancestral, minimalist, or zero-waste formulations. But scientifically? It’s just another fat and not necessarily the best one.

Final Thoughts

Tallow isn’t harmful. It can be a functional emollient in the right formula. But it’s not magical, not modern, and not meaningfully better than the dozens of other emollients we already have access to which are backed by safety data, stability testing and performance metrics.

Like many trendy beauty ingredients, tallow is largely a marketing story.
If you’re after performance, safety or innovation? Look elsewhere.