Should You Be Using Beef Tallow on Your Skin? What Dermatologists Think About the Latest Trend

TikTok is a great place to discover trends and get tips, especially when it comes to skincare. The latest trend is applying all-natural beef tallow, or rendered beef fat, to your face to keep it hydrated, prevent blemishes and more. This trend is led by influencers who encourage chemical-free products.

Beef tallow is traditionally used as a cooking staple, most commonly as an oil for frying. It’s been a household product for years, but social media has brought it to the forefront.

It hasn’t been closely studied as a skincare ingredient, so as with any new product you want to try, do so with caution and consult your dermatologist before jumping on the bandwagon.

We spoke with a dermatologist to learn more about beef tallow, including its potential benefits and harms if you include it in your skincare regimen.

Learn more: Simple Ways to Improve Your Skin’s Radiance

What is beef tallow?

Beef tallow is the product of clarifying fatty tissues located around a cow’s organs. At room temperature it is solid and often used in cooking. It can also be used in products like soap, candles, and other skin care products because of its creamy texture and smoothness.

According to the Mayo Clinic, beef tallow is primarily saturated fat due to its solid nature. It also contains saturated and polyunsaturated fats. Beyond fat, beef tallow contains fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids, making it an attractive culinary ingredient.

Delighted with beef tallow on TikTok

Beef tallow has recently gained popularity, largely thanks to social media. Content creators on TikTok have touted its claims, saying the natural product gives them incredible skin. One user posted a video in January saying beef tallow “healed my skin barrier.”

It is believed that beef tallow can moisturize the skin and help protect the skin barrier. Some even believe it can act as an anti-inflammatory and help soothe blemishes. However, this can vary greatly depending on each person’s skin, as with any skincare product and regimen. The benefits of your beef tallow may also vary depending on your cows. The Mayo Clinic states that grass-fed cows will have a more robust vitamin profile in their tallow than those on a conventional diet.

Tallow is similar in texture and appearance to coconut oil, and as a beauty product it almost feels like a balm. Some of these beauty fans even make their own beef tallow products at home, making the tallow themselves, as you simply boil the fat on the stove. You can also get the fat from your local butcher. If you don’t want to DIY, you can purchase pre-made beef tallow products online for less than $20.

What Experts Say About Beef Tallow

Dr. Teresa Song, a board-certified dermatologist at Marmur Medical, sees some benefits to using beef tallow as a skin care product, but advises most people against trying it.

“It is probably better tolerated by dry skin and should be avoided in sensitive, combination, acne and oily skin due to potential worsening of breakouts,” she told CNET.

However, for those who can tolerate it, Song notes that it can be a worthwhile skincare product if chosen carefully and used correctly. Although it has not been widely studied, it is thought to mimic human vitamin profiles – A, D, E, K and B12 – which may offer benefits for certain skin types. She also highlights its role in promoting hydration in very dry skin, which is worth considering for people with the right skin type.

As some on TikTok have found, the thick texture of beef tallow can be a problem. This is why Song doesn’t recommend it for sensitive skin, as it can lead to breakouts rather than relieving acne. She also highlighted the fact that it is an animal product and some people may have an allergic reaction.

Beyond the risk of an allergic reaction, the animal nature of tallow is another concern, Song notes, as it has a higher potential for spoilage. On the other hand, plant-based moisturizers like shea or cocoa butter are more stable.

“Modern ingredients are also more researched and processed than beef tallow,” she said. “Modern skin care ingredients like hyaluronic acid, squalene and ceramides tend to provide targeted hydration without a greasy effect compared to beef tallow. Sources of beef tallow need to be more standardized and their use individualized.”

Sustainability and ethical considerations

Although vegans and vegetarians disagree with the use of beef tallow, those who believe in not wasting any part of an animal would favor using pieces that might normally be thrown away. Fat is not often valued and finding an additional use for beef tallow (beyond just cooking with it) creates less waste.

However, it is a meat product, and the most ethical way to source it is to find cows raised responsibly and cared for in a sustainable environment. These cows are typically grass-fed and pasture-raised. Plus, when you get tallow from cows raised this way, they are often healthier, which means better tallow quality.

For vegans and vegetarians, the alternative is to find a plant-based product, as many other beauty products on the market already are.