Scientists question TikTok’s new beef tallow hack for skin care
“If you can’t eat your skincare, then why are you putting it on your face?” TikTok beauty influencer Lauren says moments before she sticks her finger into a jar of beef tallow and rubs it on her cheek.
Beef tallow — a rendered form of cow fat — is the internet’s latest beauty hack. It’s normally used in cooking for deep frying, roasting, and getting your potatoes ultra-crispy, but now, women are using it as an acne remedy too.
“Trad-wife” influencer Nara Smith helped inspire the craze when she used beef tallow as the basis for her homemade moisturizer, claiming it did wonders for her skin. Soon after, her followers were rushing to try the greasy base for themselves, slathering it over their skin and gawking at the apparent glow it gave them.
Some have claimed that beef tallow protects the skin barrier and can also help with acne (as an anti-inflammatory), while others are promoting the product as a natural alternative to chemical serums.
However, experts are less convinced about its potential benefits.
Is beef tallow good for your skin?
Dubbed by BeautyTok as a “miracle skin product,” beef tallow has become the new must-try DIY moisturizer for a steadily growing niche of organic skincare enthusiasts.
The rendered fat does contain some antioxidants, vitamins A, D, and K, as well as some essential fatty acids. This may help with skin that has never been exposed to traditional skincare before or skin that has a severely impaired barrier.
“Beef Tallow contains fatty acids which help to hydrate the skin whilst also protecting the skin’s main barrier,” Dr. Ross Perry at Cosmedics skin clinics said. “As a skincare product, it can really help with skin which is overly dry, and those who suffer from dry skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema.”
However, speaking to NBC, Tribeca Skin Center dermatologist Sophie Greenberg said beef tallow can, in some cases, cause breakouts.
“It will be greasy on your skin, but it will lock in whatever else is underneath,” Greenberg said. “Best-case scenario, if you have really dry skin and your skin barrier needs something to occlude it, it would be helpful.”
“It’s not something that I’m recommending in my practice,” she added.
What’s more, the National Library of Medicine’s 2024 review entitled “Tallow, Rendered Animal Fat, and Its Biocompatibility With Skin” did not confirm the cooking ingredient’s benefits on the skin and face.
What skin type is best suited for beef tallow?
Beef tallow is very rich in emollients, meaning it is arguably best suited for very dry skin but not for acne-prone complexions.
“When you’re looking for a moisturizer there are three categories of ingredients to look for,” Dermal Therapist Joanna Fleming explained. “These are humectants, emollients and occlusives.
“Humectants, such as hyaluronic acid, draw moisture into the skin. Emollients, like ceramides, help keep the skin smooth and prevent moisture loss. Then occlusives, like shea butter, help seal in moisture,” Fleming said.
“Beef tallow is really heavy on the emollients, because it’s very rich in triglycerides [fatty lipids that are found in the blood stream],” Fleming continued.
“This therefore will offer some skin moisturizing benefits — perhaps even reparative benefits if you have a little bit of an impaired barrier — but if you do have an impaired barrier I’d be worried about introducing foreign bacteria onto the skin.”
The risks of using beef tallow
While chemical-based skincare is currently being demonized in favor of more “natural products” — it is important to remember that there are risks in applying cooking ingredients directly to your skin.
Having not been formulated in a sterile environment for use on the skin, beef tallow can carry bacteria, and there is a high risk of it going off very quickly.
If you are going to use beef tallow, Perry advised buying it from a pharmacy rather than a supermarket. “[Beef tallow] can be used in small amounts on the face, but when you purchase a ‘beef tallow’ skin product, the likelihood is that it’s been mixed with other skin-boosting benefits,” he said.
As a food product, beef tallow will also go rancid if not kept in proper conditions (such as on bathroom shelves), as it is not formulated to last like bespoke skincare products.
“Keep in mind that everyone’s skin reacts differently to products,” explained Dr. Akis Ntonos, founder of Aion Aesthetics and partner of Certainly Health. “It may cause additional irritation or worsen acne in others. It could give your skin an unpleasant odor!”
While not being dermatologically tested in a controlled environment, “beef tallow doesn’t smell great either,” Fleming said.
“So I don’t think it’s something worth trying in my opinion. Just get a moisturizer that has those three key ingredients in it — humectants, emollients and occlusives — and you’ll probably get a better result with your skin.”
Additional reporting by the Press Association
