Beef tallow has gained popularity online as a potential way to care for your skin. However, more research is still needed to understand the safety and effectiveness of beef tallow for skin.
Beef tallow is simply cow fat that has been melted down and then set at room temperature until it becomes solid. Due to its consistency when heated, it’s often used as a substitute for oil.
Tallow also contains several essential nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, and B12. Online skin care trends have seen many people using it as a skin care ingredient, particularly for treating dry skin.
However, more research is still needed to understand the effectiveness and potential risks of beef tallow when used on human skin.
The use of beef tallow in skin care has increased in recent years, largely due to social media skin care trends. Tallow contains several nutrients and is thought to hydrate skin, particularly when left on for several hours during the day or overnight.
When melted and cooled, beef tallow has a balm-like consistency, similar to coconut oil, which makes it easy to spread on the skin.
Tallow is typically sold in its purest form, meaning that it contains no added ingredients. Although, some suppliers may also include honey due to its additional skin benefits, such as its ability to soften skin and heal scarring or wounds.
It’s often marketed as a natural alternative to synthetic skin care. However, this means that it’s an unregulated product that has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
There are currently no best practices available for sourcing beef tallow for use on human skin, which also means there’s no way of confirming if it’s safe to use.
When it comes to using beef tallow as a skin care method, research in humans is very limited.
A 2024 review examined the possible benefits of beef tallow as a skin care product. The authors found that tallow is rich in many nutrients, such as vitamins A, D, K, E, and B12, which may help to hydrate and moisturize the skin.
This may be particularly beneficial for people who frequently experience eczema as tallow may help to treat dry skin and keep it hydrated for longer.
Further research is still needed to understand the safety and effectiveness of beef tallow for skin, so healthcare professionals cannot currently recommend it.
As the risks are still unknown, using beef tallow on your skin may lead to harmful side effects.
Very little research has been done on the use of beef tallow as a skin care ingredient, so little is known about the potential risks and side effects.
While tallow is a natural ingredient, it may still cause side effects when applied to the skin, such as:
- Allergic reaction: Some people may be sensitive or allergic to beef tallow on their skin, even if they aren’t allergic to beef.
- Breakouts: Tallow can turn from a balm back into an oil consistency very quickly, so it can be easily overused and cause you to have more tallow on your skin than you’d like. As tallow can leave a greasy residue, your skin may be more likely to pick up bacteria from household objects, increasing your chance of a breakout.
- Sunburn: Tallow essentially melts down into an oil. When used on the skin, it may leave you more sensitive to the sun and increase your chances of getting sunburn.
- Interactions: Tallow may lead to an unknown negative interaction, potentially worsening any skin conditions you may have.
Tallow may have negative effects on the skin as it is comedogenic, meaning it may block pores, which can increase the chance of acne.
Beef tallow is an unregulated product that has not been approved by the FDA. There are currently no best practices for sourcing beef tallow for use on human skin, which also means there’s no way of confirming its safety.
Beef tallow has gained popularity online as a potential way to care for your skin.
However, the side effects of using beef tallow on the skin are still unknown and may carry several risks. More research is still needed to understand the safety and effectiveness of using beef tallow as a skin care method.