Beef Tallow

Tallow is rendered beef fat. It is also one of the most misunderstood ingredients in modern skincare, so it is worth being precise about why we use it.

The case for tallow rests on lipid similarity. Human sebum is roughly 40 to 50 percent triglycerides, and tallow is predominantly triglycerides of oleic, palmitic and stearic acid. Those are the same fatty acids the skin barrier is built from. Ingredients the skin recognizes tend to integrate rather than sit on top.

It also carries fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and conjugated linoleic acid, in forms bound within the fat rather than added separately.

We use 100% grass-fed organic tallow specifically. Fatty acid profile varies with the animal diet, and grass-fed tallow has a measurably different composition to grain-fed.

Tallow can be comedogenic for some people, particularly those whose skin runs oily. Our tallow based barrier cream is recommended for users with dry mature skin.