Whether you’re seeing it used for skin care or you saw RFK Jr. frying his Thanksgiving turkey in it, beef tallow seems to be the buzz these days. I too have seen a lot, good and bad, about beef tallow and decided to do a deep dive myself.
What is Beef Tallow?
Beef tallow is rendered and purified beef suet, or beef fat. It can come from anywhere on a beef carcass however the best comes from leaf fat from around the kidneys. This fat has the least amount of scent and flavor! We’ll make another post about sourcing and rendering later!
Beef Tallow Benefits
Social media has a way of confusing the heck out of ya. One person says it’ll clog your arteries, the next says they eat it by the spoonfuls and are healthier than ever. One person uses it as a daily moisturizer and it cleared their acne and reduced wrinkles, the next developed cystic acne overnight from one use. The bottom line is- it has its benefits and its downfalls.
Benefits
- Rich in monounsaturated and saturated fats, including conjugated linoleic acid and oleic acid
- Contains fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K along with the essential mineral, choline
- Composition is similar to natural oils produced by the skin
- Contains steric acid, which appears to not raise cholesterol like most other saturated fats
- It is solid at room temperature and is shelf stable, if processed properly
- Great source of omega-3 fatty acids
- It is a natural, renewable, and sustainable fat resource
Which means?
Consuming Beef Tallow
•The blend of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA’s), oleic acid, and steric acid makes beef tallow ideal for cooking when compared to other fats because they help raise GOOD cholesterol levels without raising bad cholesterol. CLA’s are also documented to reduce systemic inflammation, which reduces inflammation overall.
•Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain structure and function, which beef tallow provides!
•Beef tallow also has a high smoke point, around 420-480 degrees Fahrenheit, making it perfect for seasoning your cast iron cookware!
•When processed properly, meaning all meat particles and water have been removed, beef tallow is shelf stable!
•In the last several decades, we have journeyed from natural fat sources to heavily processed fat sources which has led to tons of chronic diseases and hefty inflammation. Beef tallow is a natural, healthy source of essential fats!
Using Beef Tallow Topically
•The fatty acids and lipids work great as a skin protectant, that locks in moisture when applied topically. Beef tallow can help skin heal from damage and dryness by improving the skin’s elasticity.
•The overall make-up of beef tallow supports natural skin regeneration and collagen production, without all the chemicals you’ll get in the store or dermatologist’s office. You can read the science behind this here.
Beef Tallow Downfalls
There aren’t many downfalls, but if you had to choose…
Downfalls
- Can have a strong beef scent and flavor
- Can be difficult to source GOOD beef suet and/or tallow
- Can be comedogenic (pore clogging) to some when used topically
- Can leave oily residue on clothes when used topically
- It takes time to properly render cooking tallow from beef suet
Which means?
•If you’re looking to add beef tallow to your routine, whether for cooking or using it for skin care, it can be difficult to find the good, clean stuff! Organic is best, but sourcing beef tallow or beef suet that is organic has proven to be difficult for most areas.
Why? A lot of processors are not in the business of collecting and selling fat. Each processor undergoes thorough, frequent inspections for every item they sell and beef fat isn’t a priority. Seed oils are also a lot easier to produce as they are largely a byproduct from other booming industries. So, beef fat isn’t quite as attractive when it comes to making money. With an increase in demand for natural fat sources, we will hopefully see a rise in the availability of beef tallow!
•What you are able to get your hands on will likely be fat from all over fat-not just leaf fat. Which means it’ll end up with a beefy taste and smell. Totally fine for cooking foods, but if you’re using it to season skillets, skin care, or even candles (yes, it’s a thing)- you’ll have a beefy flavor/smell with each use.
•Tallow ranks as a 2 in the comedogenic scale. Which means, if you have, oily, sensitive, blemish-prone skin, tallow may make conditions worse. However, for most individuals, tallow based skincare products will work beautifully!I found so many skincare professionals and dermatologist stating opinions against tallow for skincare backed with very little or irrelevant facts. While you can put numbers to properties in tallow and state why those numbers will or will not work-Simply put, there isn’t enough research regarding exact outcomes of using tallow topically.
•If you use too much tallow topically, it may leave behind residue and oil stains on your clothing! Be sure to use very small amounts and wait for it to set before getting dressed.
Bottom Line
Beef tallow has more pros than cons. You’ll find tons of conflicting info out there and some people will die on their soapbox of research to sway you one way or the other, but it really is up to you to decide if it works for your health and lifestyle!
Personal Experience
Skincare
Personally, I can verify tallow works well to reduce wrinkles, redness, and eczema outbreaks. I have used a decent amount of products, including several recommended or prescribed from skincare professionals, and have not had results similar to what I experience using our formulas that have a tallow base.
Cooking
Since swapping out cooking oils for beef tallow, I have noticed a major reduction in joint pain and over all inflammation. My gut feels happier, my skin and hair are healthier from the inside out, and my home cooked food TASTES better!
Customer Feedback (tallow for skin)
I have had great feedback from customers stating what our products have done for them (verified reviews are being added to our site soon!) with only two negative reviews. One was a result from a specific fragrance allergy and the other was a complaint of the formula being too oily and making them feel hot.
A little about our products
While this article is largely about beef tallow in general, I’d be amiss to not tell you about what we offer! I first started making skincare products in 2021 and I began with soap! Through careful and thorough research I learned what makes a good bar of soap and how each ingredient can affect the skin and any skin conditions. This led me into a dream of making lotion too. Fast forward to 2023, I began trialing various tallow blends to see what worked best without adding in harmful ingredients and preservatives. I found tallow isn’t enough on its own and science will prove this. Tallow is a great protectant, but it can be so much more when blended with other oils and butters!
In summer 2024, I developed and released our original formula of tallow body butter that was a blend of tallow, shea butter, hemp oil, and beeswax. I have been improving on this formula and have added more products including; face cream, anti aging balm, beard balm, lip balm, and diaper cream! This summer we plan to add a sunscreen balm and lightweight lotion to the lineup as well.
Research
Wanting to know where I got my info or want to do some research yourself? Here ya go!
Mayo Clinc | Dr.Axe | Clinikally | Skin Type Solutions | NIH
Thank you for reading!
Since you’ve made it this far, here’s a discount code for you to use on our site! As a thank you, you’ll receive 15% off your next order, just enter the code at checkout!
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-Kristen
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