An odd new skincare product is making its way through the beauty community. But, is beef tallow really all that?
Have a beef with stubborn skin issues like eczema or psoriasis that just won’t budge no matter how many expensive creams you slather on? Or maybe you’re in the market for hyper-natural products with a deep connection to the American West?
Enter tallow skincare, a growing category of lotions, creams, lip balms – even deodorants – powered by a rendered form of animal fat. While sheep tallow also finds its way into soaps and candles, it’s the beefy version that’s getting the bulk of the beauty buzz right now.
Cosmetic chemist Julie Pefferman, who has helped craft tallow-based skincare for beauty industry clients, believes there are several factors contributing to the interest in this millennia-old multitasker.
“We’re seeing the intersection of two other trends — the rise of animal-based diets like the carnivore movement and a growing focus on zero-waste practices,” Pefferman notes. “Tallow fits right in, as it makes use of what would otherwise be a byproduct. And on top of all that, it’s 100 percent natural — a huge selling point for consumers.”
A Luxury Lotion, Steeped in Hawaiian Cowboy Culture
When asked a few core questions about Maui-based Momona Skincare — namely what momona means and where the brand acquires the core ingredient for its sole product, a luxe moisturizer dubbed Super Tallow — co-founder Slater Trout quickly connects the dots to Hawaiian “Paniolo” (aka cowboy) culture.
“What if we told you we source so far West that it’s from a ranch on an active volcano in the middle of the Pacific Ocean?” Trout, a Hawaii native, asks. “Momona is a Hawaiian word meaning fat, fertile or rich — you can think of it as ‘fat of the land.’ We also draw inspiration from the American West, which meets with Hawaiian culture in the history of the Paniolos. Lastly, tallow is made from beef fat, so it all just ties together really well.”
Despite the brand’s obvious connection to cattle, Trout says Momona consciously sidesteps the use of the word “beef” in its marketing for Super Tallow.
“We’ve found that word to be intimidating for some people who have never tried tallow before,” Trout notes. “They think of beef for eating, and no one wants to put raw beef on their skin when they’re looking for a luxury moisturizer. It’s part of our goal to bring tallow to the mainstream, to people who might not ordinarily try it.”
Tami Taddo, founder of the fast-growing Taddo’s Tallow range of upscale offerings for face and body, agrees that misconceptions abound around the beef tallow connection, especially regarding scent.
“The top question I get from customers is about the smell,” says Taddo. “People are like, ‘Do you smell a hamburger or steak?’ But that’s not really what tallow is, and that’s really not what tallow smells like.”
Grass-Fed? How About Grass-Finished?
Trout, like several other makers polled for this story, believes it’s not enough that the cattle they source tallow from is occasionally grass-fed. Instead, cows that are “grass-finished” over the course of their entire lifespan tend to yield the ultra-premium stuff.
“A lot of ‘grass-fed’ cattle are actually fattened up on corn and soy the last few months of their life,” Trout notes.
“In our view, a high-quality, skincare-appropriate tallow comes from regenerative, grass-fed, and grass-finished beef,” says Kaitlyn DeGroot, creator and maker of California-based Kalos Co., a two-year-old “field to bottle” skincare collection steeped in tallow alongside other natural ingredients like beeswax, avocado oil, and raw milk sourced from local-only farms and ranches. “This sustainable approach not only yields tallow rich in essential nutrients — like vitamins B12, E, and omega-3 fatty acids — but also ensures that the animal was raised ethically.”
A Trend with Roots — And Staying Power
Even a cursory glance at TikTok will show that tallow is having a major turn in the skincare spotlight right now. Whether tallow junkies are raving about their must-have brands or whipping up their own batches from scratch, there’s massive hype about this ultra-rich, super-soothing ingredient.
Taddo, who started using tallow herself after a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma in 2021, has found it has also completely eradicated the eczema she suffered from for decades.
“I live in central California, where it’s shorts and tank tops for 10 months a year,” says Taddo. “So for me, between the skin cancer diagnosis and the eczema, tallow was like a little ‘two-fer.’ I was like, ‘I’ll just try it.’ And within a week — actually, less than a week — my eczema was gone. With tallow, it felt great and my skin was beautiful.”
After deciding tallow was the skincare “game changer” she’d been searching for, Taddo has made it her life’s work. “I know tallow is trending, but I think people are really just becoming aware of it. There’s a huge education piece to it, and I think once that’s out there, tallow will be here with longevity. A big chunk of people will stick with it.”
PHOTOGRAPHY: Courtesy of the vendors
