Debunking Natural Skincare Myths - Beef Tallow Edition

Updated: March 2025

When it comes to natural skincare, the myths abound. We’ve all heard someone say that natural skincare products aren't as effective, or the chemical dosage is the only thing that matters as an argument against clean beauty. But much of this skincare advice is skin deep and simply doesn't stack up, especially when you're trying to lead a low-tox life.

In 2025, tallow is the talk of the town (ahem, social media) once more, after being spotted on the skin of several influencers on TikTok. The concept of beef in skincare certainly gets people talking.

Skincare myths and facts: Why beef tallow is a target

While we like a good story as much as the next person, there is a time, place... and product. As much as we hate to say it, we’re calling fact check. Save the myths for storytime and spare tallow the smear campaign. Read on to find out more about big fat lies when it comes to tallow skin care and why. It's time to bust tallow skincare myths and look at just the facts.

Myth: Beef tallow skin care is a trend

Fact: Tallow skin care is actually something that is centuries old. It has been helping with dry skin longer than any other skincare product you could find on TikTok or the drug store aisle.

Before the introduction of petrochemicals, First Peoples took a sustainable, holistic approach to using natural resources.

From Ancient Egypt to Ancient Rome, the Himbas and Hamars, the Inuits in the north, and Indigenous Australians in the south, our ancestors harnessed animal fats for skincare, cooking and cosmetics. It was standard practice to use the whole animal and take a nose-to-tail approach.

Tallow is not an old wive’s tale. Any suggestion that tallow skincare is a passing trend is an insult to ancestral wisdom. Based on the time-tested nature of tallow skincare, it’s certainly more fact than fad. Today, it's simply a matter of reintroducing a proven ancient ingredient back into the modern world. People are just now rediscovering the benefits of tallow for glowing skin and keeping skin hydrated.

Myth: Beef tallow skin care is bad for acne

Fact: Tallow doesn’t cause acne breakouts or clog pores in a balanced formula. Tallow in a balanced formula performs the function of acting as natural sebum, locking in moisture in the skin barrier without clogging pores, even in people with oily skin.

According to Dr Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor and director of cosmetic and clinical research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, tallow is composed of fats “very similar in composition to our skin's own natural oil”.

Tallow, especially of the grass-fed and grass-finished variety, is rich in fat-soluble vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E and vitamin K. Vitamin A, in particular, can support skin cell renewal and collagen production. This can help skin cells turn over faster, helping to reduce acne and clear inflammation. But it is not nature's answer to Botox (and you should be wary of anyone who tells you that!)

As tallow is a semi-occlusive with emollient properties, it is possible that it can form a barrier on your skin and trap bacteria underneath. This raises the importance of applying tallow skincare on clean skin. For those with combination or particularly oily or acne-prone skin, it's best to seek out a well-balanced tallow formula that is supported by other anti-inflammatory ingredients. 

Myth: Beef tallow is comedogenic

Fact: Not all tallow skincare is comedogenic. According to New York City dermatologist Dr. Michele Green, tallow is non-comedogenic. It comes in at 2 on the 5-point scale for oils and butters. Anything ranking 2 or less on the scale indicates a non-comedogenic skincare ingredient that will not clog pores. Just because a skincare product is thick in consistency, that doesn't mean it will clog your pores. Read more about why tallow supports healthy skin.

Note: While 100% Australian grass fed and grass finished beef tallow is the hero of our signature TUTTOFARE Tallow Balm, it is a well-balanced formula in terms of occlusive, emollient and humectant ingredients. Water-grabbing humectants, smoothing emollients and barrier-repairing occlusives help hydrate, heal and protect the skin. For this reason, customers of all skin types have reported great success using TUTTOFARE Tallow Balm. This includes customers with acne-prone, oily and combination skin, some of whom have reported the greatest barrier-healing benefits. These customers may not otherwise benefit from a standard tallow formulation which could be slightly comedogenic.

Myth: Beef tallow is not shelf stable

Fact: Tallow is more shelf stable than most synthetic skin care due to its low levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. It contains more of the more stable fatty acids, which are beneficial for skin health.

According to the science of fatty acids, a saturated fatty acid molecule is fully saturated with hydrogen, leaving no double bonds (open spaces) for oxygen, heat or light to degrade the molecule. 

On the other hand, unsaturated means lacking a hydrogen atom. When oxygen, heat and light react with double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids, this results in oxidation, which can accelerate the ageing process of the product. 

As such, tallow is more shelf stable than many plant-based oils, which begin to go rancid more quickly because of their high polyunsaturated fat content. Many of these plant-based oils are also often stripped of their antioxidant properties during the high-heat refining process.

The most effective tallow skincare is formulated without applying too much heat and packaged in air-restrictive packaging to preserve its antioxidant properties. TUTTOFARE Tallow Balm is shelf-stable without the need for preservatives or chemical emulsifiers.

Tallow contains the fatty acids that closely resemble human sebum, making it highly compatible with the skin. This allows for deep absorption without clogging pores or causing irritation.

Myth: Tallow skin care smells like beef

Fact: Beef tallow skincare shouldn't have a beefy smell. 

Depending on the formula, it may be described as 'earthy' or 'neutral' in the jar. If the formula incorporates essential oils, whole plant extracts or resins, it should largely take the scent of these. You shouldn't smell anything like a steak. 

If you’re sensitive to essential oils, or looking for a tallow balm with a mild chocolate scent, consider the signature TUTTOFARE Holy Grail Tallow Balm. As with all things TUTTOFARE, we created our characteristically cocoa-honey scent with time, patience and care. We source raw cocoa to not only preserve the bean’s high antioxidant content, but also to retain the chocolate essence.

Note: We say shouldn't because not all tallow skincare is the same. Ever smelt tallow skincare and thought it smelt a little… off? Scent can be a telltale sign of oxidised tallow. It may take a rancid, sour or overly nutty scent. Sometimes it might even smell a little ‘plasticky’ … even if there’s no plastic in the product!

Myth: Beef tallow skin care is expensive

Fact: Tallow skincare is actually very affordable. Even with most tallow brands making products in small batches, tallow balm remains an affordable skincare choice. 

The price point of tallow is comparable to pharmacy or drugstore products, and significantly lower than department store options, all of which are commonly mass manufactured. The main ingredient in most moisturisers is water (aqua), whereas most tallow products are concentrated, waterless formulas.

As a balm, tallow skin care has a dense and rich micronutrient profile. As a result, you get fewer quality ingredients at higher concentrations when you use tallow skin care.

Myth: Tallow skin care is just beef fat

Fact: An well-balanced and effective tallow balm isn’t just made from tallow. Tallow balms often contain a handful of active, concentrated ingredients to form an effective and holistic skin care product that gives you everything your skin needs.

While it doesn’t contain a laundry list of ingredients (we prefer to keep them in the laundry, if necessary), well-balanced tallow skincare should contain handpicked ingredients to support healthy skin and strengthen your skin barrier gently. 

This doesn’t mean every essential oil under the sun – also because, well, many essential oils simply don’t perform well under the sun due to phototoxicity.

Rather than simply scenting the product with different essential oils, an effective tallow balm should include natural ingredients known for their therapeutic properties, such as squalane, jojoba oil and cocoa butter. In natural skincare, where less is more, it’s important to include considered ingredients with multi-purpose benefits so as to preserve the effectiveness of the formula. 

Does beef tallow stack up?

In high-quality, well-balanced formulations: yes!

At TUTTOFARE, we formulate our signature Tallow Balm with 100% Australian grass-fed and grass-finished beef tallow and other carefully selected ingredients to create deeply nourishing, non-comedogenic formulas.

Our products are made in a GMP-certified skincare facility in Australia to meet best practice for quality, safety and consistency of formulas. It's an important distinction and one the skin innately recognises, too. 

While we're against using unnecessary filler ingredients, we recognise the importance of tallow in balanced formulas. We're tallow purists... but we also love formulating with other pure, natural ingredients. 

This enhances the overall nutrient profile of our signature Tallow Balm. It also creates a non-comedogenic, balanced formula.

Our Holy Grail and Roman Blue Tallow Balm is packed with essential nutrients, mimicking your skin’s natural oils to hydrate, heal, and protect, without clogging pores.