What Does Skin Identical Actually Mean in Skincare?

When we say, this is like skincare you’ve never experienced, we mean it. That’s because tallow is a natural skin identical ingredient. Regenerative tallow is sourced in harmony with nature and falls in harmony with skin.

Skin identical ingredients contain the compounds that can be found in the skin barrier naturally, so are immediately recognised when applied topically. By mimicking the skin barrier, when applied, these ingredients can have a greater positive impact on the skin by helping the skin return to its most balanced state. With allergies often caused by outside irritants, it’s no wonder that skin identical ingredients work wonders for those with sensitive skin who may otherwise experience reactions to skincare. 

Your skin’s best and oldest friend

Assisting with balancing the intercellular matrix, skin identical ingredients help keep skin cells connected, and the structure of skin smooth and clear. They mesh with your skin just like you just click with your oldest friends, no matter how much time has passed. At any time in your life, your skin knows exactly how to pick things right back up again with skin identical ingredients. 

What are skin identical ingredients? 

Broadly speaking, there are two overarching groups of skin identical ingredients: natural moisturising factors (NMFs) and stratum corneum cells (SCs). 

NMFs can be found in the dermal layer inside the skin cells, or keratinocytes, and help keep skin hydrated. Squalane and glycerin are famous NMFs.

Take squalane as an example, found in our Holy Grail Tallow Balm in olive-derived form. Our skin contains 10-12 per cent squalene from birth which decreases markedly by age 30. While we make some squalene ourselves, there are limits to how much we can produce naturally, which is where real skincare assisted by NMFs can step in to save our skin. 

Meanwhile, SCs are found in the epidermal layer in the extracellular skin matrix protecting against all the elements. SCs consist mainly of fats (lipids) which help to strengthen the skin barrier. Ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids are the MVPs of SCs. Tallow delivers this line-up in a beautifully balanced composition, which is why it’s the hero of our Holy Grail Tallow Balm. Because without skin barrier integrity, your skin struggles to do its thing.

Lifting the lid on lipids

Among SCs according to a 2017 study, ceramides account for at least 50 per cent of the lipids, cholesterol makes up about 25 per cent, and fatty acids the remaining 15 per cent. 

With ceramides at the foundation, they’re essentially the glue keeping your skin gloriously intact and together. In this way, they’re similar to collagen, and make for amazing anti-ageing skincare ingredients. Making up at least half of the skin barrier, ceramides play an integral role in skin integrity, protecting against the elements, and skin structure. 

When the skin barrier is compromised and problems arise, what’s typically found is a loss of ceramides. Impaired skin barrier function is associated with several skin disorders, including atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Fortunately, ceramides can help to relieve skin conditions and restore a healthy skin barrier. 

It doesn’t stop there though. If you want bouncy skin that glows from within, read about the amazing things that essential fatty acids can do for your skin. Check out our blog, The Essential Role of Fatty Acids in Tallow Skincare, for more on the supportive role of lipids in our Holy Grail Tallow Balm.

Tallow: A perfectly skin identical ingredient

While it may seem like a lot, thankfully, you don’t need to go out and buy another 10 products. 

What if we told you that tallow is the single most powerful skin identical ingredient, that contains all the other skin identical ingredients? Our Holy Grail Tallow Balm contains all the compounds that can be found in the skin barrier, naturally. 

Most skincare products attempt to overwrite the natural functions of our skin. With the help of tallow, our Holy Grail Tallow Balm unlocks your skin’s natural intelligence, helping it behave as nature intended. 

Sharing the same molecular structure as the natural oils found in healthy human skin, making it more receptive to receive vital nutrients and antioxidants, restoring balance, and helping your skin behave as nature intended. Shop our Holy Grail Tallow Balm today.