Beef tallow.

"Beef Tallow is the only thing that I put on my face as skincare moisturizer, everything. It's single ingredient, it's non-comedogenic meaning it won't clog your pores, and no it does not smell like beef. Beef Tallow has changed my life entirely. Not only is it safe to eat, but it's safe to eat unlike most other skincare brands. It's single ingredients. I've been using it every single day for months now and my skin absolutely loves it."

"Tallow is frankly moisturizing, it is very fatty, it's rich in omega-3 fatty acids and so that can be helpful for your skin barrier. Tallow is an emollient so it can soften and smooth the skin surface which always has a nice cosmetic appeal to it. Anytime you put something oily on your skin it often will give the skin this sort of radiant glow because it's smoothing everything down, and an emollient can also help soften and exfoliate corneocytes that are trying to shed."

"The main drawback of using beef tallow is that it is not something that has preservatives in it, so you can't guarantee the stability of any of these given constituents whether it be vitamin A, D, E, or K, or the antioxidants. And because there are no preservatives, you also run the risk that with time it can go rancid, and that can be very problematic for your skin, cause irritation, skin problems, rashes, breakouts. Applying beef tallow to the skin generally speaking it's not unsafe to do that, and you know it's an emollient so it softens and smooths the skin. It may help with barrier function, but to what extent any of the constituents of beef tallow are going to truly yield skin benefit remains unaddressed by research study. People will claim all sorts of things, that it's got anti-aging properties, and they will try and extrapolate the fact that it has vitamin A and suggest that it is acting like retinol, which is not exactly true. You can't just have vitamin A there and expect it to get into your skin and act like retinol. It's just not the same thing."

"Applying tallow to the skin generally speaking it's not unsafe to do that, and it's an emollient so it softens and smooths the skin and may help with barrier function. To what extent any of the constituents of tallow are going to truly yield skin benefit remains unaddressed by research study. Because there are no preservatives you run the risk that with time it can go rancid and that can be very problematic for your skin, cause irritation, skin problems, rashes, breakouts. People will claim that it's got anti-aging properties and try to extrapolate the fact that it has vitamin A and suggest it's acting like retinol, which is not exactly true. You can't just have vitamin A there and expect it to get into your skin and act like retinol. With tallow there's no underlying formulation science, no delivery system for those ingredients into the skin, so you have no idea to what extent any of the constituents are actually effective."

"There are some potential benefits for using beef tallow on the skin. Because tallow is rich in lipids, it can function as an occlusive and an emollient for the skin. That means it can help to reduce transepidermal water loss, support skin hydration, and support the needs of the skin barrier. Fatty acids like palmitic and stearic acid can help to reinforce the structure of the stratum corneum, that is the outermost layer of your epidermis. Oleic acid, which is another component of beef tallow, may also help enhance penetration of things into the skin, and it may also help to improve softness and flexibility of the skin surface. There's also some evidence that certain fatty acids can have anti-inflammatory effects and may even reduce the burden of the acne-causing bacterium, Cutibacterium acnes. So, from a purely biochemical standpoint, there is reason to think that tallow could be helpful for the skin. Here's where it gets complicated. The issue is that some of these fatty acids can also negatively impact your skin. For example, oleic acid, a penetration enhancer, can disrupt the skin barrier with ongoing use. That would lead to an increase in transepidermal water loss and dehydration of skin's outermost layer, an impairment in barrier function for skin conditions like eczema, acne, seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis."

"From a purely biochemical standpoint, there is reason to think that tallow could be helpful for the skin. Certain fatty acids can have anti-inflammatory effects and may even reduce the burden of the acne-causing bacterium. However, some of these fatty acids can also negatively impact your skin. For example, oleic acid, a penetration enhancer, can disrupt the skin barrier with ongoing use, leading to an increase in transepidermal water loss and dehydration of the skin's outermost layer, an impairment in barrier function for skin conditions like eczema, acne, seborrheic dermatitis, and psoriasis. Palmitic acid has also been shown to promote inflammation in certain types of skin cells. There's concern that both oleic and palmitic acid may actually contribute to aggravation of acne, specifically increasing the number of blackheads and whiteheads. While certain components may be beneficial, they also can come with some downsides that one needs to factor in and consider. You'll see claims that beef tallow cures acne. In reality, it's a lot more nuanced. Some components like linoleic acid might actually work to reduce inflammation and cut down on comedone formation, meaning fewer blackheads and whiteheads. However, other fatty acids like palmitic and oleic acid may worsen acne."

"You'll see claims that beef tallow cures acne. In reality, it's a lot more nuanced. Some components like linoleic acid might actually work to reduce inflammation and cut down on comedone formation, meaning fewer blackheads and white heads. However, other fatty acids like palmitic and oleic acid may worsen acne by increasing oiliness and inflammation. So for individuals who have acne specifically, it's really hard to predict if this is actually going to be helpful or if it's going to be harmful. Regardless, it is by no means a first-line treatment option and should never be used as a replacement for established acne treatments."

"For individuals who have acne specifically, it's really hard to predict if this is actually going to be helpful or if it's going to be harmful. Regardless, it is by no means a firstline treatment option and should never be used as a replacement for established acne treatments. For eczema specifically, atopic dermatitis, the idea here is that beef tallow can help in replenishing lipids necessary for good barrier function. That's true in principle. However, certain fatty acids might actually worsen transepidermal water loss over time, that's going to worsen irritation and lead to eczema flare-ups. Another thing worth mentioning is that individuals with eczema are actually a lot more likely to develop sensitivities to individual ingredients or components. This can lend itself to the development of allergic reactions to animal-derived products."

"As some of the fatty acids in beef tallow might reduce inflammation, psoriasis in its nature is an inflammatory skin condition. Unfortunately, there's just no high-quality clinical evidence to support that beef tallow actually makes a difference for psoriasis. All you're going to get is anecdotes. By no means is this a treatment for psoriasis and should not be a replacement for established psoriasis treatments. There are currently no clinical studies on beef tallow for any skin condition. Most of the evidence comes from looking at individual components found in beef tallow, and in many of these studies we're talking in vitro, meaning cells in a dish, not on actual human volunteers. Laboratory models of individual components that provide theoretical mechanisms in the absence of an established observed confirmed benefit. This is a lot of handwaving. While it can be helpful to think about how it may help scientifically, it's not the same as real-world clinical data. So, at this point, the evidence is simply not there."

"There are currently no clinical studies on beef tallow for any skin condition. Most of the evidence comes from looking at individual components found in beef tallow. And in many of these studies, we're talking in vitro, meaning cells in a dish, not on actual human volunteers. Laboratory models of individual components that provide theoretical mechanisms in the absence of an established observed confirmed benefit. While it can be helpful to think about how it may help scientifically, it's not the same as real-world clinical data. So, at this point, the evidence is simply not there. My main concern when it comes to the widespread use of beef tallow as a moisturizer or skin care product is that it is not regulated in the same way that commercial skincare products are. That means that the quality of the beef tallow can vary tremendously. There's no standardized testing and contamination is a real possibility. And because it's an animal derived fat, it can go rancid if not stored properly."