If you've spent any time on TikTok or Instagram lately, you've probably seen someone scooping a creamy white balm out of a jar and calling it the only moisturizer you'll ever need. That balm is beef tallow: rendered fat from cattle. It's marketed as "ancestral," "biocompatible" and perfect for everything from acne to eczema.
Clients in my Henderson studio ask me about it all the time, so here's my honest take: I'm not a fan of beef tallow on the face, and I don't recommend it. Below I'll walk you through why, what the research actually says, and what I'd reach for instead, especially in our dry Las Vegas climate.
What is beef tallow, and why is it trending?
Tallow is a solid fat rendered from animal tissue. It has a long history as a cooking fat and in soap-making, and it's now showing up in balms and "clean beauty" moisturizers. Its fats are mainly triglycerides of oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and linoleic acid, and it contains some fat-soluble vitamins (Russell et al., 2024).
The pitch you'll hear online is that because tallow is an animal fat, it's "similar to our own skin," so it must be good for it. It's an appealing story. The problem is that the evidence doesn't back it up.
What the research says (and doesn't say) about tallow on skin
A 2024 scoping review searched the medical literature for studies on tallow and skin. Out of 147 studies screened, only 19 met the criteria, and they were comparative, basic science and animal studies. The authors concluded that there are significant research gaps in how tallow can be used on human skin, that findings on side effects were inconsistent, and that controlled studies, including randomized trials, are still needed (Russell et al., 2024).
A 2025 study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology looked specifically at tallow claims on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Claims that tallow helps acne, eczema (atopic dermatitis) and psoriasis were common but mostly lacked cited evidence. Most of the posts showed financial bias and came from people without healthcare credentials. The authors concluded that the evidence is insufficient to support these claims (Almatroud et al., 2025).
In other words: the people most excited about tallow are often the people selling it, and the science simply isn't there yet.
Why I don't recommend tallow for your face
1. It's heavy and occlusive
Tallow is solid at room temperature and sits on top of the skin. In one study included in the scoping review, tallow fat left an oily surface on the skin, which the authors noted may deter people with oily or acne-prone skin (Russell et al., 2024). If you're prone to congestion, a heavy fat layer on your face is the last thing I'd add.
2. Oleic acid can be hard on the skin barrier
Oleic acid is one of tallow's main fatty acids. When researchers applied different fatty acids to human forearms, unsaturated fatty acids caused a significant increase in transepidermal water loss (a sign of a leakier barrier) and irritation, and oleic acid produced the highest water loss of the ones tested (Tanojo et al., 1998). That study used purified fatty acids rather than tallow itself, but it's a good reason to be cautious.
A randomized study points the same way: adults who applied olive oil, an oil high in oleic acid, for four weeks had reduced stratum corneum integrity and mild redness, while sunflower seed oil preserved the barrier and improved hydration (Danby et al., 2013). The authors' takeaway is one I share: "natural" does not automatically mean good for your skin.
3. It may not be friendly to breakout-prone skin
In a classic animal study, both oleic acid and its oxidized forms (peroxides) produced fairly large comedones (clogged pores), and the more oxidized the oil, the larger the comedones (Motoyoshi, 1983). Rabbit-ear models don't map perfectly onto human faces, but combined with the lack of human data, I wouldn't gamble with acne-prone skin.
4. Quality and freshness are a big unknown
Fats can oxidize, and as the study above shows, oxidized oleic acid was more comedogenic than fresh (Motoyoshi, 1983). Many tallow balms are small-batch or homemade, and how they're rendered, stored and preserved varies widely. As an esthetician, I want to know exactly what I'm putting on a client's face, and with tallow I often can't.
What actually helps dry desert skin
I understand why tallow appeals to people here. Henderson and Las Vegas are dry, and our skin feels it, especially as the weather cools. But a healthy barrier doesn't need animal fat. It needs the right lipids in the right balance.
Your skin barrier is built from ceramides, cholesterol and free fatty acids. Research shows that applying these physiologic lipids in an optimized ratio sped up barrier recovery in aged human skin, while a mix dominated by free fatty acids actually delayed recovery in aged mice (Zettersten et al., 1997). Balance matters, and a single fat with a fixed makeup like tallow wasn't designed for that.
Here's what I'd do instead:
Use a well-formulated moisturizer made for your skin type. Clients often ask me for help choosing; a few I carry are Skinbetter Trio Rebalancing Moisture Treatment, Skinbetter Hydration Boosting Cream and, for an overnight boost, the EltaMD Skin Recovery Night Mask.
Cleanse gently so you're not stripping the barrier you're trying to protect.
Wear sunscreen daily, even in fall and winter. See my guide to the best mineral sunscreens for the Las Vegas sun.
Repair before you experiment. If your skin feels tight, stinging or flaky, start with my post on how to repair a damaged skin barrier.
If you love using tallow on your body and it works for you, that's your call. On the face, though, I'd skip it.
Get a plan made for your skin in Henderson
The best moisturizer is the one chosen for your skin, not the one trending this week. In my all-inclusive Curated Facial, I start with a skin analysis, then design your treatment in the moment, with double cleanse, exfoliation, extractions, lymphatic and facial massage, targeted serums, mask, hydration and SPF. Add-ons like dermaplaning, hydrodermabrasion, diamond tip microdermabrasion, LED and oxygen infusion and CoolJet cold plasma are included at no extra cost with this facial. Choose 60, 90 or 120 minutes; learn more in my guide to all-inclusive facials in Henderson.
New clients: through December 31, 2026, you'll get a free full Bio-Logic skin scan with your first Curated Facial. If you have a skin condition like eczema, psoriasis or persistent acne, please see a dermatologist or medical provider as well.
Ready to give your skin what it actually needs? Book your appointment at my studio at 64 N Pecos Rd, Suite 2000 in Henderson, or reach out with questions.
References
Almatroud L, Choi S, Libson K, Ashack K. (2025). Beef Tallow-Based Skincare Claims in Social Media: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 24(12), e70544. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.70544
Danby SG, AlEnezi T, Sultan A, Lavender T, Chittock J, Brown K, Cork MJ. (2013). Effect of olive and sunflower seed oil on the adult skin barrier: implications for neonatal skin care. Pediatric Dermatology, 30(1), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1525-1470.2012.01865.x
Motoyoshi K. (1983). Enhanced comedo formation in rabbit ear skin by squalene and oleic acid peroxides. British Journal of Dermatology, 109(2), 191–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.1983.tb07080.x
Russell MF, Sandhu M, Vail M, Haran C, Batool U, Leo J. (2024). Tallow, Rendered Animal Fat, and Its Biocompatibility With Skin: A Scoping Review. Cureus, 16(5), e60981. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.60981
Tanojo H, Boelsma E, Junginger HE, Ponec M, Boddé HE. (1998). In vivo human skin barrier modulation by topical application of fatty acids. Skin Pharmacology and Applied Skin Physiology, 11(2), 87–97. https://doi.org/10.1159/000029813
Zettersten EM, Ghadially R, Feingold KR, Crumrine D, Elias PM. (1997). Optimal ratios of topical stratum corneum lipids improve barrier recovery in chronologically aged skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 37(3 Pt 1), 403–408. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0190-9622(97)70140-3
