Grass-fed beef tallow is one of the few modern skincare ingredients that isn’t fractioned.
Think of it as the “whole food” version of skincare. Instead of mixing fatty acids with antioxidant compounds and vitamins, you get all of those things in just one ingredient — and it’s extremely bioavailable.
With such a simple ingredient, you’d think there wouldn’t be too much product variation. Actually, there are several different ways to include grass-fed tallow in skincare! And there are ways to enhance its effectiveness, too.
If you’ve ever browsed our selection of tallow balms, you know what we mean. There are so many scents and varieties to choose from. How do you know which one is right for you?
Consider this your official guide to our tallow skincare line. You’ll learn exactly which tallow balm is for you and uncover the extra benefits you can expect from each product.
Beef Tallow for Skin Benefits
Before there was modern skincare, there was tallow balm. Our ancestors chose this resource to nourish dry skin and relieve skin concerns because it was so effective. Here are some of the many beef tallow moisturizer benefits…
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Tallow Is Compatible with the Skin
Actually, tallow is nearly bioidentical to our skin. Its rich fatty acid profile contains the same fat molecules that our sebum uses to moisturize and protect our skin. These fatty acids are also key to creating and maintaining our cell membranes.
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Tallow Balm Absorbs Quickly in the Skin
Thanks to rich fatty acids and its skin compatibility, tallow absorbs quickly and easily into the skin. This is one of the many reasons why it’s so powerfully moisturizing and provides such quick results.
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Tallow Balm Is Extremely Nutrient Dense
Tallow contains all four fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). It also has a complex fatty acid profile, which helps boost collagen, support cell function, and improve elasticity. Many skincare brands dedicate entire product lines to fatty acid skincare, but tallow includes it naturally.
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Tallow Is Anti-Inflammatory
If you’ve ever used tallow on red or inflamed skin, you know how quickly its anti-inflammatory properties begin to work. Tallow skincare contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) which is a natural anti-inflammatory that helps calm irritation and acne.
What to Consider When Choosing Tallow Skincare
Here are some non-negotiable tallow principles that will help you choose the most nutrient-dense and hydrating tallow skincare products:
- Grass-Fed — The nutrient quality is much higher for grass-fed versus grain-fed.
- Responsibly Rendered — Low-heat rendering locks in nutrients and produces a more pleasant scent.
- Sustainably Sourced — Tallow should be sourced from local farms that use sustainable farming practices. It’s a bonus that comes with responsible “nose-to-tail” consumption.
- No Preservatives — Chemicals and fillers dilute natural tallow and add harmful (and unnecessary) ingredients.
There are several creative ways to use tallow in skincare. At Toups and Co, we add it to our natural deodorant, lip balm, and sun balm.
Which Tallow Skincare Product Is Right for You?
Most of our tallow skincare products are whipped for a soft and supple texture that melts into your skin. While the texture is generally similar, the ingredients may vary — and each product provides unique benefits.
If you’re curious to know which tallow balm you should start with, here’s a helpful guide:
Frankincense Tallow Balm
This whipped tallow balm delivers high-quality frankincense (and potent nutrients) to your skin. It’s one of our bestsellers, thanks to its restorative properties and gentle scent.
- Essential Oils: Frankincense.
- Unique Benefits: Frankincense helps to restore skin cells and firmness. It contains potent antioxidants, helps relieve acne, and has been a skincare staple for thousands of years.
- We Recommend It: For aging skin, acne, redness, and as an everyday moisturizer. It may also help soothe sore muscles and joints.
Original Tallow Balm
Our first tallow balm product, the Original Tallow Balm has a gentle floral and earthy scent. It’s carefully rendered and whipped to retain each essential nutrient and encourage moisture retention.
Essential Oils: Lavender, bergamot, frankincense, and sandalwood.
Unique Benefits: Bergamot has the rare ability to brighten the skin while adding a bit of sun protection. The other essential oils work to lower inflammation, remove free radicals, and maintain skin cell structure.
We Recommend It: For those who crave a sense of calm and self-care during their skincare routine. It also promotes firmness and is a powerful source of support for graceful aging.
Sweet Girl Tallow Balm
The Sweet Girl Tallow Balm blend is our gentle reminder that less is more. Our nourishing blend of hand-picked essential oils, cold-pressed olive oil, and 100% grass-fed tallow is made for combination skin.
Essential Oils: Marjoram, chamomile, ylang-ylang, spruce, and frankincense.
Unique Benefits: The nutrients in marjoram are beneficial for resolving dark spots. Chamomile is a soothing herb known to relieve irritation and redness. Spruce, frankincense, and ylang-ylang essential oils deliver potent antioxidants and support oil production.
We Recommend It: For combination skin. It’s beneficial for soothing acne and irritation while reducing the appearance of dark spots and fine lines.
Unscented Tallow Balm
Our essential oil blends are pure and beneficial for the skin. But there may be times when a sensitivity or allergy makes added ingredients impractical. That’s when the Unscented Tallow Balm steps in.
Unique Benefits: The Unscented Tallow Balm comes with all the standard benefits of beef tallow for skin but contains no essential oils or added ingredients (other than organic cold pressed olive oil).
Essential Oils: None.
We Recommend It: For anyone who’s extremely sensitive to ingredients. People with painful rashes, eczema, and allergies benefit from unscented products.
Vanilla and Almond Tallow Balm
Although this tallow balm doesn’t contain essential oils, it’s pleasantly scented with almond and vanilla extracts. There are some skincare benefits from these ingredients, but mostly they’re there to add a lovely aroma to your skincare routine.
Unique Benefits: Helps brighten the skin and renew cells with antioxidants.
Essential Oils: None. Almond and vanilla extracts are included instead.
We Recommend It: For anyone who loves scented balms and wants an extra touch of brightness.
Vanilla and Almond Tallow Balm
Baby Tallow Balm
We created our Baby Tallow Balm with essential oils that are gentle on developing skin. Soothing herbs like German chamomile and blue yarrow help to reduce redness and diaper rash with gentle nourishment.
Unique Benefits: Extremely soothing and safe for children and babies.
Essential Oils: German chamomile and blue yarrow.
We Recommend It: As a natural diaper rash cream for babies. It’s also great for cuts, scrapes, and bug bites. The yarrow and chamomile boost feelings of calmness.
Only the Highest Quality Essential Oils
We’re incredibly intentional about our tallow skincare products. Not only is our tallow carefully rendered and made in small batches, but each scented product uses essential oils meant to actively improve the appearance of your skin.
Here’s what you can expect from the essential oil scents in our tallow skincare:
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Sustainably Sourced and Conservation Focused
Herbs are farmed responsibly with sustainable and organic practices that give back to the earth.
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Independent Third-Party Testing
This ensures high potency and uncompromising quality.
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Certified Organic and GMO-Free
Since essential oils are high potency and often used medicinally, they should never be sprayed with chemicals or pesticides.
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Safe for Children
We use blends that are specifically formulated for child and family safety.
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Solvent-Free Extraction
Our essential oils are processed without chemical solvents. Depending on the oil, they’re either steam distilled, cold pressed, or C02 extracted.
Tallow Is the Future of Skincare
We tried the chemicals.
Our generation tried manufacturing modern balms and serums in a laboratory instead of on a farm.
And it didn’t work.
We learned that chemicals aren’t made to go on our body’s largest organ. Fractured ingredients don’t nourish our skin the same way whole ingredients do.
So it’s time to go back to the basics.
Animal fats like tallow balm were our ancestors’ first choice for skincare. Remember, our ancestors worked on farms without modern medicine or conveniences — so knowledge of reviving remedies was connected to survival.
After the rediscovery of tallow skincare, modern families are beginning to understand the legacy our ancestors left for us. Ours included.
We’re inviting you to join us on our journey of rediscovering ancestral skincare.
Tallow is not just the skincare of the past, it’s the skincare of the future.