If you haven’t heard about the viral beef tallow … let’s talk about it.
Beef tallow is the new “it girl” skincare.
Completely unlike conventional modern products, it’s an animal-based formula that’s made from rendered beef fat. (Yes, you read that right.)
Full of bioavailable nutrients, beef fat is driving better skincare results than many luxury formulas. And the results are starting to beg the question…
Are there more animal-based skincare options? And is animal-based skincare sustainable and eco-friendly? Let’s get into it.
4 Viral Animal-Based Skincare Products to Try (And Their Benefits)
As animal-based skincare reestablishes itself as “the norm,” here are some popular products to try and why we love them:
Tallow Skincare Benefits
It went viral for a reason. Tallow skincare applies to your skin just like any other moisturizer. But instead of using synthetic or highly processed ingredients, it softens your skin with naturally occurring fatty acids and minerals. Tallow is one of the most nutrient-dense resources on the planet. It can nourish your skin on a molecular level — since its structure is nearly bioidentical to human sebum.
Tallow Skincare Benefits and Fast Facts
- Helps balance oil production
- A nourishing alternative to chemical lotions
- Naturally contains anti-inflammatory fatty acids
- Rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K
- Hydration on a molecular level
- Great for acne, scars, and aging skin
- A gentle retinol alternative
Emu Oil for Face and Skin
If you’re obsessed with your tallow balm results, wait until you hear about emu oil. Another animal-based skincare product, emu oil is an ancestral remedy popularized by Aboriginal Australians. Similar to tallow, it’s naturally anti-inflammatory, has an impressive lipid profile, and brightens the skin.
But emu oil has one stand-out quality: its particle size. With smaller particles, emu oil is able to penetrate more deeply into the skin and carry nutrients and hydration further than many other products.
Emu Oil Benefits and Fast Facts
- Used for topical pain relief (for sore muscles and swelling)
- Smaller particles carry nutrients deep into the skin
- Contains vitamin A and fatty acids to regenerate skin cells
- Soothes dry and sensitive skin
- Promotes hair growth
- Non-comodogenic and helps reverse acne
Lard Skincare Benefits
Just a few hundred years ago, tallow and lard were interchangeable skincare remedies. Used for dry skin, chapped lips, and cracked heels, these resources were readily available in farming communities — and were considered liquid gold.
Although lard hasn’t had the viral success of tallow, it provides many of the same benefits. It’s nearly bioidentical to human skin and has a similar pH balance and lipid profile. High-quality lard is rich in vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and natural minerals.
Since pigs metabolize their food differently than cows, it’s important to keep this in mind when choosing lard skincare. It’s not as simple as choosing a “100% grass-fed brand.” Your lard needs to come from pigs that are humanely raised in healthy pastures, with sun exposure and fresh water. This is how you ensure high-quality subcutaneous fat that’s good for your skin.
Lard Skincare Benefits and Fast Facts
- Extremely high in vitamin D
- Mimics the pH balance and lipid profile in your skin
- Gentle on sensitive skin
- Great for acne, redness, scars, and irritation
- Soothes dry, sensitive, and sunburned skin
- Non-comodogenic and helps reverse acne
Raw Honey for Face and Skin
Honey is generally considered a home remedy. It’s something you use when you’ve run out of your typical moisturizer and there’s nothing left in your bathroom cabinet.
But we want to change your perspective. Honey (especially raw honey) is one of the most nutrient-dense products you can use to brighten your skin. It’s filled with natural antioxidants, creates a barrier for moisture, and fights premature aging. Not to mention, it’s naturally antibacterial and great for acne.
Raw Honey Benefits and Fast Facts
- Naturally antibacterial and antifungal
- Used by Cleopatra for bright skin
- Contains healing properties and antioxidants
- It’s the perfect natural preservative
- A natural remedy for acne and scarring
Animal-Based Skincare vs. Vegan Skincare
When looking for clean ingredient skincare formulas, it’s easy to turn to vegan skincare. The word “vegan” is commonly associated with wellness. Plus, vegan skincare products remove animal byproducts, which are often toxic.
But we have to get away from the idea that vegan skincare automatically means healthy skincare. It simply doesn’t. In fact, many vegan brands are driving the use of more chemical ingredients. They use toxic fillers, inorganic ingredients, and preservative-heavy formulas. Most chemicals are still vegan.
How do we find a happy medium? This requires getting to the bottom of what we actually want from our skincare. Things like…
- Ingredients that are safe and good for our skin
- Nature-based formulas
- Eco-friendly products we feel good about using
The truth is, most vegan skincare doesn’t achieve this. But intentional, nature-inspired formulas and animal-based skincare can get us one step closer.
Why Animal-Based Skincare Is Actually Eco-Friendly
Animal-based skincare began with our ancestors’ nose-to-tail principles. Essentially, this was a zero-waste policy that helped primal communities stay alive. From organs to suet, every part of the animal was sacred and used as an important resource. Ingredients like tallow, lard, and emu oil were precious resources saved for cooking, candles, soaps, and skincare products.
Today, our modern farming practices are much different from our ancestors’. We consider extra organs and fatty tissue “waste,” and we usually throw them out during processing. This is a harmful environmental practice and forces us to consume much more meat products than we would otherwise. It’s also the reason why animal-based skincare made from tallow and lard is usually more eco-friendly than chemical formulas.
Not only do animal-based skincare products easily break down, they don’t demand additional chemical manufacturing. They also use a part of the animal that would otherwise go to waste.
Animal-Based Skincare as a Natural Alternative to Chemicals and Synthetics
If you’re brave enough to try animal-based skincare products, you open a gateway to the best natural skincare on the market. Most animal-based ingredients are biocompatible with human sebum. Not to mention, they’re full of bioavailable vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids. All of these compounds are synthetically added to conventional skincare products — and they come naturally in tallow, lard, and emu oil.
How to Recognize Quality Animal-Based Skincare Products
Fat is an animal’s storage system. Within fat, an animal can store extra nutrients (which is why tallow and lard are so nutrient-dense). But the same animal can also store toxins in excess fat. For this reason, you must find a 100% grass-fed and grass-finished tallow brand. We also recommend high-quality sourcing for emu oil, lard products, and any other animal-based skincare.
Sourcing always matters for your beauty products, but it matters the most with animal-based skincare. In this case, the nutrients or toxins an animal consumes can go directly to your face.
By Embracing Animal-Based Skincare, You’re Setting a Higher Standard for Eco-Friendly Products and Natural Ingredients
It’s easy to feel skeptical about animal-based ingredients. Most of us were taught that tallow, emu oil, lard, and other animal resources are unhealthy and simply waste. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth.
These ingredients contain many of the vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that our sebum craves. Going above and beyond plant-based products, animal products melt into the skin with a nearly bioidentical match.
It’s like animal-based ingredients were made for our skin.
(And we’re pretty sure our ancestors would agree.)
By learning to embrace animal-based skincare, you’re setting a higher standard for eco-friendly products, low-waste practices, and natural ingredients. And your natural glow gets to show off all the benefits.