What’s the deal with the beef tallow skincare trend?

Rubbing rendered animal fat into your skin might sound gross, but beef tallow has become a trendy skin care product that some claim can clear up acne, is great for dry skin, and even makes you look younger.

Tallow is fat that has been slowly melted, strained and then hardened into a waxy paste. Often used in cooking, all sorts of animal fats — goat, swan, even lion — have also been used as a cosmetics ingredient since antiquity, says historian Susan Stewart.

Now, in 2025, some people are embracing beef tallow as a “natural” skincare choice. On TikTok, hundreds of videos with millions of views discuss or promote tallow products. Brands like Good Ol’ Days Tallow Co., Evil Goods!, Betr4you and HolyCow appear again and again, from a raft of creators who earn commission for every jar of tallow they convince someone else to buy.

In one TikTik from the account @ItsColleensShop, a woman drips her finger into a jar of the brand Good Ol’ Days Tallow Co. and then licks it before telling the camera, “If you can’t eat your skin care, then you shouldn’t be putting it on your face.”

Videos from other accounts selling other brands of tallow say the same, almost verbatim.

Though Good O’ Days Tallow says it comes from grass-fed cows, not everything edible is good for the skin, dermatologists warn.

However, other products, including shea butter and olive oil, also contain lipids that create the same effect.

“Beef tallow is not any different, really, than any other plant oil that’s out there,” says Plescia.

And there are way better options for moisturizing your skin than cooking oils, Plescia says. The lotions that chemists formulate include humectants, such as glycerine and hyaluronic acid, which attract and bind to water to keep your skin moist. Plain fats don’t have those.

There’s also a chance of an allergic reaction, similar to how some people’s skin reacts to jewelry that contains nickel. Those with psoriasis or eczema should be extra cautious of tallow since their skin barrier is already compromised, says Foulad.

Things that you apply on the skin “can cause a secondary allergic contact dermatitis, which is basically a skin allergy,” Foulad says.

“If you are going to have a reaction, it’s not something that usually happens right away,” she says.

Also, this animal fat can go rancid over time, especially in hot weather. So keep it in the fridge.

Unlike tallow, traditionally formulated lotions and moisturizers contain antioxidants that prevent decomposition, or spoilage, explains Plescia.

And the U.S. is having a cultural moment where people are skeptical of synthetic ingredients, says Jennifer Reich, a sociologist at the University of Colorado Denver who researches how people make health and wellness decisions.

“That is a backswing, to corporate developments of things like food and household products that have often had ingredients that have not been particularly safe or have environmental impacts,” she says.

As a sort of shortcut to healthier choices, Reich says people opt for things like beef tallow that seem natural because it ostensibly comes from a farm instead of an opaque supply chain of overseas factories.

Tallow seems to have a special appeal for men, notes Jordan Foster, a sociologist at Alberta’s MacEwan University.

One TikToker @mercercaiden said that he uses a whipped tallow cream as an aftershave and to moisturize his knuckles.

“I feel younger already,” he said as he rubbed what looked like a tablespoon’s worth of fat into his face.

Though understandable, Reich says this feeds into a larger trend of rejecting science and warns that information on social media can lack nuance or result in dangerous choices, such as drinking unpasteurized milk or trying uoven medical treatments.

Not every ingredient with a long name is necessarily dangerous but if you want to avoid those that are linked to possible health problems, here are a handful that scientists are especially concerned about.

The best course of action, says Foulad, is to consult with a dermatologist who should be up to date on the latest research and can help you select products that will work well for your skin.