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Beef fat is “rendered” fat, which is created after the fatty tissue around a cow’s organs has disappeared … [+]
Will dermatologists care about this TikTok skincare trend? Influencers on the social media platform have promoted beef tallow as a facial moisturizer and as a way to heal your skin and reduce acne. This includes telling you that putting such animal fat on your face will make it look “shinier” @superglowingg says in her TikTok post here:
The claim is that beef tallow consists of oils similar to the oils normally secreted by your skin and can help your skin retain moisture. TikTokers also claim that beef tallow contains skin-nourishing ingredients that have anti-inflammatory properties. And of course they also used the all-natural argument that is often used to promote products: beef tallow is something natural from cows rather than a synthetic substance and therefore safe to use. Of course, saying something is “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for you. That’s why you normally don’t put natural things like dirt, horse feces, toe fungus, or uranium on your face.
What is beef tallow?
Before we get into whether these moisturizing claims about beef tallow contain water, let’s take a closer look at what beef tallow is. Another name for beef fat is “rendered” fat. Sebum is generally the fatty tissue that surrounds the organs of a ruminant animal and is then removed, heated and cleared. In this case, the term ruminants does not refer to animals that think about something over and over again, but to ruminants such as cows, buffalo, sheep, goats and deer. Beef fat comes specifically from cows and is also called ‘beef drippings’.
Sebum is usually whitish and solid at room temperature. It somewhat resembles lard. But lard comes from pigs and usually has a softer texture.
Beef fat has long been used to fry or cook things over high heat, for example when frying French fries. It contains good substances such as conjugated linoleic acid and vitamins K2 and E, but also contains many saturated fats. So, putting beef tallow on your face can make your face more appetizing, which could please others who kiss or lick your face. But again, the real current question is whether topical application of beef tallow can actually improve your skin?
Here are some questions about beef tallow
Well, many different oily substances can cause your skin to retain moisture and make it look “glossy” at least temporarily. For example, smearing your face with butter can provide a solution. But there’s a reason you don’t regularly treat your face like a bagel. Many oily substances can be comedogenic, which is a rather funny-sounding medical term that means they clog your pores. And clogging the pores in your skin can, guess what, make your acne worse.
Many different oily substances can make your skin look “shiny.” The big question is which one … [+]
The other concern with putting any oily substance on your face revolves around potential problems with rotisserie chicken. Once you go out into the sun, various oils can enhance the effects of ultraviolet rays on your skin, as if you were further cooking your skin. Over time, this can lead to premature aging of your skin and increase your risk of skin cancer. And as I have described before ForbesTikTokers and TikTok posts are not always aware of the harmful effects of UV radiation.
There have been limited scientific studies on beef tallow as a skin product
The problem is that there aren’t enough published studies to determine how beneficial or not smearing beef fat is for your skin and what the risks might be. If you’re curious about what studies are out there, take a look the scoping review published in the journal in May 2024 Cureus entitled “Talk, Rendered Animal Fat, and Their Biocompatibility with Skin: An Exploratory Review.” The appearance of beef tallow as an ingredient in some cosmetic products motivated the authors to search and review the available scientific studies on the efficacy and safety of topically applied beef tallow for skin care. This yielded 19 studies that met their screening criteria.
Their conclusion? “More research is still needed.” They found that available studies provided limited and often conflicting results regarding the safety of topical sebum as a cosmetic product in humans. So surprise, surprise, it appears that beef tallow has not been well researched as a skin care product.
Additionally, just because beef tallow is an ingredient in some cosmetic products doesn’t mean it’s okay to use larger amounts of pure beef tallow on your face.
Therefore, put beef fat in the category ‘not-yet-so-sure-if-this-is-good-for-your-skin’ and also in the category ‘here we go again with claims-about-a-product’ category ‘made without scientific evidence’. Remember that celebrities or social media influencers claiming that something works and is safe is not the same as real scientific evidence. In fact, who knows how much they even use the product they promote and what else they do. For now, it’s better to rely on scientifically backed products for skin hydration and protection. Don’t be surprised if social media claims about beef tallow don’t quite meet your expectations.