Is Tallow Good for Skin?
Tallow: A Step Up from Coconut Oil
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, just a cartoon deer on the internet with a background in chemistry and a hyperfixation on skin. This is not medical advice.
Click here to read the full version of this article on my website.
This is a sister post to my breakdown of coconut oil. Go read that first for context setting, then come back here.
I don’t know why tallow has swept Twitter as some sort of magical skin cure-all, but listen to me clearly: any oil or fat source can be broken down to its fatty acid composition.
Because lipids (read: fats) play an essential role in our skin barrier, non-comedogenic sources of fatty acids are beneficial for dermal health.
So, this argument comes down to one question: “is tallow comedogenic?”
I don’t have a clear answer here unfortunately.
Unlike coconut oil which is definitely comedogenic, tallow can be hit or miss depending on your skin type.
Tallow is predominantly comprised of palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids.
Palmitic and stearic acids are saturated while oleic is unsaturated.
Saturated fats tend to be “heavier” than unsaturated fats.
Thus, if you are already prone to acne or oily skin, you may want to steer clear of heavier fats like tallow.
However, some people with drier (or normal) skin may thrive using a heavier tallow-based moisturizer.
This comes down to bioindividuality and experimentation.
Anecdotally, I have cleared up a few cases of acne just by steering clients away from tallow as a moisturizer.
Make of that what you will.
You can find a fatty acid analysis of tallow here if interested.
Also, go check out my skin routine guides while you’re here:
Cheers,
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