Tallow was a skincare staple right up until the 20th century.
And then it vanished. Tallow spent most of the last century being pushed off our ingredient labels, and now it is back on the front of the jar. Here is what happened.
What Is Tallow? And Why Is It Having a Comeback?
Tallow is a natural fat rendered from beef suet. It has been used in skincare for centuries, long before the modern cosmetics industry existed. It was the backbone of soap-making and skin salves for generations.
Then the 20th century happened. The vegetable oil industry arrived, and the same companies that built their names on tallow soap began teaching us that plant fats were the modern choice. From the 1950s onwards saturated fat became the dietary villain, and animal fat’s reputation in the bathroom went down with it. By 1990 even McDonald’s had switched its fryers from beef tallow to vegetable oil. Beef fat in your soap started to sound like something to apologise for, so brands stopped saying it.
It never really left, though. Flip over some of the classic supermarket soap bars today and you will still find sodium tallowate on the ingredient list, which is tallow that has been turned into soap. The industry never stopped using it. It stopped talking about it. The difference now is that grass-fed tallow is back on the front of the label.
Is Tallow Good for Your Skin?
Beef tallow is naturally rich in oleic and palmitic acids, along with vitamins A, D, E and K. Vitamin A supports skin cell turnover, vitamin D supports the skin’s barrier function, vitamin E helps shield the skin from free radical damage, and vitamin K can help reduce the appearance of dark circles. Its fatty acid profile sits so close to the skin’s own oils that it replenishes what a dry or sensitive barrier is missing, and it generally does not feel greasy or sit heavily on the skin. Even blemish-prone skin can wear it, there is a lighter blend in the list below made exactly for that.
Natural Tallow Moisturisers to Try
A confession before the list. Tallow is not part of my own daily routine. I was vegetarian for the last five years (I have only just started eating meat again), and tallow was a product I planned to avoid stocking altogether. But the customer requests kept coming, and they would not let up, so I gave in. I test everything I stock, so I have tried every product below, but the real proof here is my customers: tallow is now one of the biggest sellers in the store, with the Tuttofare range out in front, and they are obsessed with the results. This list is built on their repeat orders more than my own testing.
And I vetted it my way: every tallow product I stock is made with 100% grass-fed tallow, which carries higher levels of those vitamins and a better balance of essential fatty acids than grain-fed.
Tuttofare won me over in person. I met the founders, husband and wife team Laura Daquino and Clive Wright, at the Naturally Good expo in 2025 and fell in love with the brand and its ethos. They started in Melbourne in 2022 as Australia's first professionally formulated tallow skincare brand, everything is made in a GMP-certified facility with Australian grass fed and grass finished tallow, the packaging is completely plastic free, and the products smell so good you would never know there was beef fat in them. They have just brought out a tallow natural deodorant too, the first I have seen, and it went straight into the store. I have also written a full guide to the Tuttofare range.
1. Tuttofare Sicilian Citrus Tallow Balm
If you are new to tallow, start here. This is the lighter blend for normal, oily or blemish-prone skin, made with jojoba, bisabolol and bergaptene-free citrus oils, with a bright citrus scent, and it never feels heavy or congesting.
2. Tuttofare Holy Grail Tallow Balm
Their signature balm, and the richest. It's 100% Australian tallow and raw cocoa butter for dry and sensitive skin, with a natural warm chocolate scent, and it earns the name: one balm for face and body, hands and elbows.
3. Tuttofare Roman Blue Tallow Balm
For sensitive or reactive skin, the Roman Blue pairs blue tansy and Roman chamomile, both known for their calming properties, with olive squalane and jojoba. A soft floral scent, gentle enough for easily irritated complexions.
4. Thrive Tallow Vitamin C Glow Crème
Dull, uneven or mature skin gets the Glow Crème: Kakadu plum, a rich natural source of vitamin C, to help brighten and support collagen, with sea buckthorn and rosehip for antioxidant support over a tallow base.
5. Tuttofare Not Your Regular Body Oil
A nutrient-dense body oil of tallow, buriti, olive and castor oils. Buriti is a Brazilian palm fruit oil with an exceptionally high vitamin A content, and the natural scent is blood orange, cypress and tonka bean.
6. Thrive Tallow Body Butter
Tallow blended with shea butter, coconut oil and jojoba for intensive all-over hydration, with a natural vanilla scent. This is the one for very dry skin, dry patches, post-sun care and growing baby bumps.
7. Thrive Tallow Phyto-Retinol Revive Crème
For night, a rich bakuchiol cream that is especially popular with my mature-skinned customers. Bakuchiol supports nightly cell turnover, smooths fine lines and plumps, with calming blue tansy and a tallow and castor oil base for deep hydration until morning.
Leave a comment