The Beef Tallow Skin Care Trend Smells Like a Scam

Who needs vaccines and Vanicream, when you have raw milk and beef tallow? That’s what the internet thinks, anyway. TikTok (or TallowTok) is currently slathered with devotees hailing beef tallow (yes, the rendered fat from a cow) as a miracle moisturizer. As of March 2025, there have been more than 68.5 million posts on tallow. Brands cash in, while influencers flaunt before-and-after transformations, render tallow from suet, or smear beef lard on their skin, thinking it’s tallow (it’s not). The backlash against industrialized beauty mirrors anxieties about ultra-processed food. The same people avoiding seed oils in their diets are now seeking beef-fat balms for their faces—it’s not a coincidence that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is selling “Making Frying Oil Tallow Again” merch. But in a rush to eliminate toxins and stick it to big corporations, you may have overlooked other risks. I bought some on the internet and smeared it on myself to figure it out. TikTok content This content can also ... Read full article.