Solid cow fat that has been melted- that is what beef tallow is. Does that make you want to put it on your face? I mean it doesn’t sound convincing to me, but some people swear by it. So let’s get to the bottom of this…
Radiance spoke to Chiko, aka, the skinintelligentchic on social media, a skincare enthusiast, aesthetician and dietitian about whether we should be integrating meat fats into our skincare routine.
“The main concern is the irritation it could cause your skin, whether you are acne prone or you have dry skin.” Chiko says.
Because it is fat, people are led to believe it is moisturising. According to Dr Idriss, Beef tallow contains oleic acid, a substance that is fabricated naturally in your skin and is used a lot in skincare and beauty products. However, the safe dose of oleic acid in products is between 1 and 10% and guess what? Beef tallow contains over 40% !!
This would completely OVERWHELM your skin barrier- to put it bluntly, an oleic acid overdose. And this is only one of the many many reasons beef tallow is NOT a good replacement for your Simple daily light moisturiser.
I mean, if we are completely honest, let’s all imagine how stinky someone with beef fat on their skin would be. Surely that’s enough to put you off?
Animal fats used to be a common ingredient in skincare products but has since declined a little.
“When it comes to cosmetic formulation, a lot of brands have veered away from using animal byproducts because we found that they can be really irritating on the skin,” says Chiko.
Lanolin, aka ‘wool grease’ and goose fat are another two substances commonly used in skincare and cosmetic products.
However, even if a form of these ‘fats’ are included in skincare it doesn’t justify you lathering up in what would usually be used to deep fry chips and chicken nuggets.
Chiko says: “If a company creates it in a sterile environment then it would be safer but the problem is people going to the butchers to get the fat and then going home and mixing and melting it themselves.”
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According to Chiko, a common skincare misconception is that everything is best in its national form which is never the case in any professional environment. Products are usually very specifically formulated.
Within the world of social media, nobody seems to be put off trying anything, no matter how crazy it may be- just have a look at our other mythbusters and have a listen to our podcast to hear some REALLY crazy skincare choices.
“Everything that doesn’t make sense just tends to go viral on TikTok for some reason.” Says Chiko. “And obviously when something’s going viral, a lot of people have their eyes on it and that’s when the fear of missing out kick’s in. I don’t think that Beef Tallow would have become popular without TikTok.
With more and more brands becoming vegan and animal free, it seems ironic trends like the ‘beef tallow’ moisturiser are still circulating.
Byoma, Elf, The Body Shop, Starface, Bubble and Rhode are just a few of the many which have completely axed animal derivatives.
Beef Tallow, is a definite no from Radiance, I wonder what next crazy trend we will have to debunk! Make sure you research anything before doing it, even if everyone is doing it.
