Is Beef Tallow Actually Good for Your Skin?

Is your skin feeling dry, or have you recently run out of moisturizer? The internet has a solution for you, and it doesn’t involve visiting a store that sells beauty and skincare products.

Among the vast array of videos on social media, clips centered on food and beauty are undoubtedly two of the most prominent — though not the only — categories of content. But recently, it appears that these two seemingly unrelated topics have begun to intersect, as some creators share their new favorite product for a radiant complexion: beef fat.

With comments like “Beef tallow is blowing up right now, and dermatologists don’t want you to know about it” and “If you would have told me as a child I’d be rubbing beef fat on my face as an adult I'd be mortified. Week one and lowkey skin is popping off,” many TikTok users have been waxing poetic over the past year about the purported benefits of beef fat, also called beef tallow, for their skin. However, dermatologists disagree. 

Why are people using beef tallow on their skin?

Online claims about the benefits of beef tallow mainly assert that it's moisturizing, with many accounts claiming that it’s given users “glowing” or youthful-looking skin. Some people also attribute beef tallow with healing acne and clearing up their skin.

There are a few options that people seem to be turning to when they want to incorporate beef tallow into their beauty routine: applying pure beef fat labeled as cooking oil onto their skin, obtaining pure beef fat marketed for skincare use (which may be labeled as a “balm” or “whipped”), or experimenting with a blend of beef fat and other ingredients, such as tallow and honey.

Is beef tallow good for your skin?

When we asked dermatologists whether beef fat is the beauty product we’ve been missing out on, their answer was a resounding “no.” In fact, dermatologists point out that beef tallow is more likely to harm your skin health than help it.

According to Dr. Heather Rogers, MD, a procedural dermatologist and owner of Modern Dermatology in Seattle, “I do not recommend beef tallow as a skincare ingredient. It’s simply an animal fat — nothing magical or particularly beneficial about it for your skin.

“It’s messy, smelly, can clog pores, and goes rancid easily, especially without preservatives. There are so many better alternatives that are more effective and still natural to support the skin barrier without the drawbacks of animal fats… It [also] attracts flies.”

Beef tallow is also comedogenic, meaning it clogs pores and can lead to the development of comedonal acne. Dr. Anthony M. Rossi, MD, a dermatologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and founder of Dr. Rossi Skincare, emphasizes that “Smearing [beef tallow] on your face is quite comedogenic — acne forming — because of how occlusive it is…  If you want to induce acne this will do it, regardless of if you are past your acne-puberty phase.”

These concerns extend to beef tallow products marketed for skin use, including ones that may have other ingredients mixed in, which may mislead consumers into believing they are cosmetic-grade.

Rogers details that, “Often, when sold as a skin care product, the beef tallow is mixed with fragrance to help with the smell, but fragrance is a top [cause] of allergic reactions,” while Rossi points out, “Many of the products available online — [on] Tik Tok shop or Amazon — are not tested for real production. Therefore the products can spoil, and without a preservative system, they can grow bacteria or fungus.” 

Both experts strongly advise using medical-grade skincare products that have undergone testing through clinical trials Rossi recommends seeing a board-certified dermatologist “If you want to get serious about your skin…” In addition to clinical testing, Rogers suggests looking for products that have “third-party verification of safety and performance.”

This isn’t the first time people have tried to turn food into skincare

If you, like me, spent spa nights in your childhood trying to make masks out of oatmeal, it may come as no surprise that beef tallow is yet another addition to a long list of foods that consumers have tried to transform into beauty products. Rogers recalls that “I’ve seen olive oil, coconut oil, honey, yogurt, even mayonnaise promoted for skincare.

“The appeal makes sense: These are familiar ingredients, and people equate ‘edible’ with ‘safe.’ But in reality what’s safe to eat isn’t always beneficial to the skin. Many food-grade ingredients are unstable, comedogenic, or irritating on skin…”

This expert advice serves as a crucial reminder that skincare recommendations, like medicine, should be entrusted to medical professionals. If you have a jar of beef tallow on hand, consider using it to deep fry some french fries instead.