One of the great pitfalls of social media is the lack of actual sourcing for many of the claims out there. While a ton of tallow skincare companies cite the health benefits (which, per the FDA, they cannot make medicinal claims without being classified as a medicine, not a cosmetic), very few of them provide legitimate research. Many are paid for their positive reviews. That is precisely why I am writing this. I want anyone using products from Faithful Tallow Co. to understand that we have done our homework. Here is the TRUTH about our ingredients, using peer-reviewed scientific journals.
BEEF TALLOW
This, obviously, is the big one. MANY claims have been made for the health benefits of using tallow for skin. Unfortunately, there are very few scientific studies that back up the claims. What most people rely on are anecdotal testimonies. Our family has many of these as well.
I have personally used our cinnamon vanilla body butter on mosquito bites, and they stopped itching almost immediately and disappeared within a day or two. I have also used our citrus crusader beard balm on sunburns with great success. Mandy used various body butters on a couple of burns, and they have healed without even leaving a scar. We have used body butter on our children to fight eczema, and it seemed to have worked well.
Is it possible that there is a placebo effect? Of course. Without laboratory testing, it is difficult to know for sure. All we have to go on is the “eye test,” and our experience is that this stuff does work for our family.
What does the research say? Well, one study on tallow’s biocompatibility with skin by Margaret F. Russel et. al (2024) focused on the following five research questions:
- Does the composition of tallow make it better suitable for use on skin?
- What is the benefit of using tallow on skin?
- Does tallow have therapeutic properties for skin conditions?
- What side effects does tallow have on the skin?
- Is tallow reef-safe?
Their conclusion?
After reviewing the studies to answer the objectives in this paper, we were able to find information that supported the first three objectives; however, more research is still needed. Specifically, more research is needed that is geared towards tallow as a cosmetic product in humans. The fourth objective, which was to answer the side effects of topical tallow, had the most discrepancies between the sources. The fifth objective also found supporting information; however, only two sources were found.
The primary conclusion? There needs to be more research, especially for human subjects. That being said, there are some positive findings, especially for the first three questions.
Does the composition of tallow make it better suitable for use on skin?
Per the article, “Tallow is rich in triglycerides, specifically oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid, thus lending to its wide range of industrial applications. Tallow also contains essential vitamins, such as vitamins A, D, K, E, and B12.” Most importantly, research “provided strong evidence of tallow’s biocompatible nature” and ” Such research allows us to see that tallow could be a potential key ingredient in the cosmetic industry.” They also found that tallow alone might be insufficient, which is why it needs to be paired with an emulsifying component, which is why we add water and Cetearyl Alcohol with Polysorbate 60 to help bridge the moisture gap. With these added ingredients, our products are emulsions (a pairing of oil and water).
What is the benefit of using tallow on skin?
This paper cited another study that “looked at the topical application of tallow emulsions with higher content of linoleic acid and reported there was a hydrating property.” Mango butter and apricot kernel oil are rich in linoleic acid, which is one reason why we use them in our products. Our primary article also found that, “products that contain higher amounts of linoleic acid should provide benefits.”
Does tallow have therapeutic properties for skin conditions?
This is a big question, particularly for many of the “health benefit” claims made across the board, including our own. By comparing other studies on the subject, Russel et. al wrote, “Specifically, they concluded that the use of high fat containing emulsions could prove to be helpful in atopic dermatitis or psoriasis.” They continued, “Another therapeutic benefit of topical tallow was wound healing,” which does validate our own experiences with tallow products. Tallow soaps, specifically, are “less drying and damaging to the skin, whereas most chemical soaps tend to dry out the skin.”
This all sounds pretty great, but are there any negative side effects?
What side effects does tallow have on the skin?
Research shows that, “a 70% concentrated tallow causes oral, skin, eye, and reproduction toxicity in rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and dogs” through “repeated exposure through oral and respiratory consumption.” Basically, it can actually make our skin more photosensitive, but primarily through ingestion. Very high percentages of inhaled tallow can irritate skin and eyes. However, this irritation “diminishes significantly” upon dilution with water.” Most of our tallow products are made with 20% tallow or less, and they are topically applied. Our highest concentration is 50% in soap, but that obviously gets diluted with water immediately during use. Furthermore, animal testing is not human testing. I just believe you should be informed.
My own conclusions would parrot those found in this paper, which agreed with prior research. Tallow is filled with vitamins and nutrients. It appears to have some significant positive effects, and it is safe for topical use on humans.
MANGO BUTTER
We recently made the switch from shea butter because we noticed a rather unpleasant texture that needed fixed. When we began using mango butter, the texture smoothed out and felt better on the skin. However, for the sake of transparency, I want to again share a bit of research on the subject. What makes this difficult is that mango butter is not as well researched as the seed oil. However, the chemical composition is essentially the same (though not exact), but the butter is of a different structural state (semi-solid as opposed to liquid).
A 2022 study from Zaheer Khan et. al found that “The current study evaluated the use of NLCs [nanolipid carriers] for natural herbal formulations and found excellent antiaging efficiency of Mangifera indica L. [mango] peels and kernel extracts loaded in NLCs.”
Also, “Topical nanolipid carriers are lipid-based vehicles considered the most suitable topical delivery system to enhance the efficacy of treatment regimens for skin aging. They can effectively enhance the aqueous solubility, skin permeability and stability of natural extracts during shelf life in topical formulations.”
Another study from Poomanee et. all (2020) looked at mango kernel extract (oil) on acne and found that it helps because of “permeation enhancement through the primary skin barrier.”
In short, mango butter is not only a natural emulsifier that improves the efficacy of tallow, but also may assist in improving your skin quality. Furthermore, “green formulations are always preferred over synthetic formulations in the sense of the environment, compatibility, and low toxicity” (Khan et. al, 2022).
For better skincare, natural is the way to go.
APRICOT KERNEL OIL
The third primary ingredient across most of our products is apricot kernel oil. A 2024 study by Hamid et. al “revealed that BASKO [bitter apricot seed kernel oil] is a good source of biologically active compounds to be used as functional, therapeutical, and antimicrobial agents in food and pharmaceutical products.” In fact, the conclusion of the study says it better than I can:
The present study concludes that bitter apricot kernel oil is an important source of biologically important components. It contains useful chemical compounds that possess several beneficial potentials, such as antimicrobial activities against a wide range of bacteria and fungi, antiparasitic, antioxidant, and antispoilage activity. This study revealed that this oil has the potential to be used as a disinfectant, insecticidal, preservative, cosmetic ingredient, and antimicrobial agent. The oil shows good potency against a variety of fungi used in this study, thus confirming it as a good food preservative agent.
The positives for adding apricot kernel oil are obvious.
WHY FAITHFUL TALLOW CO.?
As you can see, the research shows that our combination of ingredients have actual scientific backing. This is information that exceeds what you will find on social media from brands that are paid to manipulate data. We have a commitment to combining the best ingredients using the best available scientific studies (though they all agree that more research is needed).
We cannot claim medicinal or pharmaceutical benefits of our products, but you can look that up for yourself. I will say that our personal experiences match those in the research I provided above. It works for us, and it might work for you. I invite you to try our variety of products and test them yourself.
Our commitment to you is that we will always base our recipes on verified research and practical applications so that we meet the highest possible standards.
That is what sets us apart. That is why Faithful Tallow Co. should be your primary skincare and beard care partners.