Is beef tallow good for your skin?

Direct scientific studies on beef tallow as a skincare product are virtually non-existent. The available research finds no demonstrable effect of beef tallow on skin conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis or psoriasis. The claims circulating online are largely anecdotal: personal testimonials without a controlled study design.

An analysis of posts on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok shows that most promotion of beef tallow for the skin comes from people without a medical or dermatological background. In addition, most posters had a financial interest because they were selling the product themselves. That makes the information you encounter there far from reliable.

There has been laboratory research into animal fat in skincare, but it concerns sheep fat in a specifically formulated emulsion with walnut oil, not beef tallow applied directly to the skin. In that laboratory setting, two formulated variants scored well on moisturising properties in 78 test subjects. Whether that is comparable to beef tallow, and whether it also works clinically for real skin conditions, has not been demonstrated by this.

In short: the idea that you can apply kitchen beef tallow to your skin for acne or eczema has no scientific basis. Anyone looking for a good moisturising cream for sensitive skin is better off choosing products whose effectiveness has been demonstrated in independent research.