Skincare aficionados have gone to great lengths to achieve perfect skin, from snail mucin to diaper cream. The latest fad is apparently beef tallow. But this esthetician has a warning about it.
Lydia Rose, LE (@theegeminiglow) posts skincare content for her 24,000 followers.
“I have to immediately share this experience as an esthetician and as someone who notices beef tallow becoming a trend,” she starts the clip that has been viewed 1.4 million times.
Then, she recalls one of her regulars trying out the trend. “I know that she usually comes from the gym, and I know she comes in sweaty,” she says.
However, she says she smelled something unusual this latest visit.
“The steamer hits her face, and within 2 minutes, the room starts smelling like back of the house. Like, it starts smelling like fryer grease,” she recalls. “I don’t think it’s a gross smell. It’s not a regular human body smell.”
This, the content creator says, prompted her to ask, “‘Are you using beef tallow?’”
Where did her client discover this? None other than TikTok. “‘I just saw it on TikTok, and I was just trying it. Of course, if I smell like a fryer, I want new recommendations for skincare,’” she recalls the client saying.
“Please know some brands or some beef tallows will make you smell like a french fry oil vat,” Rose warns.
“FYI for beef tallow users,” she adds in the caption.
Viewers divided in the comments section
In the comments section, beef tallow users defended using it on their skin.
“Been using beef tallow moisturizer and soap for 2 years. My skin has never been so clear and and moisturized. Healed my acne and I get compliments all the time on my skin and how it doesn’t smell,” one viewer wrote.
“Ngl it worked for me beef tallow cleared my skin better then cerave moisturizer that destroyed my skin and I kinda like the smell,” a second agreed.
However, some opposed the trend.
“As a cosmo/mua it makes makeup really hard to stick bc the skin is so dehydrated. Its not hydrating skin, it’s suffocating it,” one user shared.
“There’s no way yall continue to think rubbing literal grease into your face is a good idea,” another remarked.
A third shared, “I almost fell for the beef tallow trend and then my roommate’s dog came and licked my whole face. Immediately returned it.”
Potential pros and cons of beef tallow
There is conflicting information on whether beef tallow is beneficial for the skin. Some sources claim the fatty acids in beef tallow can reduce acne and moisturize skin.
Sharma Skin & Hair Surgery dermatologist Dr. Anil Sharma shared with Healthline some of the potential benefits. “Due to its make-up, beef tallow closely mimics the skin’s natural oil. Its natural and lipid-rich composition can make it an effective moisturizer and healing agent for those with eczema-prone or extremely dry skin. Tallow’s essential fatty acids and antioxidants can also be helpful with inflammation,” Sharma said.
On the other hand, others state it can clog pores, worsen acne, and make skin drier, especially for those with oily or acne-prone skin.
“Because tallow is an extremely thick, animal fat-derived moisturizer, it can be comedogenic — meaning it can clog pores,” Florida-based dermatologist Dr. Anna Chacon told NBC. “If someone has either acne-prone or oily skin, I would not recommend tallow as moisturizer.”
In addition, it can reportedly cause skin to become more sensitive to sunlight.
Updated 4:09pm CT, March 31: Rose told the Daily Dot she has worked as an esthetician for almost four years. She says she first learned of beef tallow for the skin through TikTok.
“For the past few months it’s been non stop ads for beef tallow products and with my clients/followers asking me about it,” she shared via Instagram direct message.
“I’ve had clients say they tried it before they saw me, but my video I posted was my first experience dealing with it directly in my treatment room,” she added.
However, this isn’t the strangest skincare method the content creator has heard of.
“Beef tallow is one of the oldest skincare products around, since it’s literally just beef fat. The bizarre part is people claiming it fixes every single skin issue for every single person (most likely for sales), so the product itself is not terrible, the marketing for it is the worst part,” she said.
“With trends leaning towards the more natural route’ please remember:
Science is not your enemy. ‘Natural’ and science can exist in harmony, dealing with the amount of hate comments on that video made me realize that it’s a slippery slope with wanting to believe natural is better and completely denying science. There is science behind why tallow works, there is science behind why it also WONT work for some,” she said.
@theegeminiglow FYI for beef tallow users #estheticiantiktok #fyp #estheticiansoftiktok #foryoupage #skincaretips #beeftallow ♬ original sound – Theegeminiglow
The Daily Dot reached out to Rose via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment.
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