Tallows Benefits
What is the appeal to cosmetic formulators of tallow? Several factors make it attractive:
Tallow’s fatty acid profile closely resembles human skin’s sebum, containing oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids in similar proportions. This compatibility may enhance absorption of active ingredients and improve their effectiveness. Tallow also contains fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, which offer antioxidant and skin-nourishing properties.
Tallow As A Stabiliser
From a formulation perspective, tallow provides excellent stability, helping products maintain consistency without requiring synthetic stabilizers. Its rich, emollient texture creates luxurious products that provide deep moisture without feeling greasy.
Its contribution to stability probably arises from its disordered structure caused by its rather extreme production method. Waxes like beeswax and cocoa butter retain quite a lot of order, which leaves them open to crystallising over time. This is rarely a good thing. A solution to this problem with natural waxes is often to use hydrogenated grades which are extremely disordered. Tallow offers a natural alternative to this approach. But be realistic. The synthetic approach is more affective.
Tallow In Soap
The classic soap formulation that has been used for well over a hundred years for mass market tablet soap comprised tallow at 80% with 20% vegetable oil. This was only ended in the 1990s when all beef products were suspected of being possible vectors of BSE. Although nowadays Castile soap is considered to be a pure olive oil soap, in origin it was simply the soap made in the Castile region of Spain and tallow was used inlow quantities.
From a biological perspective, tallow would be described as an animal-derived fat with specific physical and chemical properties.
Tallow is a rendered form of fat, primarily obtained from cattle or sheep, consisting predominantly of triglycerides (three fatty acid chains attached to a glycerol backbone).
Biologically, it’s characterized by a high proportion of saturated fatty acids, particularly stearic acid (C18:0) and palmitic acid (C16:0), which gives it a firm consistency at room temperature.
What is special about Tallow?
What distinguishes tallow from other animal fats is its high melting point (approximately 40-42°C) and solid state at room temperature. The predominant saturated fatty acid composition results from the digestive system of ruminant animals, where microorganisms in the rumen biohydrogenate unsaturated fatty acids from plant material into more saturated forms.
Histologically, tallow originates from adipose tissue, specifically the white adipose tissue that serves as the body’s primary energy storage. In living organisms, this adipose tissue consists of adipocytes (fat cells) organized into lobules with supporting connective tissue containing blood vessels and nerves.
Tallow in skincare has gained significant popularity recently. There are indeed many TikTok videos highlighting its benefits.
Formulating with Tallow
Tallows Benefits
What is the appeal to cosmetic formulators of tallow? Several factors make it attractive:
Tallow’s fatty acid profile closely resembles human skin’s sebum, containing oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids in similar proportions. This compatibility may enhance absorption and effectiveness. Tallow also contains fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K, which offer antioxidant and skin-nourishing properties.
Tallow As A Stabiliser
From a formulation perspective, tallow provides excellent stability, helping products maintain consistency without requiring synthetic stabilizers. Its rich, emollient texture creates luxurious products that provide deep moisture without feeling greasy.
Its contribution to stability probably arises from its disordered structure caused by its rather extreme production method. Waxes like beeswax and cocoa butter retain quite a lot of order, which leaves them open to crystallising over time. This is rarely a good thing. A solution to this problem with natural waxes is often to use hydrogenated grades which are extremely disordered. Tallow offers a natural alternative to this approach.
Tallow In Soap
The classic soap formulation that has been used for well over a hundred years for mass market tablet soap comprised tallow at 80% with 20% vegetable oil. This was only ended in the 1990s when all beef products were suspected of being possible vectors of BSE. Although nowadays Castile soap is considered to be a pure olive oil soap, in origin it was simply the soap made in the Castile region of Spain and tallow was used to harden it. I don’t think that a pure tallow soap would be very appealing. It would probably be a bit too hard for most people’s tastes.
Using tallow as skincare on its own or blended into balms is an obvious idea and not particularly difficult. It has a tendency to sit on the surface of the skin. This might be what you want. Long distance swimmers sometimes apply tallow for this very reason to protect themselves from the cold, and probably more importantly, to protect their skin from seawater. If you are looking for a niche product idea, there’s a very niche one. About 300 people a year try to swim the English Channel.
Tallow In Creams and Lotions
Most people will want to have a product that absorbs well, so the tallow will need to be incorporated into an emulsion. In theory I suppose you could include some lye in your water phase and saponify your tallow in situ. It would take a lot of experimentation to do that and I can’t think of any benefits to doing it. But it is an interesting thought that one of the most widely used surfactants in skincare is glyceryl stearate, which was originally made directly from tallow by transesterification. This is pretty much just a variation of saponification. The self emulsifying versions leave some of the soap in.
So glyceryl stearate is a very fitting emulsifier to use. The desired texture can be achieved with a blend of fatty alcohols. In principle these could be derived from tallow as well. The pH and the salt content will also have an effect. These are things that are under the control of the modern formulator in a well equipped laboratory. But with skill there are ways of doing the same thing with things that be grown, dug up or caught. It would be a fascinating study to see how earlier generations and different cultures solved the same problem.
Tallow to Reduce Irritancy
A intangible, but nonetheless real benefit of using tallow might well be a reduction in irritancy. by enhancing the skin barrier function it’s less likely that other ingredients will be irritating. This may even extend to blocking allergic reactions that might otherwise take place.
Taking Its Origin into Account
It also falls to the formulator to navigate the issues around the origin of this material. Consumers who are interested in halal status will want to know that no pork has been involved in the production of the tallow. Some European countries are squeamish about the use of horses as feedstocks. Vegetarians will want to avoid it all together. But even maybe none vegetarians will have concerns about the animal welfare issues raised. They will also be people who are still concerned about the risks of mad cow disease. So having good traceability records, something which is always important, is especially so in the case of tallow.