Emu Oil vs Tallow for Skin: Which Is Better?

Written by Jamie, co-founder of Wild Gold Tallow. He left Los Angeles to raise his family’s own food, raw milk, and first colostrum on a small farm outside Asheville, North Carolina.

Emu oil and tallow both have devoted followings in natural skincare, and people often ask which one is better. The honest answer is that they do different jobs, and the best results usually come from using them together. Here’s how emu oil and tallow compare for skin, and why we built our balm around both.

What tallow does for skin

Tallow is rendered beef fat, and grass-fed tallow in particular is rich in vitamins A, D, E, and K. What makes it special for skin is its fatty-acid profile: it’s remarkably close to the natural oils your own skin makes. That’s why a good tallow balm absorbs and nourishes instead of just sitting on the surface, and why it tends to feel compatible even with finicky skin.

The catch with tallow on its own is texture. Plain tallow balms can feel heavy and absorb slowly, and some carry a beefy smell if they aren’t clarified well.

What emu oil does for skin

Emu oil is a light, fast-absorbing oil that’s known to penetrate deeper than most plant oils. On its own it’s prized for how quickly it sinks in and how non-greasy it feels. My wife Jackie first found real, lasting relief for her dry, sensitive skin with emu oil years ago, before we ever made a balm. That’s what got us paying attention to it.

The limitation of emu oil alone is that it’s just an oil. It absorbs beautifully but doesn’t bring the rich, nutrient-dense, skin-matching base that tallow does.

Emu oil vs tallow: the honest comparison

• Absorption: emu oil wins on speed; tallow alone is slower and heavier.
• Skin compatibility: tallow wins, with fatty acids close to your skin’s own.
• Nutrients: tallow brings vitamins A, D, E, and K; emu oil is more about delivery than nutrition.
• Feel: emu oil is lightweight; tallow is richer and more protective.
• On its own: each is good, but each leaves something on the table.

Why you don’t have to choose

Here’s the part most “emu oil vs tallow” articles miss: they work best as a team. Tallow gives you the skin-compatible, nutrient-rich base. Emu oil carries that nourishment deeper and keeps the whole thing from feeling greasy. Put them together and you get the absorption of emu oil with the richness of tallow.

That’s exactly how we make our Colostrum Tallow Balm: 100% grass-fed tallow, USA-sourced emu oil, and rare first colostrum, and nothing else. The colostrum adds growth factors and peptides that neither tallow nor emu oil have on their own. One of our customers, Lynn, said it better than we could:

Love this tallow with emu oil and colostrum! Haven’t found this combination anywhere! Very happy! — Lynn

Frequently asked questions

Is emu oil or tallow better for your face?

Both are used on the face. Emu oil absorbs faster and feels lighter; tallow is richer and more nourishing. A balm that combines them gives you both, which is why many people prefer the blend to either one alone.

Can you use emu oil and tallow together?

Yes, and that’s arguably the best way to use them. Tallow provides a skin-compatible base while emu oil helps carry it deeper, so the combination absorbs better than tallow alone and nourishes more than emu oil alone.

Is emu oil good for sensitive skin?

Many people with sensitive skin find emu oil gentle and non-irritating, especially when it’s fragrance-free. As with anything new, patch test first.

The bottom line on emu oil vs tallow

Emu oil versus tallow isn’t really a contest. Tallow is the nourishing, skin-matching base; emu oil is the deep-absorbing carrier. Together, plus first colostrum, they do more than any of them alone. You can see the combination in our colostrum skincare, or read more about the best colostrum skincare. If you are comparing brands that also use emu oil, see our honest head-to-heads with Hearth and Homestead and Primally Pure.

If a facial moisturizer is what you’re after, here’s how to choose a colostrum face cream.

For the guys reading this, we also put together a plain-English guide to the best tallow balm for men.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.