Is Tallow Skincare Sustainable? An Honest Look at Both Sides

Is tallow skincare sustainable? It depends on who you ask, and both sides have a real point. Tallow fans call it a byproduct that would otherwise go to waste. Critics say that buying it still puts money into the beef industry. We make a tallow balm, so you might expect us to just pick the flattering answer. We would rather walk you through the whole argument and let you decide.

Here is what this guide covers: where tallow actually comes from, the case for it, the case against it, whether tallow skincare is vegan (it is not), and a short list of questions you can ask any brand, including us, before you trust a green sounding label.

Written by Jamie, co founder of Wild Gold Tallow. Jamie left Los Angeles for a farm outside Asheville, North Carolina to raise the family's own food, and obsesses over where every ingredient comes from.

Is tallow skincare sustainable? The short answer

There is no clean yes or no. Tallow is rendered beef fat, and it comes from animals raised mainly for meat. Whether that makes it a sustainable skincare ingredient depends on what you compare it to and which values you weigh most. Someone focused on using the whole animal will land in a different place than someone who wants no animal products at all. Both are reasonable positions.

What we can tell you honestly is what is in our jar and where it comes from. What we will not do is slap a vague word like "sustainable" or "eco friendly" on our own product. Those words promise more than any single jar can prove.

Where tallow for skincare comes from

Tallow is fat that has been slowly melted down (rendered) and strained. For skincare, many makers prefer suet, the firm fat that sits around a cow's kidneys, because it renders into a clean, mild fat. Ours is 100% grass fed suet tallow from USA farms.

Cattle are not raised for their suet. They are raised for beef, and fat is one of the things left over after butchering. Historically almost every part of the animal got used: fat for candles, soap and balms, hides for leather, bones for broth. Today much of that fat goes into animal feed, biofuel and other industrial uses, depending on the processor. That is the starting point for both sides of the debate.

If you want the details on what grass fed and grass finished mean, and why suet is different from trim fat, we went deep on that in our guide to grass fed tallow balm.

The case that tallow skincare is sustainable

The argument for tallow goes something like this. If an animal is raised and butchered for food anyway, using its fat for something useful is better than throwing it away. That is the "nose to tail" idea: respect the animal by wasting as little of it as you can.

People who hold this view often add a few more points:

• Short ingredient lists. A tallow balm can be made from just a few ingredients, with no water, so there is no need for synthetic preservatives or emulsifiers.
• Fewer products overall. Many people use one balm for face, hands and body instead of three or four separate creams. Buying less stuff is one of the few personal choices that is hard to argue with.
• Every moisturizer has a footprint. Petroleum jelly comes from oil refining. Palm oil, which shows up in a lot of lotions, has been tied to tropical deforestation. Shea and coconut travel a long way to reach American shelves. No base ingredient is free of tradeoffs.

Industry writers have described tallow's comeback as a shift from by product to beauty ingredient. That framing is popular, and it has some truth to it.

The case against tallow skincare

Now the other side, and it deserves a fair hearing. Animal advocacy groups argue that "byproduct" is a misleading word. When a slaughterhouse can sell more of the animal, including fat, hides and organs, the whole operation becomes more profitable. By that logic, a growing market for tallow does not just use up waste. It helps fund the system that creates it.

Critics also point out that beef cattle carry a large environmental footprint overall, including land use and methane. If your main concern is climate impact or animal welfare, a fat that comes from cattle is going to be hard to call sustainable, however carefully it is sourced.

We think that is a fair argument, and we are not going to pretend it away. If those values come first for you, a plant based balm is probably a better fit, and that is a perfectly good choice.

Does grass fed make tallow skincare more sustainable?

You will see a lot of brands imply that grass fed equals green. The research on this is genuinely mixed. Some studies suggest well managed grazing can help soil health. Others find that grass finished cattle need more land and more time to reach market weight. Reasonable scientists disagree.

So here is our honest position. We choose 100% grass fed suet tallow because we believe it makes a better quality fat for skin, and because it lines up with how our family eats. We do not claim it makes our balm better for the planet, because we cannot prove that, and you should be a little skeptical of any brand that says it can without showing its work.

Is tallow skincare vegan?

No. Tallow is an animal fat, so any tallow skincare product is not vegan. Ours also contains first colostrum, which comes from cows, and USA emu oil, which is rendered from emu fat. All three of our ingredients are animal derived. If you follow a vegan lifestyle, our balm is not for you, and we would rather say that plainly than have you find out from the label.

Colostrum raises its own question, too: is it fair to the calf? That is an important question, and it deserves a full answer with our specific sourcing facts, not a quick line tucked into this post, so we are not going to gloss over it here.

If you are comparing animal ingredients more broadly, our post on tallow vs beeswax for skin covers how those two stack up, including the vegan question.

How to judge any brand's tallow skincare sustainability claims

This is the part we wish more people used. Whether you buy from us or someone else, these questions will tell you a lot about how much a green claim is worth.

• Do they say where the tallow comes from? "Sourced from USA farms" tells you something. "Ethically sourced" with no detail tells you very little.
• Do they say grass fed, grass finished, or neither? The difference matters for the fat itself, and vague wording often hides conventional fat.
• What does "upcycled" or "zero waste" actually mean on the label? Ask what was saved from waste and how they know. If there is no answer, it is a slogan.
• How many ingredients are in it? A long list of oils, butters and fragrances is not automatically worse, but every extra ingredient has its own supply chain.
• Do they make broad claims like "eco friendly" or "planet positive"? The Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides warn marketers against broad environmental claims they cannot back up. A careful brand will be specific instead.

"The deciding factor to try this was the all natural ingredients." Amber, a Wild Gold Tallow customer

That line from Amber sums up why a lot of people come to tallow in the first place. They want to know exactly what they are putting on their skin. Sourcing questions are just the next step of that same curiosity, and you are right to ask them.

Why our family chose tallow anyway

We did not set out to start a skincare company. When we moved from Los Angeles to rural North Carolina, the whole point was to raise more of our own food, raw milk and raw colostrum included. Knowing exactly where our food came from became a habit, not a marketing angle.

The balm started the same way. Jackie, my co founder, had spent about 15 years using petroleum based creams that a dermatologist recommended, and they never lasted. A friend of ours, Rachel, who makes tallow skincare, suggested blending our family's fresh first colostrum into a tallow balm. We made it for ourselves long before it had a name, and the whole family still uses it every day, kids included.

That is the honest version. We are a small family business in Asheville that believes in using real, whole ingredients from animals, and we know not everyone shares that belief. Our goal is to be clear about what we use so you can decide for yourself.

What is in a jar of Wild Gold Tallow

Three ingredients and nothing else: first colostrum, 100% grass fed suet tallow from USA farms, and USA emu oil. No water, no preservatives, no fragrance in the unscented version, and it is handmade in small batches in Asheville, North Carolina.

Because there is no water or filler, a little goes a long way. Most people use an amount about the size of a grain of rice for the whole face. We broke down the price and how long a jar lasts in is tallow balm worth it, and why we skip plant seed oils entirely in our guide to a seed oil free moisturizer.

If you want to try it, start with our Colostrum Tallow Balm in unscented, or browse the full colostrum skincare collection. Our balm contains colostrum, which is dairy derived, so patch test first if you have a dairy sensitivity.

Is tallow skincare sustainable? FAQ

Is tallow skincare sustainable or bad for the environment?

It is debated. Supporters say tallow uses fat left over from cattle raised for beef, so less of the animal goes to waste. Critics say buying tallow still supports the beef industry, which has a large environmental footprint. Which view you find stronger depends on what you value most.

Is tallow a byproduct of the beef industry?

Yes. Cattle are raised for meat, and fat such as suet is one of the parts left after butchering. Critics argue that selling those parts makes the whole operation more profitable, so "byproduct" does not mean the demand has no effect.

Is tallow skincare vegan?

No. Tallow is rendered beef fat, so tallow skincare is not vegan. Wild Gold Tallow also contains first colostrum and USA emu oil, which are animal derived as well.

Is grass fed tallow better for the environment?

The research is mixed. Some studies suggest well managed grazing can support soil health, while others find grass finished cattle need more land and time. We choose grass fed suet tallow for the quality of the fat, not because we can prove it is better for the planet.

How can I tell if a tallow skincare brand's sustainability claims are real?

Look for specifics. A trustworthy brand will say where its tallow comes from, whether it is grass fed or grass finished, and what any "upcycled" or "zero waste" claim actually means. Vague words like "eco friendly" with no detail are worth questioning.

The bottom line on whether tallow skincare is sustainable

Tallow skincare is not automatically sustainable, and it is not automatically harmful either. It makes use of fat from animals already raised for food, and it also depends on an industry with real environmental and ethical costs. If you value using the whole animal and short, simple ingredient lists, tallow may fit how you live. If you want to avoid animal products entirely, a plant based balm is the better choice for you. Either way, ask brands for specifics, including us.

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