WHAT IS TALLOW?
Tallow is essentially a by-product that, with skill, can be formulated into functional skincare. Making it a sustainable practice when cows are pasture-raised and humanely-raised, taking a nose-to-tail approach with respect to the animal's life.
There's a growing movement towards tallow skincare for various reasons, from a trend towards sustainability, provenance and a nose-to-tail approach, to the rise of cottage-core and homesteading, a quiet rebellion driving the return to a more traditional lifestyle, and of course, the clean beauty mega-trend. In its simplest form, in an increasingly complex world, tallow skincare represents a return to a simpler way of living. Why complicate matters more than we need? Why buy a $300 cream with a long list of synthetic ingredients attempting to imitate tallow, when you can simply buy the real thing for a much lower price.
Conscious and simple skincare – with an ingredient list you can actually pronounce!
Tallow is rendered animal fat, historically and most commonly from beef (suet) or mutton. Its use as a skin ingredient dates back thousands of years. Our ancestors used it as a natural skin protector, moisturiser, and wound healing balm. The tallow used in Rewilding Skincare products is 100% grass-fed suet from organic and regeneratively raised cattle from the Waikato area. I lovingly purify, filter and deodorize every batch from my home in Waipu, NZ.
The use of tallow for skincare has its origins in ancient civilizations like Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Roman Empire. It declined in popularity through the 20th century, along with other natural ingredients, as economic factors pushed manufacturers to incorporate more synthetic components. Tallow was also plagued by the push towards 'low fat' in the late 20th century – an ideology that captured and conquered the western world. BUT tallow is at the centre of clean beauty once again! With its commitment to smooth, soothing hydration and a more natural lifestyle.
BENEFITS OF TALLOW
Tallow offers healing benefits when ingested or applied topically. Tallow sourced from 100% grass-fed and finished cows is optimal due to their superior diet. It contains anti-inflammatory properties and is naturally high in antioxidants. Tallow contains fat-soluble vitamins A (retinol), D, E, K, and also vitamin B12.
Tallow has a remarkable fat profile very similar to the natural oil produced by the human skin (sebum). Sebum consists of fatty acids, squalene, waxes, and cholesterol. It moisturizes, protects, and maintains the skin barrier. This complex mixture helps keep your skin soft, prevents water loss, and has antimicrobial properties. Tallow mirrors our skin's natural sebum, making it extremely nourishing for the human skin.
Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) benefits the skin by reinforcing the moisture barrier, reducing water loss, and improving hydration.
Palmitic acid has a skin softening effect, helps to retain the skin moisture, and improves and protects the skin barrier. It protects against stressors such as pollution, UV radiation, and harsh weather conditions.
Stearic acid helps to repair damaged and dry skin and improves skin elasticity and suppleness.
Tallow contains a high amount of saturated fat, making it very stable with a long shelf life without the need to add preservatives or synthetics. It’s non-comedogenic, meaning it doesn’t clog pores, and suitable for all skin types. Especially dry, mature and eczema-prone skin. It balances the skin’ s sebum production and thus also making it suitable to avert acne.
As a nutritional therapist, a common deficiency I see (especially in women) is fatty acids. Especially in those who were brought up with the old paradigm that fat is the villain. But fatty acids are very important building blocks! Every cell in your body is surrounded by a lipid (fat) membrane, fats regulate the bodies inflammatory processes and steroid hormones are made from fat (leptin, oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, aldosterone). This fat deficiency, in combination with a world laden with hormone disruptors and artificial oestrogen, is detrimental to global fertility and overall health.
Most skincare and hygiene products are unregulated chemical cocktails. Eg: more than 3000 undisclosed chemicals can hide under the word “parfum” or “fragrance”. The average woman uses 12 personal care products a day, each containing often more than 12 ingredients. That’s potentially over 144 synthetic chemicals entering the body daily from endocrine disruptors like phthalates to petroleum-based cleansers (PEGs) and SPF’s. The rule is simple: if you don’t recognise it, don’t put it on your skin. Your body is not a science experiment.
The world, animal and human health are in trouble. The system we live in needs a rebirth. We need a revolution. But revolution is not found in aggression or violence. It's found in silently going back to a more natural way of living, one in harmony with Mother Earth and our original human design. It' s time to “rewild". Rewilding Skincare is my idea of silent revolution. By creating sustainable products, using animals full circle (nose-to-tail) and supporting local farmers with ethical farming practices.
Ethics, safety and sourcing tip: if you care about animal welfare or sustainability, look for tallow labelled grass‑fed, pasture‑raised, or from small/regenerative farms.
By using ancient skincare basics and organic suet fat from grass-fed cows, Rewilding Skincare products provide our bodies with natural, skin identical, recognisable ingredients. Nature is the only way to restore health. BEGIN with your SKIN!
ORGANIC
Why is that important?
Rewilding Skincare is only made with organic tallow which is free from pesticides and herbicides. When an animal or human body is exposed to fat-soluble toxins, such as certain pesticides or industrial chemicals, it moves them to fat cells to sequester them away from the bloodstream and other vital organs. Storing these chemicals in fat is a survival mechanism to reduce their immediate impact. But these toxins are not easily metabolized or excreted, and are thus transferred up the food chain. Whether we ingest or apply animal-based products topically, both end up in our bloodstream. Your skin is your largest organ and 60% of what you put on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream. This is why ORGANIC matters.
Additionally, opting for organic supports soil health, biodiversity, and reduces chemical runoff. We are spraying this place with powerful antibiotics, like glyphosate. That’s anti-life. We are covering our beautiful planet with an invisible layer of dust that is making its way into our bodies. Let’s stop spraying Mother Earth so she can breathe.
The gut is the “mother” of the human body because of how it feeds everything from our brain to our skin, in the same way a mother feeds her child. The soil is the planets’ gut, feeding everything and anyone that inhabits it. Human health is deteriorating at the same rate as our planetary health. Human health is an expression of our ecosystem.
We are an expression of nature and until we come to terms with that, we are going to continue to battle with nature, going to war with it. When we should be working towards restoring and repairing it.