This. Oil. Is. Magic.
Truly sensational. It smells heavenly of soft rose and warm vanilla, melts into the skin like silk and leaves you impossibly smooth and deeply nourished.
My favorite way to apply it?
Right after dry body brushing, with skin still slightly damp. I love to mist a hydrosol over my skin first and then massage the oil in slowly. The result is skin that feels supple, radiant and unbelievably soft.
Once you experience herbal-infused tallow oil, it’s hard to imagine your skincare ritual without it.
But I know what some of you might be thinking…
“Beef fat on my skin?”
It may sound unusual at first (even a little faddish) but the truth is far older and much wiser than modern skincare trends.
For most of human history, tallow was one of the primary substances used to nourish, heal and protect the skin. Our ancestors understood something intuitively that modern science is now confirming: animal fats are remarkably compatible with our skin’s biology.
After all ~ we are animals, too.
Why Tallow Works So Well with Human Skin
Our skin cells are largely composed of fats that give them structure, flexibility and resilience.
Approximately 50% of our cellular membrane is made up of saturated fats, which provide stability and strength. Much of the remaining portion is made up of monounsaturated fats with only a small amount of polyunsaturated fats.
Interestingly, tallow mirrors this composition almost perfectly.
High-quality suet tallow is typically:
- 50-55% saturated fat
- rich in monounsaturated fats
- naturally stable and deeply nourishing
This similarity makes tallow incredibly compatible with our skin. It absorbs beautifully and helps support the skin barrier in a way many plant oils simply cannot replicate.
As one researcher put it:
"Healthy, toned skin cells with sufficient saturated and monounsaturated fats would undoubtedly make for healthy, toned skin."
Modern science continues to validate what our ancestors practiced for centuries.
A True Skin Superfood
Tallow is exceptionally rich in fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and K ~ nutrients essential for healthy, vibrant skin. These vitamins are rarely found together in plant-based fats, but they occur naturally in animal fats.
Tallow also contains:
Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) - known for its anti-inflammatory properties and studies for its potential protective benefits.
Palmitoleic Acid - A fatty acid with antimicrobial qualities that helps protect the skin while supporting regeneration and repair.
Stearic and Oleic Acids - naturally present in our skin's outer barrier and sebum. These fatty acids help strengthen the skin barrier while improving the skin's ability to absorb nourishing compounds.
Together, these nutrients help support skin that feels soft, resilient, balanced and deeply nourished.
Why Source Matters
Not all tallow is created equal.
For skincare, it's incredibly important to source the suet fat surrounding the kidneys from pasture-raised, grass-fed and finished animals. These animals produce fat with a far richer nutrient profile than conventionally raised cattle.
At Slow, we hand-render out tallow using a combo of the dry and wet methods, which produces a beautifully clean, silky and virtually odorless fat.
This careful process ensured that the tallow remains pure, smooth and perfect for skincare.
The Magic of Herbal Infusion
And then comes my favorite part... Infusing whole plants into tallow.
Tallow is an incredible medium for extracting beneficial plant compounds, allowing healing properties of herbs to mingle with the nourishing fats.
At Slow, our tallow is infused using a double-extraction process, similar to our botanical oil infusions. This slow, careful process creates a preparation that is both deeply nourishing and richly botanical.
The result is something truly special:
A skincare oil that combines ancestral fats with potent plant medicines.
Skincare That Feels Alive
Once you begin using herbal-infused tallow oil, the difference is unmistakable.
Skin feels
- softer
- calmer
- deeply nourished
- naturally radiant
It’s the kind of glow that comes not from layering dozens of products, but from giving your skin something it genuinely recognizes and loves.
Soft, healthy skin is not complicated.
Sometimes it’s simply about returning to the wisdom that came before us.
If you try it, I have a feeling you’ll understand why I love this oil so much.