TL;DR: Grass-fed and finished tallow retains much more nutrients than just grass-fed tallow. And YES, it does matter for skincare.
The re-emergence of tallow skincare
We see it everywhere we turn now: tallow skincare. Something that was almost nonexistent in the beauty aisle of your local co-op just 10 years ago. And now there are seemingly too many tallow balms to choose from.
So is tallow a trend or is it here to stay?
Well, the thing that makes tallow apart from other beauty and skincare trends is that it is actually ancient. It’s not something new that we just discovered. It’s not a modern ‘replacement’ for a more traditional product.
The move toward tallow is actually a move back toward what is ancestral, traditional, and biologically appropriate for our skin. For us at Rhea, tallow is here to stay no matter what the “trends” tell us we should be putting on our skin. Tallow just makes sense.
So, if you’re like us and tallow just feels right to you, there’s some important nuance to pay attention to when buying tallow-based skincare products. One of the big keywords to look for is grass-fed and finished.
With so many buzzwords related to food and skincare these days, it’s hard to tell which ones really matter. This article will help you understand better what grass-fed and grass-finished mean for tallow and what to look for when picking out your natural skincare products.
First, let’s get one thing straight: cows eat grass
To be more specific: they should eat grass.
Cows are ruminants. If you don’t know what a ruminant is, it’s a creature that is perfectly designed by nature to ferment grass in a four-chambered stomach (compared to our one-chambered human stomachs).
When a cow eats grass its whole life, its inner systems are in harmony. What you get from that cow is tallow that is rich in beta-carotene, giving it a beautiful yellow hue.
The moment a cow is switched to feed on grain (corn, wheat, soy, etc.) or even other filler products, the chemistry of its fat begins to change as well. You may notice that grain-fed tallow has a stark-white coloring. This may seem “cleaner”, especially when it comes to skincare, but all it means in reality is that the tallow is now deficient in all of those great fat-soluble vitamins that make it so nourishing for our skin. More on that in a bit.
Long-story short, the nature of cows tells us that their bodies are designed to thrive on grass.
Grass-fed vs. grass-finished: why the difference is actually (really) important
This is where things get tricky. When beef products are labeled “grass-fed,” there is no saying how long that cow was grass-fed for. It could have been for the first six months of its life, it could have been for the first year of its life. After that, the cow could have been fed entirely on grain for the rest of its life.
So tallow can be labeled “grass-fed” even if the cow spent the last year of its life in a feedlot eating nothing but corn and soy.
This is where “grass-finished” actually does play a huge role.
When beef and tallow are labeled “grass-fed and grass-finished,” that means that the cow was raised on a grass diet up until its last days. There was no switch to grain feed. Just pure grass.
Okay, so now that we know the difference between the different labels, let’s dig more into why this is important in the context of skincare.
Why grass-fed and finished tallow is superior for skin
The short answer is this: grass-fed and finished tallow retains more of its natural nutrients that get transferred to your skin barrier.
The main components that we’re going to look at are the fatty acid profile and fat-soluble vitamins.
In the fatty acid profile, grass-fed and finished tallow is rich in Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) that gives it its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. It also has a healthy ratio of Omega-3 : Omega-6 fatty acids. Our bodies are quite sensitive to this ratio, so in order to keep inflammation in check, we require healthy ratios of Omega 3:6.
Finally, Palmitoleic Acid is the component of grass-fed and finished tallow that helps it feel so similar to human skin sebum, allowing it to absorb naturally and deeply into our skin without feeling greasy.
Now, let’s talk about color. A nutrient-rich beef tallow will have a golden hue. It won’t be stark-white (that implies an absence of nutrients). But a beautifully golden tallow is rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. These nutrients come mainly from the grass that the cows are eating.
What happens when cows stop eating grass?
When cows are transitioned to a grain-fed diet, they can experience something called acidosis. Think of acidosis like one long, continuous spell of heartburn. But acidosis isn’t just uncomfortable to the animal, it sets off systemic changes to their body, their composition, and to the quality of its byproducts.
Acidosis can greatly affect the fatty acid profile, putting the ratio of Omega 3:6 at levels that are incredibly inflammatory to our bodies.
The profile of those fat-soluble vitamins also takes a toll on a grain-fed diet.
So, does all of this matter for tallow balm?
Well, let’s see. Do you want a tallow balm that is rich in fat-soluble vitamins that your skin craves? Do you want a tallow-based skincare that actively soothes your skin rather than causes more inflammation?
If you answered yes to both of those, then it is incredibly important to select skincare products that use grass-fed and finished tallow. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of putting a nutrient-rich, luxurious tallow balm on your face and walking around with that all-day dewy look. Don’t sell yourself short here: grass-fed and finished makes all the difference.
In need of a tallow face balm? Check out our 100% grass-fed and finished tallow face balm, Hera.
Why does "Grass-Finished" matter specifically for tallow skincare?
Grass-finished tallow comes from cows that were raised on grass until their last day. They had a healthy metabolic state, producing tallow with higher nutrient density and a balanced fatty acid profile. This kind of tallow will help to soothe inflammation rather than add to it.
Does the color of the tallow tell me if it’s high quality?
Yes! High-quality tallow will have a creamy, golden hue. It won’t be stark white. This means that it is rich in fat-soluble vitamins like A & E.
Does grass-finished tallow contain more vitamins?
Yes! Grass-finished tallow has more concentrated levels of vitamins A, E, D, and K as well as a more balanced fatty acid profile.