Beef fat in skincare: a fad worth keeping on the plate?

People are spreading beef tallow on their skin lately, claiming it keeps wrinkles away. A famous podcaster recently shared that she uses it around her eyes to stop sleep creases. The idea is simple: well-oiled skin won’t get pressed into lines while you sleep. But experts aren’t convinced this old trick is the best move. Skin doctors agree that just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s safe or effective. Beef fat has some good stuff like fatty acids and vitamins, but there’s no proof it beats modern moisturizers. Using animal fat can also clog pores, cause allergies, or even make skin more sensitive to sunlight. Plus, why take a chance with something untested when there are plenty of proven options out there?Some influencers have been fans of beef tallow for years. They say it’s similar to the oils our skin naturally produces, and they like that it’s just pure beef fat with no hidden chemicals. One even made a homemade tallow cream for her husband when his regular moisturizer ran out. For her, it’s part of handling her long-time eczema. But the trend has its downsides. In a popular mystery show this year, beef tallow played a strange role as forensic evidence in a murder case because it doesn’t wash away easily. This weird detail reminds us that what we put on our skin might stick around longer than we think.