Tallow vs Modern Moisturisers: What's Actually Going On Your Skin?
Walk down any skincare aisle and you'll see hundreds of moisturisers. Different prices, different promises, different coloured packaging with big words printed in reassuring fonts.
And yet so many of us still stand there wondering which one is actually right for our skin.
This isn't a post about one being good and the other being bad. It's about understanding what's in the jar, so you can choose what works for you.
What's in a Modern Moisturiser?
Most moisturisers on the shelf are creams or lotions. That means they're made mostly from water, blended with oils using emulsifiers so the two don't separate. Because there's water in the jar, they also need a preservative to keep them safe from mould and bacteria.
None of that is a bad thing. It's how creams are made, and it's what makes them light and easy to spread. But it does mean the ingredient list can get long, and a lot of those names are hard to pronounce.
What's in a Tallow Balm?
A traditional tallow balm is different. There's usually no water at all. It's rendered beef tallow, often blended with a few oils, beeswax or honey. Because there's no water, there's far less for mould to grow in, and the ingredient list stays short.
Grass-fed beef tallow is rich in fatty acids like oleic, stearic and palmitic acid, which are similar to the fats found naturally in our own skin. It also naturally contains vitamins A, D, E and K. That's a big part of why people have used it on dry, hardworking skin for generations.
So Where Does Our Range Sit?
We'll be honest with you, because that's how we do things.
PHAT Balm, The OG and Bootin' the Blues are balms. Short ingredient lists, built around grass-fed beef tallow.
Whip Crackin' is different. It's a whipped body moisturiser made with tallow and shea butter, and because it's a lighter, creamier formula it also contains water, emulsifiers and a preservative. We made it that way on purpose, for people who want tallow in an everyday cream that spreads easily over arms, legs and back.
Every ingredient in every product is listed on its product page. If you ever want one explained, just ask us.
Balm or Cream: Which Suits You?
Choose a balm if you want a short ingredient list, rich moisture for hands, heels, lips and dry patches, and you don't mind a firmer texture that you warm between your fingers.
Choose a whipped cream if you want something lighter that spreads quickly over big areas, for a fast everyday routine.
Plenty of our customers use both. That's why we made the PHAT PACK.
Why Did Tallow Disappear for a While?
After the Second World War, cheap, consistent oils and new ingredients took over the cosmetics industry. Animal fats went out of fashion, and tallow slowly disappeared from the shelves, even though people had used it for generations.
Now people are reading ingredient labels again and asking what they're putting on their skin. And a lot of them are coming back to tallow.
Trying Tallow for the First Time
Patch test first: try a small amount on a small area of skin before using it everywhere. If anything doesn't agree with you, stop using it.
Start small: a pea-sized amount warmed between your fingers goes a long way.
Give it time: use it daily for a few weeks and see how your skin feels. Everyone's skin is different.
The Bottom Line
There's no one right moisturiser for everyone. The best one is the one you understand, enjoy using, and keep coming back to.
For us, that's grass-fed beef tallow and simple, ancestral ingredients, made for the hardworking, the ones that need it most.
Formulated and designed in Australia. Manufactured in China.
