Why is Tallow such an excellent ingredient for all-natural skincare?

Tallow is a nutrient-dense form of animal fat. Its composition includes fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, K, and E. This is just one of the reasons we use Tallow in our soaps and skincare at Dandelion Naturals.

But how do these vitamins benefit the skin, let’s take a look!

Benefits of Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an antioxidant that helps protect the skin’s barrier thus locking moisture in! Research shows that vitamin E is successful in preventing the breakdown of collagen. (1) The prime benefit of vitamin E is the capability to accelerate the healing of skin damage such as burns and wounds by as much as 50 percent of the rate.

Benefits of Vitamin A

Preformed vitamin A, or retinoids, is found in animal products like meat, poultry, and dairy. ProvitaminA, or carotenoids, is found in plant products like fruits and vegetables. When vitamin A is applied to the skin it absorbs it. Vitamin A’s benefits for the skin include: reducing fine lines and wrinkles.

Benefits of Vitamin K

Vitamin K is another antioxidant. It has been shown to improve the skin’s elasticity, heal stretch marks, and support the skin’s natural collagen production.

Benefits of Vitamin D

Vitamin D calms inflammation, improves cell turnover, and protects the skin. Vitamin D is very important for those suffering from eczema, rosacea, and acne.

Oleic Acid

Tallow is composed of about 47% Oleic Acid which is great for supporting dry skin and is shown to penetrate the skin. It also contains many antioxidants which prevent free radical damage.

Palmitic Acid

Is perfect for the creation of soap. And has been shown to reduce skin aging.

Tallow is composed of about 26% Palmitic Acid.

Stearic Acid

Like palmitic acid, stearic acid is an emollient but unlike palmitic acid is also a surfactant making soap the perfect pair with tallow. And other skin cleansing applications. (2)

What are the conditions of the skin that is required for optimal absorption?

Although the outer stratum corneum is lipophilic, the intercellular channels and cytoplasm are hydrophilic. In dry skin, the intercellular pores are impermeable to chemicals. Wetting the pores increases their absorption into and through the skin. In addition, lipid solubility is required initially, followed by water solubility, to pass through the water-based gel portion of the skin (Stoughton, 1965; Cronin and Stoughton, 1962, 1963).

The nutrients contained in tallow are fat-soluble vitamins, which is why tallow even contains them naturally. But to increase your skin’s chances of absorption of these nutrients, having wet skin before applying tallow is vital.

Where can you find tallow products?

Dandelion Naturals offers some fantastic, effective, & gentle tallow-based skincare.