I'll be honest: I've found some life-changing beauty tips on TikTok. Bag Balm, a moisturizer originally used to soothe chapped cow udders, has become my go-to for dry cuticles, and sock curls, a heatless styling trick for long-lasting waves, have replaced my need for hot tools. The latest buzzy trend to take over the platform involves putting beef tallow—an animal fat byproduct—all over your face and neck. And while my years as a beauty editor have certainly exposed me to some unusual products before, using beef tallow for skin wasn't on my 2024 beauty bucket list.
Still, more than 17,000 TikTok creators are singing beef tallow’s anti-inflammatory, collagen-boosting praises. A scroll through my BeautyTok FYP the past few days makes me think Big Beef Tallow is coming for Sephora. Creators claim beef tallow is a “three-day cure” for acne. Video after video shows dry, cracked, pimple-ridden skin transforming into a crystal clear, bouncy complexion. It’s becoming a movement deserving of a Ballerina-Farm-meets-Nara-Smith-type ambassador.
