Is All Tallow the Same? The Truth Behind Tallow Skincare Myths and What Makes Ours Different

Tallow skincare is having a major moment—and with good reason. It’s deeply nourishing, skin-identical, and packed with vitamins that our skin actually recognizes and uses.

But as the popularity of tallow grows, so does the misinformation—often spread by businesses that are new to the game and in it for a quick dollar.

As one of Australia’s original tallow crafters, we’ve been working with tallow long before it was trendy. We’ve spent years perfecting our techniques to remove the beefy smell and make tallow pleasant, luxurious, and safe for even the most sensitive skin. We’re here to set the record straight—because your skin deserves the truth.

MYTH #1: “Whipped Tallow is Just Air.”

TRUTH:

Whipped tallow is not a gimmick—it’s the most user-friendly way to apply this rich, nourishing fat to your skin.

When someone says "whipped tallow is just air," they’re ignoring an important reality: tallow, in its pure rendered state, is a firm balm. Whipping introduces air only to soften the texture, making it easier to spread without tugging or warming it in your hands.

At A Mama’s Apothecary, we whip pure tallow that maintains its potency while creating a soft, cloud-like texture that melts beautifully into the skin—no added oils, no dilution.

Why this matters: 

When switching to natural skincare, the texture and feel matter. The easier it is to apply, the more likely people are to stick with it. Whipped tallow helps bridge that gap for those new to low-tox living.

MYTH #2: “Tallow Has to Be Pure White to Be High Quality.”

TRUTH:

High-quality tallow is not always white. In fact, bright white tallow is often a red flag for over-processing.

Tallow colour depends on:

• The type of cattle

• Whether it was grass-fed or grain-fed

• The seasonal composition of the grass

• And how well it was rendered and purified (without being bleached)

  
  

In the warmer months, lush green pasture often gives suet a slightly yellower hue due to higher beta-carotene levels—just like rich grass-fed butter. A slight cream or golden tone in tallow is a sign of a nutrient-rich, thoughtfully rendered product, not contamination.

At A Mama’s Apothecary, we work only with organic, grass-fed suet and carefully render it low and slow—never bleached, never deodorized, and never rushed.

MYTH #3: “You Need Added Oils to Make Tallow Work.”

TRUTH:

Pure tallow stands alone—and when it's high quality, it should.

Many new tallow brands are adding oils like jojoba, coconut, or olive to make tallow easier to apply. But here’s the problem: those oils dilute the integrity of the tallow, and in some cases, can even trigger breakouts or sensitivities in people using tallow specifically to avoid plant oils.

While there is a place for tallow-oil blends (we use a touch of olive oil in our medicinal balms for softness and infusion), our signature whipped tallow is pure, uncut, and unscented. We believe the skin deserves the full healing power of tallow—nothing more, nothing less.

More Tallow Skincare Myths & FAQs: Setting the Record Straight

“Tallow Is Greasy and Heavy.”

TRUTH: If your tallow feels greasy, thick, or hard to absorb, it’s a red flag. That’s likely not high-quality suet tallow—it’s either:

• Drippings (the leftover fats from cooking meat)

• Poorly rendered suet with impurities

• Or filled with unnecessary added oils that disrupt the skin’s natural balance

  
  

At A Mama’s Apothecary, we only use organic, grass-fed suet fat, the prized fat surrounding the kidneys.

Our rendering process is low and slow, meticulously filtered, and perfected over years to remove impurities and any meaty odour—leaving you with a silky, nourishing, skin-identical moisturizer that melts in like butter and leaves zero greasy residue.

“Tallow Causes Breakouts.”

TRUTH: Pure tallow is non-comedogenic and compatible with all skin types—even acne-prone or sensitive skin. However, there’s nuance here.

▶ Initial use can trigger a purge—especially if you're switching from conventional or oil-heavy skincare. This is your skin clearing out blockages and adjusting to a natural rhythm.

▶ Most breakouts linked to tallow use are actually caused by added oils—especially castor oil, which increases skin turnover and can clog pores for some.

We craft our tallow signature tallow without any added oils to preserve its full healing potential and minimize irritation.

“All Tallow Is the Same.”

TRUTH: This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Just like olive oil, meat, or wine, tallow quality varies dramatically based on:

• The part of the animal used (drippings vs suet)

• The animal’s diet (grass-fed vs grain-fed)

• The rendering process

• Seasonal changes in pasture

• The crafter’s experience and skill

  
  

That’s why some tallow products smell “off” or barely moisturize—because they’re rushed, overcooked, or made by people who haven’t learned the craft.

Many newer Australian tallow businesses were once customers of OG brands like ours, who then started selling their own products without taking the years needed to refine, experiment, and truly understand the art of tallow. Their products may look the same on the surface—but they often lack the scent-neutral quality, smoothness, and skin benefits that only come from years of trial and precision.

You can often spot this by the wording they use. For example, “eczema and psoriasis safe” was our original tagline, created to reflect the deeply soothing, uncompromised quality of our unscented, pure tallow.

What Makes A Mama’s Apothecary Different

In a sea of new tallow brands, here’s why we’re the trusted original:

1. We use only 100% suet — no drippings, no shortcuts.

Our tallow is made exclusively from organic, grass-fed suet — the prized fat from around the kidneys. Drippings from cooked meat (what many brands secretly use) produce greasy, smelly tallow that lacks nutrients. We never use drippings, scraps, or mix with inferior fats. Our method is slow, intentional, and rooted in respect for the ingredient.

2. We will never add unnecessary oils or fillers.

A lot of tallow on the market is padded with cheap oils to make it feel softer or cheaper to produce. We don’t believe in diluting what nature already perfected. Our tallow is always whipped and pure — and when we do add something (like in our medicinal balms), it’s always for a very specific, functional reason based on skin science and ancestral wisdom.

You’ll never find us adding oils just to jump on a trend or match the crowd.

3. We are here to educate, not exploit.

We’re not just a skincare business — we’re a movement toward simplicity, transparency, and low-tox living. We go beyond the product to provide ongoing, accessible education on tallow, skin healing, natural remedies, and switching to ancestral and low-tox routines.

This is not a side hustle for us. This is our purpose. Our roots run deep, and so does our desire to help women and families find true healing.

4. We’ve spent years mastering the process — before ever selling a jar.

We didn’t wake up one day and decide to cash in on a trend. Our journey began when quality tallow didn’t even exist in Australia — so we imported it ourselves. But we refused to use it until we could remove the strong beef smell and make it feel luxurious. It took years of experimenting, refining, and crafting before we even considered offering it to others.

Many other brands have skipped that journey entirely — but we believe the process matters.

5. We’re not trend followers — we’re original creators.

If you’ve seen “eczema and psoriasis safe” on other tallow jars, know this:That was our original tagline.It came from our own customer experience and results helping sensitive skin and TSW. Since then, newer brands — many who once bought from us — have copied the phrase to appear more trustworthy.

But you can’t copy integrity, experience, or devotion to your customers.

6. We’re a small, family-led brand with a heart for your home.

We’re not backed by investors or marketing teams — just lived experience, generations of wisdom, and a real commitment to bringing ancestral wellness back into the everyday lives of mums, babies, and anyone struggling with compromised skin.

We’re not here for the hype. We’re here for your healing.

We’re not trying to grow beyond our values.

Unlike many businesses chasing mass production and big-box stockists, we don’t want to scale beyond our integrity.

Tallow is a slow, timely, handcrafted product.We believe it cannot be made on a massive scale without losing consistency, purity, and energy. We’re proud to remain small-batch, intentional, and family-run — so every product you receive has been crafted and handled with care, not pumped out in bulk by machinery or teams detached from the process all around raising our small family and balancing life.

This is skincare rooted in ancestral tradition, not industrial production.

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