Now, companies are pitching beef tallow as the skin care solution of our ancestors and claim their ointments can soothe dry skin and alleviate acne. And they’re reporting a spike in sales. Amallow, a beef tallow-based skincare brand in Cincinnati, sold 400 units in May, when the company launched. In October, it sold about 15,000.

“Some people are skeptical,” said Hunter Block, who founded Amallow with his wife, Lauryn. “But we’re seeing all of these real customers that we have. Some of the reviews that we get are just like, ‘Wow, this is unbelievable.’”

Search “beef tallow” on TikTok, and you’ll find similar testimonials touting the products.

Dermatologists are more cautious. They say that beef tallow can soften dry, rough skin much like other fats and oils, such as coconut and olive oil. And beef tallow may be worth a try for people who are looking for natural skin care products.

But there’s no evidence to show beef tallow is better than conventional moisturizers, said Bruce Brod, a clinical professor of dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dermatologists also said beef tallow may exacerbate acne, despite the claims on TikTok. Joshua Zeichner, an associate professor of dermatology and the director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, said tallow can be comedogenic — blocking pores and causing acne.

“I personally would not recommend this to someone who’s acne-prone,” Zeichner said. “If they want to try it, I think there’s little risk. But if they start to break out after using it, then they can decide that it’s not for them.”

Why people are turning to beef tallow

Fats have long been used to smooth and soften the skin. In skin care, they’re considered emollients — ingredients that form a protective layer over the skin, trapping in moisture.

But beef tallow, in particular, has found an audience on TikTok as consumers increasingly seek out natural skin care products.

“I really believe in getting back to more of a natural state and not having a list of 40 ingredients on a bottle that you can’t even pronounce,” said Shanah Morris, 25, who sells a tallow-based body butter from her family farm, Forrest Green Farm, near Charlottesville. “That can’t be good if you can’t even pronounce it.”

In September, Morris posted a video on TikTok to market her family’s beef tallow brand, and it sold out in a day. Now, she said her family can’t keep up with the online orders. They’ve sold more than 6,000 jars of beef tallow on TikTok since April, Morris said.

So, how does beef tallow smell? The answer depends on the product you’re using. Products made with beef tallow will often contain almond oil, olive oil, beeswax, honey or essential oils. Scented versions include vanilla lavender or piña colada.

Unscented beef tallow products can have a faint, fatty smell. “But you can’t smell it on you when it’s on your skin,” said Brianna Gesler, 27, who’s been regularly using a beef tallow product since August.

Pure beef tallow rendered at home smells faintly beefy and savory, said Sam Meyer, 25, a fourth-generation owner of a cattle farm near Fayette, Missouri, who renders her own beef tallow.

It’s like walking into a house and smelling a roast in the kitchen, she said. To mask the beefy aroma, Meyer adds essential oils to the batches made for skin care.

What to know before you try it

Ayan Kusari, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of California at San Francisco, said it’s “very understandable” some people may want to avoid “five- or 10-syllable ingredients” in their skin care.

But if you’re going to start applying beef tallow to your skin, start with an ointment that’s unscented, Kusari said. The essential oils, botanicals and other natural ingredients in a tallow ointment could cause an allergic reaction.

“I just see so much contact dermatitis,” Kusari said. “I would much rather you come in smelling like In-N-Out Burger than have a rash from head to toe.”

Some dermatologists are also concerned about the potential for cross-contamination in beef tallow, or a lack of testing. Brand-name moisturizers have been “thoroughly vetted,” and you can be confident the product’s composition is consistent from jar to jar, Kusari said.

And just because an ingredient is natural, doesn’t mean it’s better, Brod said.

“Things in nature don’t always evolve to be kind to our skin, or the human body in general,” Brod said. “It doesn’t mean all things natural are bad. But, it also doesn’t mean all substances created synthetically are bad either.”