Beef tallow has become one of the weirdest DIY skincare trends on the internet, and a lot of that momentum backfires. Nara Smith. Since she first shared her homemade recipe for tallow moisturizer on TikTok in May 2024, the video has garnered millions of views, creating a wave of curiosity about animal fat as a skin care ingredient.
With all this renewed focus on beef tallow, let's take a look at what beef tallow actually is, go through Smith's viral TikTok recipe and see what dermatologists have to say about the trend.
What Is Beef Tallow Skin?
Leather beef is supplied with fat from the cows — especially the suet around the kidneys and other organs — according to UT MD Anderson. It's a popular DIY moisturizer ingredient on social media.
A 2024 scoping review published in Cureus found that “tallow is rich in triglycerides, particularly oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid, thus lending itself to a variety of industrial applications.” The same review noted that beef tallow contains important vitamins, including vitamins A, D, K, E and B12.
The appeal of skin care comes down to chemicals. Dr. Michele Greena board-certified dermatologist in New York City, told GQ in May 2026 that “beef's fatty acids are very similar to the skin's natural oils, allowing it to effectively replenish moisture.”
Does Nara Smith Have a Homemade Moisturizer Recipe?
Smith, a social media star known for her ASMR-style cooking videos, helped push the beef into the mainstream beauty conversation. She's always going viral for sharing DIY recipes, and her homemade beef tenderloin — first posted on Nara Smith's TikTok in May 2024 — is a prime example.
The video shows her husband, a model Lucky Blue Smithmixing moisturizer in their kitchen after running out of her usual product. “This morning, my husband ran out of the liquid he used to use and he didn't want to buy it again, so he decided to make his own,” Nara said at the beginning of the video.
How to Make Nara Smith's Beef Tallow Moisturizer at Home?
Nara's beef moisturizer combines beef tallow, beeswax, squalene, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, hyaluronic acid and glycerin – melted together over a double boiler, mixed in stages and refrigerated to set.
The full recipe comes from her homemade smoothie recipe that went viral on TikTok. Here are the steps as Nara laid them out in the video:
- Combine beef tallow and honey in a metal bowl
- Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water
- Once melted, remove the cast iron pan from the heat
- In a separate bowl, mix squalene and jojoba oil
- Mix squalene and jojoba oil in a bowl of tallow and beeswax
- Add vitamin E oil, hyaluronic acid and glycerin separately, mixing well after each addition
- At this point, the mixture should thicken
- Transfer the moisturizer to a cup of your choice with a lid
- Put it in the fridge to set
Smith said the couple tried a homemade moisturizer recipe after the shower and liked it. Because she lives with eczema and dry skin, the formula deliberately skipped essential oils so that the same batch she mixed for her husband would work on her face and body as well.
What Are Some Ingredients in a Homemade Moisturizer Recipe?
In addition to beef tallow, Nara Smith's homemade moisturizer recipe relies on beeswax, squalene, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, hyaluronic acid and glycerin. Each ingredient brings a specific moisturizing or skin-conditioning role to the cow's milk moisturizer, and several are supported by published skincare research.
A 2023 study found that beeswax can be used as an occlusive, humectant and emollient. Humectants draw water to the skin to wick away moisture, while occlusives create a physical barrier to seal in that moisture and prevent evaporation. Emollients are treatments that soften and soften the skin.
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Squalene is a major component of skin surface polyunsaturated lipids and mimics oils found naturally in the skin.
According to a 2009 study, squalene can act as both an emollient and an antioxidant. Label note: squalane — the shelf-stable version of the ingredient — may be a better option for long-term storage, per Allure.
Jojoba oil is a liquid resin found in the seeds of Simmondsia chinensis plant. A 2021 study found that it is widely used in skin care to moisturize, balance oil production and soften the skin.
Hyaluronic acid and glycerin both act as humectants in the formula. According to CeraVe, “both hyaluronic acid and glycerin are humectants and do the same job of drawing in moisture to hydrate the skin.”
Vitamin E includes a list of ingredients. A fat-soluble antioxidant found naturally in the skin, and according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, it moisturizes the skin, protects skin cells and can absorb energy from ultraviolet (UV) light.
As always, viewers should consult their dermatologist before using homemade beef lotion. Everyone's skin is different and can have different reactions to certain ingredients.
