Jennifer Sullivan
Appearances
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
You know, you can go to the drugstore, you can buy a $10 moisturizer that has been clinically tested in a lab, evaluated for efficacy, has the same level of concentration of ingredients in every single product that you're getting, which is not something you're going to get with beef tallow.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I think my reaction was twofold. I was like, OK, this makes sense. But then I was immediately like, oh, no, please no.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I mean, I'm chronically online. And I saw like a few rogue videos, but it wasn't until the Nara Smith of it all that I think it really blew up. Do you know Nara Smith?
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
She wasn't the face. It was her husband, Lucky. Lucky was making his own moisturizer in the kitchen to gnaw a voiceover, and they threw beef tallow in there.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
And I feel like that was really the video that catapulted the beef tallow trend.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I mean, I absolutely agree. I think there's also like this element of the attention economy and we're bombarded with different TikTok trends that we are treating like fast fashion. And are we skin cycling today? Are we double cleansing today? Like, what is the trend of the moment? And it's basically a rebellion of I don't want to hear any of it.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I'm going to stick to my one, one ingredient product that's going to do my face, body, hair, toes and the skin on my elbow. And it's the one and done idea.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
Yeah, I think one important call out is that like the word – natural or, in Beef Tallow's case, grass-fed or all of these buzzwords, there's no regulation. Anyone can slap that on a label. Really? Tallow that you're buying from TikTok shop is not going through the FDA. They can write whatever they want on this label.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
It's kind of like the greenwashing movement from a few years back. There's no real definition for clean. When we say natural, yes, it's coming from a cow, but it's almost the same logic of, would you put poison ivy on your face? Would you put poison oak on your face? That's natural. That's from the ground. Does it belong on your face? Probably not. I'm certainly not doing it.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
So I think that the idea of something coming from the ground is very appealing. There's safety in knowing that I know exactly what is going on my face. But I think that there's a lot of confusion in the ether when everyone with a microphone can be considered an expert.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
And just because it has 5 million views on TikTok or 700,000 likes on Instagram, that doesn't mean that this is a trustworthy source.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
The ingredients are there. It is going to moisturize your skin. That being said, stick around.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I think like there's so much fear around what we're putting in and on our bodies right now. And there's constantly a recall or should we be doing this? Should we not be doing this? We're just left with so many questions about what's best for us, quote unquote.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I mean, on its face, beef tallow has lipids. It has vitamins. The ingredients are there. It is going to moisturize your skin. That being said, A, it stinks. Has anyone smelled beef tallow?
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
Oh my God, Jen, I've smelled some questionable beef tallow. I have a very heightened sense of smell. And yeah, this smell was not for me. B is it's completely unstabilized. So it's natural, yes. But when we go and buy skincare at the store, there are preservatives. in those products that ensure their shelf stability and their shelf life.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
Beef tallow, 100% natural beef tallow does not have any of that in it. So you can introduce bacteria. Let's say you get a little water in it after you, you know, wash your face. And there's a reason that we have science and there's a reason that we have labs. And to ignore all of that, to me, seems so crazy.
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
I think there's a bit of irony in this whole discussion because it's like in an effort to be safer and avoid all of these chemicals, as we've said, is kind of the discourse. People are going this more quote-unquote natural route with their beef tallow, but there's a whole other host of safety issues that you're introducing by doing that. And people are completely neglecting to see
It's Been a Minute
Why are people smearing beef fat on their face?
the many great alternatives on the market that are affordably priced where you can understand every ingredient that's on the back of the label. And they also come with the safety testing and the standardization and that kind of regulation that you would want from a product.