Beef tallow has become one of the buzziest DIY skincare trends online, and much of that momentum traces back to Nara Smith. Since she first shared her homemade beef tallow moisturizer recipe on TikTok in May 2024, the video has racked up millions of views, sparking a wave of curiosity about rendered animal fat as a skincare ingredient.
With all this renewed focus on beef fat, let’s take a look at what beef tallow actually is, walk through Smith’s viral TikTok recipe and see what dermatologists have to say about the trend.
What Is Beef Tallow for Skin?
Beef tallow for skin is rendered fat from cows — specifically the suet that surrounds the kidneys and other organs — according to UT MD Anderson. It has become a popular DIY moisturizer ingredient on social media.
A 2024 scoping review published in Cureus found that “tallow is rich in triglycerides, specifically oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linoleic acid, thus lending to its wide range of industrial applications.” The same review noted that beef tallow contains essential vitamins, including vitamins A, D, K, E and B12.
The skincare appeal comes down to chemistry. Dr. Michele Green, a board-certified cosmetic dermatologist in New York City, told GQ in May 2026 that beef tallow’s “fatty acids closely resemble the natural oils of the skin, allowing it to effectively replenish moisture.”
Does Nara Smith Have a Homemade Moisturizer Recipe?
Smith, the social media star known for her ASMR-style cooking videos, helped push beef tallow further into the mainstream beauty conversation. She regularly goes viral for sharing DIY recipes, and her homemade beef tallow moisturizer — first posted to Nara Smith’s TikTok in May 2024 — is a perfect example.
The video shows her husband, model Lucky Blue Smith, mixing the moisturizer in their kitchen after running out of his usual product. “This morning, my husband ran out of some moisturizer that he usually uses and he didn’t love it enough to repurchase, so he just decided to make his own,” Nara said at the start of the video.
How Do You Make Nara Smith’s Beef Tallow Moisturizer at Home?
Nara’s beef tallow 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 chilled in the fridge to set.
The full method appears in her viral homemade moisturizer recipe on TikTok. Here are the steps as Nara laid them out in the video:
- Combine beef tallow and beeswax in a metal bowl
- Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water
- Once melted, remove the metal bowl from the heat
- In a separate bowl, mix squalene and jojoba oil
- Combine the squalene and jojoba oil into the tallow and beeswax bowl
- Add vitamin E oil, hyaluronic acid and glycerin separately, mixing well after each addition
- At this point, the mixture should be thickening up
- Transfer the moisturizer into a cup of your choice with a lid
- Place it in the refrigerator to set
Smith said the couple tried the homemade moisturizer recipe after their showers and liked it. Because she lives with eczema and dry skin, the formulation deliberately skipped essential oils so the same batch her husband mixed would work on her face and body too.
What Other Ingredients Are in the 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 beef tallow moisturizer, and several are backed by published skincare research.
A 2023 study found that beeswax can be used as an occlusive, humectant and emollient. Humectants attract water into the skin to hydrate, while occlusives create a physical barrier to seal in that moisture and prevent evaporation. Emollients are moisturizing treatments that soften and soothe the skin.
Squalene is the main component of skin surface polyunsaturated lipids and mimics oils found naturally in the skin.
According to a 2009 study, squalene can function as both an emollient and antioxidant. A note on labeling: squalane — the more shelf-stable version of the ingredient — might be the better choice for long-term storage, per Allure.
Jojoba oil is a liquid wax derived from the seeds of the Simmondsia chinensis plant. A 2021 study found it is widely used in skincare to moisturize, balance oil production and soothe skin.
Hyaluronic acid and glycerin both act as humectants in the formula. According to CeraVe, “both hyaluronic acid and glycerin are humectants and serve the same function of drawing in moisture to hydrate the skin.”
Vitamin E rounds out the ingredient list. The fat-soluble antioxidant is found naturally in the skin, and per Oregon State University’s Linus Pauling Institute, it moisturizes the skin, protects cells in the skin and can also absorb the energy from ultraviolet (UV) light.
As always, viewers should consult their dermatologist before making a homemade beef tallow moisturizer. Everyone’s skin is unique and can have different reactions to certain ingredients.
