Grass-fed tallow does carry the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K2. That part is real, and it is a straightforward consequence of what the animal ate. What we are not going to do on this page is tell you what those vitamins then do to your skin, because the honest answer is that we cannot source the claims the internet makes about it, including some we used to make here ourselves.
So this is the plain version: what is actually in the fat, why grass-finished differs from grain-finished, and where the claims run out. If you already know you want the simplest version of it, our Unscented Whipped Tallow is grass-fed tallow and organic coconut oil, and nothing else.
Why the animal's diet changes the fat
Fat-soluble vitamins concentrate in fat tissue. An animal grazing on pasture takes in different inputs than an animal finished on grain in a feedlot, and the fat reflects that. This is a compositional difference, not a magic one, and it is the reason we are particular about sourcing.
Our tallow comes from grass-fed, grass-finished cattle raised on 150-plus acres of regeneratively farmed land, with no herbicides, pesticides or vaccines, and we render it in small batches ourselves. We render it in-house because that is the only way we can be certain what went into the jar.
What we can say about each vitamin
Vitamin A. Grass-fed tallow naturally contains vitamin A compounds. It is not a retinoid product, it is not dosed, and we do not know the concentration in any given batch because we do not assay it. If you are looking for a retinoid, a dermatologist is the person to talk to, not us.
Vitamin D. Tallow from pasture-raised cattle contains vitamin D3. The same caveat applies: we have not measured it, so we are not going to put a number on it.
Vitamin E. Tocopherol is present, and it is one reason a saturated animal fat keeps better on a shelf than a polyunsaturated plant oil does. That is a stability point about the product, and it is the one claim in this family we are comfortable making, because it is about the jar rather than about your skin.
Vitamin K2. The MK-4 form turns up in fats from grass-fed ruminants and is largely absent from plant fats. Beyond that, the research on topical K2 and skin is thin, and we are not going to build a sales argument on it.
The simplest version of all this. Two ingredients, no fragrance, nothing added to make a label look better. The one we reach for in the evening.
What we are not going to tell you
This section used to be the whole article, written as confident science. It is the part we have cut, and it is worth saying why rather than quietly deleting it.
That these vitamins do a specific thing to your skin. Collagen, cell turnover, elasticity, the skin barrier. We had a sentence in each of those four families, every one of them resting on a journal name with no link behind it. We could not stand those up, so they are gone. If a skincare page tells you a balm does any of that, ask it for the paper.
That it helps with any skin condition. This page previously discussed psoriasis. A cosmetic moisturizer is not a treatment for a medical condition, and we are not going to imply otherwise. If you are managing a diagnosed condition, that is a conversation for your healthcare provider.
That it does not clog pores. We have not had our jars tested for comedogenicity, so we do not describe them as non-comedogenic and we are not going to put a number on it. Patch test on your inner forearm for a few days if your skin is reactive.
How much of any vitamin is in your jar. We do not test for it. Any figure we gave you would be invented.
What a buyer actually said
We have nine reviews on the whole store, so we are not going to pretend there is a consensus. Here is one that speaks to the raw material rather than to a vitamin claim.
"My wife and I had tried another local brand and it is just not as good as Purelife whipped Tallow. We love this stuff."
Brian B, verified buyer, on Lemon + Lavender Whipped Tallow. He is comparing us with another tallow maker, not with a plant butter, which is the comparison this page is about.
Which jar, if you want one
Start with Unscented if your skin is reactive or you simply do not want a scent. If you want it to smell like something, Lemon + Lavender is the one Brian was writing about, and the scent comes only from third-party-tested essential oils, never fragrance oil.
You can see what is in the current batch in the whipped tallow collection. The seasonal scents come and go with the batch, so what is available changes through the year.
If you want the comparison with grain-finished fat in more detail, we wrote that up in grass-fed vs grain-fed tallow. For what the fat has in common with your own skin, there is the science behind tallow skincare.
Common questions
Does grass-fed tallow really contain more vitamins than grain-fed?
The fat of a grazing animal differs compositionally from the fat of a grain-finished one, and fat-soluble vitamins are part of that difference. We have not assayed our own batches, so we describe the difference and leave the numbers alone.
Is this the same as a vitamin serum?
No. A serum is formulated to deliver a measured amount of an active. Our jar is a rendered fat with organic coconut oil whipped into it. If you want a measured dose of a vitamin, this is the wrong product.
Why did this article used to say more than it says now?
Because it was written before we had a standard for what we are allowed to claim, and it cited journals without linking them. We would rather publish a shorter honest page than leave a longer impressive one up.
Is it okay to use on a baby?
Ask your pediatrician first. We are a small balm maker and not your child's doctor, so we will not tell you a product is safe for your baby. What we can tell you is what is in the unscented jar: grass-fed tallow and organic coconut oil, no fragrance, no dyes, nothing else.
Two ingredients, rendered in small batches, name on the jar. If it is not right for you, write to us and we will make it right.
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Pure Lifestyle is Jeremie and Megan, rendering and jarring everything by hand in Loomis, California. Our name is on it.
This article is educational and not medical advice. Pure Lifestyle products are cosmetics made to support the look and feel of healthy, comfortable skin. They are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent eczema, psoriasis, or any medical condition. If you're managing a skin condition, we recommend working with your healthcare provider.