Tallow Natural Skincare
Tallow Natural Skincare
Brand Name Moisturizers Versus Tallow Moisturizers - What's the Difference
Have you ever compared the ingredients labels on cosmetics products? There are a lot of unpronounceable words, except by a chemist. Let’s compare the ingredient lists and active ingredients that heal your skin of the top 4 most popular name-brand moisturizers and regeneratively raised grass-fed tallow moisturizers. Then you can make an informed decision on your skin treatment regimen.
Key Takeways
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There are more inactive ingredients than active ingredients in brand name moisturizers
- The inactive ingredients give your moisturizer a longer shelf-life. Is that necessary?
- Many of the active ingredients are synthesized in labs, so they don't have the same compatibility with your skin as a natural product
- The fragrance in brand-name moisturizers is from essential oils, which are strong and can irritate your skin
- Tallow has no preservatives or spreaders to irritate your skinm
- The fragrance in Sego Lily Tallow is from whole plant-based material that are never harsh on your skin for subtle fragrance
Which brand names for skincare do you look to for trusted moisturizing and more youthful, hydrated skin, CeraVe, Drunk Elephant, The Ordinary, Neutrogena, or others? These are the top four of the thousands of skin care brands worldwide, ranging from high-end luxury brands to affordable drugstore options. Each brand typically offers multiple moisturizer products for different skin types and concerns.
Skincare brands have loyal followers yet how many people know what’s in the cream they are putting on their face? This is a short list of the ingredients in the “top four” most popular moisturizers.
We’re going to compare these popular moisturizers with Sego Lily regeneratively raised grass-fed tallow to see what the difference is.
Stop Right Now and Read the Lable of Your Moisturizer!
I’ll bet the first ingredient is water because most brand-name moisturizers are water-based. Another ingredient at the top of the list in the “top 4” is probably glycerin.
Let's Look at the Key Ingredients in Most Moisturizers
When you read the labels of ingredients which ones are active and which are inactive? The active ones are good for your skin. Inactive ingredients make the product go on smoothly, give it a fragrance, or make it last longer on your bathroom counter. None of these attributes are beneficial for your skin. If you’re using a moisturizer routinely it shouldn’t need “preservatives” to keep it from going bad.
The key ingredients for your skin are nutritional. Ceramide, niacinamide, hyaluronic acid (and other acids), and peptides make your skin look radiant and start the rejuvenation of dry or aging skin.
One of the most popular skincare lines, CeraVe has all the active ingredients in their Skin Renewing Night Cream that are great for your skin. On a skincare label, as on all labels, the ingredients are listed in order of QUANTITY. Their first ingredient? Water. But isn’t that what you just put on your skin as a cleanser BEFORE you put on your moisturizer? All the “top 4” list water at the beginning of their lists.
The Ordinary is another popular skincare brand. They’re all about simplicity and we really like that. Their products are affordable and the science backs up their claims of targeting specific skin concerns. But did you know only 6 of the active ingredients on the label are naturally occurring and many active ingredients are synthesized in laboratories?
The only naturally occurring active ingredients are sodium PCA, urea, linoleic acid, oleic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid, which are also found on human skin.
Where the active ingredients appear on the label is an indication to you about the healing potential of that product.
What's the Role of Glycerin in Skin Care?
Glycerin, also known as glycerol, is a popular ingredient in skincare for its excellent moisturizing properties. It is a humectant, attracting and retaining moisture in the skin. Your skin feels smooth, soft, and hydrated with the proper water content.
It also strengthens the skin’s cell barrier, helping protect it from irritants and preventing moisture loss. A healthy skin barrier is crucial for maintaining overall skin health.
Our skin cells are continually dying and sloughing off. That cell turnover is a sign of healthy skin and glycerin aids in the repair of those cells
And glycerin is lightweight and non-comedogenic, which means it doesn’t clog your pores. Which is really good if your skin is oily or you’re prone to acne.
From the product brand’s perspective, glycerin is necessary for skin care products because it improves spreadability. When your moisturizer goes on smoothly it protects your skin from air pollution, ultraviolet rays of the sun, and other adverse effects. Sunscreen has many of the same chemical compounds as your moisturizer, only it’s formulated to not absorb.
Glycerin serves multiple purposes to improve your skin’s complexion. In scientific circles, glycerin is considered an additive and in most brand-name moisturizers it’s a synthetic formulated in a lab.
The Other Active Ingredients in Moisturizers
Niacinamide, Hyaluronic acid, Retinols, and Salicylic acid are all found in brand-name moisturizers. They each play a part in skin health.
Retinols promote cell turnover, which reduces fine lines and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid also reduces wrinkles by adding hydration and plumping your skin cells. While retinol helps cell turnover, salicylic acid aids in the exfoliation of those dead skin cells and unclogs pores. Great news for anyone with acne or dermatitis issues.
Moisturizers also have vitamin C and B3 (niacinamide), as well as peptides that stimulate collagen production. As we get older our skin begins to wrinkle because we don’t produce collagen at the same rate as when we were younger. Proper skin care helps add that extra elasticity to combat the ravages of oxidative stress. Especially relevant for anyone spending a lot of time outside.
But what else is in those personal care products that we use regularly to restore our youthful glow? Let’s look at the inactive ingredients in almost all brand-name moisturizers.
Inactive Ingredients in Your Brand Name Moisturizer
Inactive ingredients such as petrolatum (from petroleum), benzyl alcohol, and propylene glycol improve the viscosity of the cream, increase the shelf life, or add fragrance. None of these were available in past generations and women have been moisturizing for millennia.
As with many chemicals, buffering is needed to offset some of the potential negative consequences. An overuse of Glycerin can lead to dry skin and irritation. Citric acid, found in many moisturizers, can create a stinging sensation.
Some of the chemical compounds used to improve the “spreadability” of your moisturizer can cause skin irritation and many people are allergic to them. In one high-end cosmetics line, one of the “spreaders” used is zea mays oil. That’s corn oil and not only is it inactive it’s also probably a GMO crop laced with herbicides. Studies show Zea mays can accumulate heavy metals, and this bioaccumulation can pose health risks. Would you voluntarily massage this vegetable oil into your skin?
Brand-name moisturizers have numerous preservatives. Phenoxyethanol and chlorphenesin both inhibit microbial growth in cosmetics but can cause skin irritation and dryness, especially for people with sensitive skin. Microbes get a bad rap. Our skin is covered with microbes, some of which are the same as those in our gastrointestinal tract. Those antimicrobial properties that are touted as a selling point also inhibit beneficial microbes naturally found on human skin. We inadvertently destroy the biological activity on our skin that is the foundation of healthy skin.
Parabens are used by some cosmetics brands as preservatives. According to studies conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the safety of paraben is in question. It has been linked to potential estrogenic activity.
Not all, but most moisturizers use solvents to dissolve active ingredients to help the absorption of healing active ingredients. These are called polar aprotic solvents and some common names you’ll find on your moisturizer label are dimethyl sulfoxide, tetrahydrofuran, and dimethylformamide.
While these solvents are effective, it’s important to note that some individuals with sensitive skin may experience irritation or allergic reactions.
What is the Benefit to You of Inactive Ingredients?
The beneficial impact for your skincare of most inactive ingredients is negligible. The benefit to the cosmetics company is substantial. It’s difficult to produce a product in quantity with a short shelf life. Without that preservative, emollient, humectant, stabilizer, or surfactant, all known as an excipient, it would be impossible for you to buy your favorite moisturizer any time you want.
Your benefit of these inactives lies in convenience. Human skin is subject to many stresses, internal and external, ask any dermatologist. We want a skincare product that is easy to apply, doesn’t leave our skin feeling greasy, and doesn’t cost a fortune. We should also pay closer attention to exactly what is being absorbed by our skin cells.
We want cosmetics that address our specific skin condition. Whether you have light or dark skin, subject to disease that may come in the form of rosacea, or dermatitis, or suffer from hyperpigmentation, skincare is a necessity.
There is a skincare product that doesn’t come with an adverse effect and can even heal beneath the skin epidermis, where most brand-name moisturizers stop. And that is grass-fed tallow.
- Tallow has no preservatives or spreaders to irritate your skin
- The active ingredients in Tallow include a high nutrient profile so the vitamins, antioxidants, and amino acids are in the product naturally
- The fragrance in Sego Lily tallow is from whole plant-based materials that are never harsh on your skin for a delicate fragrance
Regenerative Grass-Fed Tallow - Natural Healing Moisturizer
Not all tallow, like brand-name cosmetics, are created equal. To get the most benefit from your skincare routine you need to ask a lot of questions. What is regenerative, may be your first question here.
Regenerative ranching focuses on improving soil health, increasing biodiversity, and restoring ecosystems. For ranchers, livestock, and consumers. It’s a more sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to ranching that has far-reaching positive social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Tallow from cattle that are grass-fed and grass-finished has a higher nutritional profile. As does the meat from Regenerative ranches. The recipe for healthy skin lies in a foundation of healthy soil. We don’t often think of the soil under our feet and moisturizer in the same sentence. But the connection between what the cattle eat, the nutrients in their tallow and meat, and the vitamins we absorb from that tallow is direct.
Tallow is a dietary supplement for your skin. Instead of glycerin, Regenerative tallow is high in triglycerides. While glycerin is a humectant that attracts moisture, tallow provides a richer, more nutrient-dense therapy.
As early as 1988, FDA data shows that (cosmetic firms) were already using tallow glycerides in eye makeup and skin care products. “…Hydrogenated Tallow Glycerides were used in a total of 38 formulations in the categories of eye, lip, and face makeup products and other skin care products….” But the cosmetics industry missed out on all the benefits of tallow by hydrogenating it, which increased the shelf life but decreased the nutrient content.
Tallow has all the active ingredients found in brand-name skincare products, sometimes in different forms. Tallow has the naturally occurring form of a nutrient. And the forms that are biocompatible with human skin. Regenerative grass-fed tallow contains essential fatty acids, vitamins A, D, E, and K which support skin health. These nutrients help maintain skin elasticity, hydration, and overall skin barrier function.
Essential oil is an additive for almost all skincare products. Often, it’s at a concentration that can cause skin irritation. But a better, gentler way to add a light fragrance is by using plant-infused oils. The whole plant (flowers, leaves, herbs) is stepped in a carrier oil (coconut, jojoba, or olive oil) for several weeks. All the therapeutic properties of the plant are infused into the oil.
At Sego Lily, our products are pure and natural. Our ingredients list is short: Montana regeneratively raised grass-fed tallow, Certified Organic oils, and all-natural plant-based fragrances. They are made in small batches, so preservatives are never needed. Regeneratively-raised tallow is naturally high in antioxidants, vitamins, collagen, and essential amino acids so we don’t have to add them. We can trace our tallow and other ingredients to the source. We believe healthy glowing skin is directly related to the health of our soil, our pastures, and our cattle.
Look to Sego Lily as Your Trusted Source for Moisturizing and more Youthful, Healthy, Hydrated Skin
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
What are the active ingredients in my moisturizer?
Active ingredients are niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, retinol, salicylic acid, and peptides in brand-name moisturizers, many are created in a lab. In regeneratively raised grass-fed Tallow the same active ingredients are naturally occurring. They may be in different forms than the brand names, but they are easy on the skin and match the skin’s own nutrient profile. and skin health without harsh chemicals or artificial additives.
Why are there inactive ingredients in my moisturizer
Inactive ingredients help dissolve some of the active ingredients and give your skincare fragrance with essential oils. They also increase the shelf-life of your moisturizer and improve its “spreadability.” Regenerative tallow doesn’t need any additives except the essence of the plants that are used to give a subtle fragrance – and – the healing properties of the plants used. minimal risk of irritation or adverse effects.
How do the inactive ingredients affect my skin?
Inactive ingredients can often cause flare-ups and dry your skin. Many brand-name moisturizers have alcohol as an antimicrobial agent (our skin has a microbiome of its own that this may diminish), Alcohol is also a preservative and quickens the drying time of any cosmetics. Essential oils can be harsh for sensitive skin. The use of a moisturizer with glycerin, touted as an active ingredient, can lead to skin dryness and irritation, especially in individuals with sensitive skin. health. By embracing regenerative practices, companies not only embrace healthier livestock and soil but also craft products that are rich, effective, and guilt-free for those of us who use them.
What is Tallow and how is it better than the moisturizer I buy in the cosmetics department?
Tallow is a type of rendered fat from cattle – that sounds icky! But tallow from regeneratively-raised grass-fed and finished cattle has a high nutrient content. It contains vitamins A, D, E, and K, and antioxidants naturally. There is no reason to add them as a supplemental ingredient, which brand-name cosmetics tout as a benefit of their products. It’s gentle on your skin, even if you have sensitive skin, and aids in healing that other moisturizers are unable to accomplish.
Are there inactive ingredients in tallow?
The only inactive ingredients in Sego Lily tallow are the certified Organic oils and the all-natural plant-based fragrances made by infusing the oils.