Did you know that a significant percentage of our skincare products contain mostly seed oils, particularly sunflower seed oil? And did you know that most seed oils, like sunflower, are heavily processed, making them unstable and prone to oxidation?

I am sure that if you go and check the list of ingredients on all the products you use for your skin regimen, you’ll find they almost all contain one or several seed oils.

Seed oils, no matter the type, are rich in PUFAs—polyunsaturated fatty acids. The thing about PUFAs (especially in excess) is that they are not in harmony with our skin’s naturally balanced state. Most skincare products, even those labeled “natural” or “organic,” contain PUFAs due to their seed oil content. While they might seem beneficial, they don’t truly align with our skin’s natural composition. Remember, our bodies thrive on biocompatibility—meaning the closer a product’s ingredients are to our skin’s natural makeup, the more effectively they work.

So how oh how did industrial seed oils—harmfully high in PUFAs—take the place of centuries-old ingredients in our skincare and our diet? And why oh why are we letting our skin and health pay the price?

Hear me out. 

Before plant-based oils, animal fats were used for cooking and beauty salves. However, Big Business turned PUFAs into big business. It all began in the 1940s, when seed oils like sunflower, soybean, safflower, and linseed oils were being used for paints and varnishes thanks to their fast-drying properties. They were named “drying oils,” as they oxidized quickly when exposed to light, heat or oxygen.

As petroleum-based alternatives became cheaper, the oil industry began producing seed oils for livestock feed, which helped animals gain weight more quickly on a grain-based diet. Since these inexpensive industrial seed oils were considered safe in the quantities used for cooking and consumption, Big Business expanded seed oil production to supply the human food market.

Before long, mass advertising campaigns started warning that saturated fats—like those in tallow, butter, and lard—were clogging arteries. This messaging paved the way for the rise of Crisco, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and diet foods. In the 1950s, studies linking saturated fats to heart disease gained traction, especially after President Eisenhower’s heart attack in 1955. As a result, the use of saturated fats plummeted, and industrial seed oils became the go-to choice—and champion—for cooking and baking.

Only recently have new studies begun to reveal that seed oils, rich in unstable polyunsaturated fats (PUFA), are linked to serious health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Enough is enough. Our health and skin are paying a high price. Research shows that industrial seed oils in our skincare products contribute to problems like premature aging and promote overall inflammation in our bodies.

The solution and conclusion is this. We must go back to the basics. My darling fellow Aesthetes and Anatomists, it’s time we go back to Tallow.

Yes, it’s fat. Animal fat to be exact. And best of all, it’s enough. One product is all we need to moisturize. And that is that. And what’s right is right.

Tallow, a saturated fat akin to our skin’s natural sebum, is stable and naturally nourishing. It is unprocessed and gloriously rich in essential vitamins and resistant to oxidation. Yes, tallow is our skin’s true friend, ensuring us healthy skin by maintaining its structural integrity and promoting cellular restoration.

It’s time we prioritize low-PUFA skincare, using products that align with our body’s natural needs. By choosing tallow over unstable seed oils, we give our skin a return to time-tested skincare that actually benefits and not harms our skin’s health.

Because youthful skin will inevitably fade over time, before we contemplate fillers and other cosmetic interventions, let’s radiate and be happy. I beseech thee, consider this ONE product made from ONE ingredient.

It’s worrisome how something so basic and historically valid can seem so foreign and “unintroduced” to the western beauty care repertoire! But here we are, learning to re-learn. Tallow is possibly the simplest, and if we choose, the only real skin hydrator we’ll ever need for the rest of our lives.

(I use both whipped and non-whipped versions of Based & Tallowed, unscented, and really, no more thirst here).