Most “natural” moisturizers lean on seed oils like sunflower, grapeseed, or safflower. They sound wholesome but break down quickly when exposed to heat, air, or light ,creating free radicals that age and inflame skin. Others swap in synthetic emollients that coat the surface without nourishing deeper layers.

Most modern creams lean on polyunsaturated seed oils and water. They’re easy to manufacture, but high‑linoleic oils are prone to oxidation (especially with light and heat), which can stress the skin, disrupt balance, and undermine your barrier. Others rely on synthetic emollients or even formaldehyde‑releasing preservatives in “lightweight” lotions. They feel silky for a moment, then evaporate or sit on top, mimicking moisture instead of feeding the barrier.

Grass-fed tallow is different. Its saturated and monounsaturated fats stay stable, resist rancidity, and actually integrate into your skin barrier. That means what you put on today is still safe, effective, and supportive tomorrow.

Most skincare labels feel like chemistry textbooks, long words, hidden risks, and marketing buzzwords like “clean” or “non-toxic” that don’t mean much. Brands highlight one or two natural ingredients on the front, but bury the reality in fine print on the back.

Here’s the truth: ingredients are always listed in order of volume. If water comes first, you’re mostly paying for dilution. If the star ingredient is buried at the bottom, it’s just window dressing. And if you see things like parabens, “fragrance,” or even formaldehyde, you know your skin barrier isn’t the real priority.

At VÆR, we keep labels simple and honest. Grass-fed tallow, jojoba oil, beeswax, and calendula are always right at the top, because they’re the foundation of every formula, not afterthoughts. When you learn to read labels, you learn to protect your skin.  

Before lotions came in plastic tubes and oils were stripped of their nutrients, whole-animal fats were the foundation of skincare across cultures. Tallow, rendered fat from cattle, sheep, or other animals, was valued for its protective, emollient, and healing qualities.

In European folk medicine, tallow balms were used to soften and shield the skin, often infused with herbs like lavender or calendula. Victorian cold creams relied on tallow as a base for their nourishing properties long before petroleum jelly or mineral oils entered the market.

Across Central and South Asia, Mughal and Turkic horsemen applied sheep or yak fat to protect their skin from mountain winds and desert air, demonstrating its role as a natural barrier against extreme climates. In Indigenous traditions, animal fats were blended with botanicals to protect skin from sun, wind, and cold.

Even in biblical texts, the “kidney fat” of animals was described as sacred and set apart, underscoring the long-standing cultural and spiritual recognition of animal fats as something valuable, not disposable.

Rediscovered by ancestral health movements and supported by modern dermatology, tallow has re-emerged as one of the most biologically compatible moisturizers. At VÆR, we see it not as a relic of the past, but as a timeless ingredient, one that honors tradition while meeting modern skin needs.

Tallow is not extracted for vanity, it’s a byproduct of responsible animal agriculture, representing a whole-use, waste-free cycle that honors the full value of the animal. At VÆR, we source only grass-fed, grass-finished tallow from cattle raised with regenerative practices. These animals graze on pasture their entire lives, producing fat richer in stearic acid, CLA, and fat-soluble vitamins, nutrients that deeply nourish your skin.

Unlike seed oils, which depend on monoculture farming, heavy irrigation, and chemical processing, tallow requires no additional inputs. It improves soil health through rotational grazing and reduces waste by transforming what would otherwise be discarded into a powerful skincare ingredient.

For us, tallow isn’t just effective skincare, it’s part of a sustainable, ethical beauty system that connects land, animal, and human health.

Go Deeper →

Tallow isn’t extracted in the industrial sense, it’s rendered. After the animal is harvested, the firm suet fat around the kidneys is gently simmered at low temperatures. This separates pure, stable fat from tissue and impurities without high heat or chemical solvents.

At VÆR, we take it further with a triple-filtered, small-batch process that preserves vitamins A, D, E, and K2, creating a clean, nutrient-rich base that your skin can recognize and use.