Health experts warn against viral TikTok beef tallow skincare trend

Health experts are warning against a viral TikTok trend that has users smearing beef tallow across their faces in an attempt to moisturize.

When it comes to trends on TikTok, there’s no telling what’s going to go viral on the platform — whether it’s a new dance or the latest healthcare hack.

Not all of them are safe, however, whether it involves experts warning against taping your mouth or users taking a deadly amount of medicine.

Now, Health experts are warning against a new TikTok trend that has users smearing beef tallow on their faces to combat acne and moisturize their skin.

TIKTOK: Unsplash: Solen Feyissa

Experts warn against beef tallow skincare

In a comment to the New York Post, Board-certified dermatologist Dr. Muneeb Shah said that while the use of tallow isn’t necessarily unsafe, it wouldn’t be his first choice.

“There are so many great skincare products out there that are affordable and widely available it just wouldn’t make sense to me to take a chance on an ingredient that we don’t know works or not,” he said.

Shah is also known as the Dermdoctor on TikTok and boasts a massive 18 million followers at the time of writing.

The doctor also spoke about the ingredients in beef tallow, including oleic acid. “It’s been shown to disrupt the skin barrier and actually cause more irritation,” he explained.

Dr. Shah went on to explain that he wouldn’t recommend it at all, warning against its use entirely.

The most popular hashtag for the trend on TikTok has been viewed over 11 million times since its inception, with over 180 billion views on the general “tallow skincare” search.

For more entertainment news and stories about other viral TikTok trends, check out our coverage.