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A few weeks ago, we posted a question to the upcycled beauty community on LinkedIn:
Yes, we'll admit—it was a little clickbait. But the question is real and increasingly relevant.
The start of 2025 brought with it the usual spate of trend reports and predictions for the year ahead. One that caught our attention? The return of animal-derived ingredients. Manessa Lormejuste, a beauty scientist and product developer, told BeautyMatter she expects a major pivot:
"With the rise of biomimetic ingredients like peptides and the increasing discourse on social media around beef tallow, the market seems primed for brands to explore animal-derived ingredients—provided it can be done ethically and sustainably, perhaps sourced as a by-product of existing industries."
Tallow, a rendered form of animal fat, is hardly new. Used as a skin salve since ancient times (some even speculate Cleopatra was a fan), it's long been a staple in soap and balm formulations. But in recent months, tallow has reemerged, this time in the spotlight.
From indie brands to luxury players like Momona Skincare, "super-tallow" is being marketed for its moisturising properties and support for skin barrier health. Vogue even named it one of skincare's latest TikTok darlings.
But is the hype reflected in industry data? ...Not quite.
The team at Covalo ran a quick check on their ingredient database. In the past six month, searches containing the word "tallow" generated just 114 impressions. That's minimal, especially when stacked against the popularity of filters like "vegan". It seems that while tallow is gaining traction in conversations on social media, personal care formulators aren't exactly jumping on the trend.
On the customer side, Google Trends does show an increase in global searches for "tallow" under the "Beauty & Fitness" category over the last 12 months. But when benchmarked against other viral naturals like rosemary oil or category staples like vitamin C, the buzz looks more muted.
In web searches and Google Shopping data, vitamin C continues to dominate. It's a high-performing, well-researched ingredient with staying power. Vitamin C maintained a search volume index of 80-90 throughout 2024, compared to tallow's peak at 24 and Rosemary Oil's peak at 54. Tallow and rosemary oil—viral today, perhaps forgotten tomorrw.
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Source: Trends.Google March 26, 2025
Source: Trends.Google March 26, 2025
Still, the discussion around tallow opens up a bigger and far more nuanced conversation, especially for those of us in the upcycled beauty space. As a by-product of the meat industry, tallow is by definition upcycled. But should it be?
At The Upcycled Beauty Company, we're in the process of developing an Upcycled Cosmetic Standard, a certification to help define and validate what makes a cosmetic ingredient truly upcycled and traceable. So, we're opening the floor to your thoughts on this complex topic:
Our recent conversation with the LinkedIn upcycled beauty community revealed a split but thoughtful response. Many agreed that using animal by-products, when done transparently and responsibly, could help offset the impact of the food industry. In their view, honouring the animal by ensuring no part goes to waste is a meaningful approach to sustainability.
But others raised valid concerns: How was the animal treated during its life? Was it raised locally and organically? Is the supply chain traceable and ethical?
These questions matter and they're exactly the kind we're aiming to address with our certification work. So, let's keep the conversation going. Where do you stand on animal by-products in beauty? Are we redefining what upcycled can mean, or are there ethical lines we shouldn't cross, no matter how sustainable the outcome?
Let us know your thoughts at hello@upcycledbeauty.com
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