Calf burn called ‘nature’s botox’ and used as a retinol replacement – dermatologists rate

You may want to I drive away from this TikTok trend.

Beef is trending again on the video-sharing app — and not as an ingredient used in fried foods.

The ingredient once used to give McDonald’s fries their crispy golden exterior is being touted by beauty influencers to beat acne, revive dullness and transform their skin, and is now being called “nature’s Botox” and a retinol substitute.

Beef tallow is simply beef fat, or more specifically, rendered beef, the fat from the animal’s kidneys. Djata is commonly used for cooking and also plays a role in making soap and candles.

The beef-based beauty secret has TikTok users beefing up their daily routines, with the hashtags #beeftallow and #beeftallowskincare racking up thousands of views, with one supporter exclaiming: “Beeftallow is nature’s botox!”

The injectable drug Botox is made from the same toxin that causes a type of food poisoning called botulism, according to the Mayo Clinic — also called the “miracle poison” and is “one of the most poisonous biological substances known.”

According to a study for the National Institutes of Health, this toxin is produced by bacteria Clostridium botulinum, commonly found in plants, soil, water, and the intestinal tract of animals.

So hypothetically, beef can they carry the toxin as it comes from livestock, but it is not given.

In a video of a woman applying beef fat to her face and lips, she wrote, “POV when you find out women’s beauty products are filled with toxic chemicals so you switch to beef fat for everything and your skin is cleared in less than a week!”

While many on the platform enjoy slathering animal fat on their faces as a moisturizer, the claim that beef tallow can compete with retinol — one of the most powerful anti-aging ingredients on the market — has dermatologists weighing in.

“They’re not an apples-to-apples exchange,” Caren Campbell, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in San Francisco, told Everyday Health.

Retinol works by sinking under the top layer of the skin to neutralize any bad molecules that might attack the good molecules that drive the body’s essential functions.

“No one who understands ingredient chemistry or skin biology would ever say that tallow is as effective or functional a skin care ingredient as retinol,” Benjamin Knight Fuchs, a registered pharmacist, nutritionist, and skin care chemist . in Boulder, Colorado, was added.

Users praise the beef tallow balm for being rich in vitamins and omega fatty acids – or is it?

Beef contains neither vitamin A, the precursor to retinol, nor vitamin K, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

And just because these ingredients individually are good for the skin, doesn’t mean they’re made in a way that can be safely absorbed by the skin.

“In terms of cellular activity and overall skin health benefits, there is very little reason to recommend it [beef tallow]”, shared Fuchs.

Board Certified Dermatologist Dr. Muneeb Shah previously told The Post that while using transdermal fat isn’t “unsafe,” it wouldn’t be his “first choice.”

And with many arguing that beef tallow has fewer “toxic chemicals” and is a natural option, Campbell pointed out that “cow manure is also natural.”

Shah also noted that consumers tend to gravitate toward clean and cruelty-free products. Tallow, then, is “against what the skin care industry wants.”

“Getting these oils from an animal source like beef wouldn’t be my first choice, given the concerns about contamination, smell and not being safe for vegan consumers,” Campbell admitted.