Cocoa Butter vs. Tallow: Where Each Comes From

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Cocoa butter and tallow are both firm, rich fats that soften on your skin. One comes from the seeds of a tropical tree. The other comes from cattle. Here’s a fair look at where each comes from and how they differ. Another tropical fat gets the same look in coconut oil vs. tallow.

Where cocoa butter comes from

Cocoa butter is the natural fat in cocoa beans, the seeds of the cacao tree. Cacao is native to the lowland rainforests of the Amazon and Orinoco river basins. Today it’s grown in the tropical Americas, western Africa, and tropical Asia.

• Ripe pods are cut from the tree, and the beans are fermented and dried
• The beans are roasted and ground into a paste called cocoa liquor
• The paste is pressed to separate the fat, cocoa butter, from the solids
• Some cocoa butter is then deodorized with steam to remove its aroma

Where tallow comes from

Tallow is rendered beef fat. Raw fat is slowly melted, strained, and left to set into a firm, pale fat. Like cocoa butter, it has a long history in the kitchen.

What they’re made of

• Cocoa butter: mostly stearic, oleic, and palmitic acids
• Tallow: mostly oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids
• Both: pure fats, with no water of their own

The same three fatty acids show up in both, in different proportions. Cocoa butter’s fats are unusually uniform, which is why it melts over a narrow temperature range.

Texture and scent

• Cocoa butter is hard and a little brittle at room temperature
• It starts to soften at around 80 to 95°F and melts close to body temperature
• Natural cocoa butter has a light chocolate scent; deodorized cocoa butter is close to neutral
• Tallow is firm in the jar and softens with the warmth of your skin
• Well-rendered tallow has a mild, faint scent

How each is typically used

• Cocoa butter: chocolate, cosmetics such as lotions and balms, and as a base in some pharmaceutical products
• Tallow: balms, soap, cooking, and, historically, candles

Who might prefer which

• If you avoid animal ingredients, cocoa butter is a plant-based choice
• If you enjoy a light chocolate scent, natural cocoa butter may appeal
• If you prefer very little scent, deodorized cocoa butter or well-rendered tallow may suit you
• If you like a farm-sourced fat that makes use of the whole animal, tallow fits
• Whichever you choose, patch test anything new

For more side-by-side looks, see shea butter vs. tallow and jojoba oil vs. tallow.

Where Reyic fits

Most Reyic balms are grass-fed tallow and olive oil, handmade in the USA. Some jars add named essential oils. Au Naturel is just tallow and olive oil, with no essential oils or added fragrance.

FAQ

Is cocoa butter better than tallow?

Neither is better for everyone. They come from different sources, smell different, and melt a little differently, so it mostly comes down to preference.

Why does cocoa butter melt so easily?

Its fats are fairly uniform, so it melts over a narrow range, close to body temperature. It’s the same quality that lets good chocolate melt in your mouth.

Where should I start with Reyic?

Start with Au Naturel, the unscented jar, or compare every balm in the grass-fed tallow balm collection.

Want to see tallow in a daily routine? Read using a tallow balm on dry, cracked hands, or start with a jar of Au Naturel.