Coconut Oil or Tallow? A Side-by-Side Look

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Coconut oil and tallow are both familiar fats in simple skincare. One comes from a tropical palm, the other from cattle, and they behave quite differently in the jar. Here’s a calm, side-by-side look.

Where coconut oil comes from

Coconut oil is pressed from the white kernel, or meat, of the coconut, the fruit of the coconut palm. There are two main styles:

• Virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconut meat or coconut milk by mechanical means, without chemical refining
• Refined coconut oil is usually made from dried coconut, called copra, then refined, bleached, and deodorized

Where tallow comes from

Tallow is rendered beef fat. Raw fat is slowly melted, strained, and left to set into a firm, pale fat. It has a long history in the kitchen and the soap pot.

What they’re made of

• Coconut oil: highly saturated, with lauric acid making up roughly half of its fatty acids
• Tallow: mostly oleic, palmitic, and stearic acids
• Both: pure fats, with no water of their own

Lauric acid is a medium-chain fatty acid. It’s shorter than the long-chain fatty acids that make up most of tallow.

How solid each is at room temperature

• Coconut oil melts at about 75°F (24°C)
• That means it’s solid in a cool room and liquid on a warm day, and it can switch back and forth with the seasons
• Tallow stays firm at ordinary room temperatures
• On your skin, tallow softens with your warmth and spreads in a thin layer

In a finished balm, the feel also depends on what each fat is blended with.

Scent

• Virgin coconut oil keeps a fresh coconut scent
• Refined coconut oil has little or no coconut scent
• Well-rendered tallow has a mild, faint scent

Added essential oils or fragrance will change what you notice in either one.

Who might prefer which

• If you avoid animal ingredients, coconut oil is a plant-based choice
• If you love the smell of coconut, virgin coconut oil may appeal
• If you want a balm that stays firm in a warm room, 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 another plant-and-tallow comparison, see shea butter 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 coconut oil better than tallow?

Neither is better for everyone. They come from different places, smell different, and react to temperature differently, so it mostly comes down to preference.

Why does my coconut oil keep turning liquid?

It melts at about 75°F, so a warm kitchen or a sunny shelf is enough to turn it liquid. It firms up again when it cools.

Where should I start with Reyic?

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

If your hands are what brought you here, the dry, cracked hands guide is a good next read, and Au Naturel is our unscented jar.