Tallow balm vs shea butter: which is better for dry skin?

Tallow balm and shea butter both turn up when you're looking for something richer than a normal moisturiser. They're both solid, both rich, and both popular for dry skin. So what's the difference? Here's a straight comparison.

What is shea butter?

Shea butter is a plant butter made from the nuts of the shea tree, which grows in West Africa. It's solid at room temperature, pale cream to yellow in colour, and it's in loads of creams, lotions and lip balms.

What is tallow balm?

Tallow balm is made with tallow, which is rendered beef fat, usually blended with a few other oils or waxes so it's easier to use. Here's the full explanation. The Original is grass-fed beef tallow, olive squalane, Golden Jojoba Oil and candelilla wax. That's the whole list.

Tallow balm vs shea butter: the main differences

• Where it comes from: shea butter is a plant butter. Tallow is an animal fat. If you want a vegan product, shea is the one for you. Tallow balm isn't vegan.
• Texture: raw shea butter can be quite hard and sometimes a little grainy. Tallow balm blends are usually made to soften quickly in your fingers.
• Smell: raw shea has a nutty, smoky smell. Tallow has its own faint natural scent. Both can be refined or blended to smell less.
• How it's used: shea is often one ingredient among many in a cream. Tallow balm is usually used as the balm itself, with a short ingredient list.

Which is better for dry skin?

Neither wins outright. Both are rich and both are popular for dry, tight skin. It mostly comes down to:

• What you want in it: plant-only, or are you happy with animal fat?
• Texture: some people find raw shea too hard or waxy. Others love it.
• How your own skin gets on with it: everyone's different. Patch test anything new first.

Why we chose tallow

We wanted something rich, simple and close to the old-fashioned stuff. Tallow gives The Original its body. We added olive squalane and Golden Jojoba Oil to make it lighter and smoother, and candelilla wax, a plant wax, to hold it all together. No beeswax, no honey, no shea. Here's what each ingredient does.

Can you use both?

Sure. Some people use a shea-based cream in the day and a tallow balm at night, or tallow on hands and heels and something lighter on their face. There are no rules. Just don't layer so much that you feel like a buttered crumpet.

The short version

Shea butter is a plant butter. Tallow balm is beef fat made into a balm. Both are rich, both are popular for dry skin, and the right one is the one your skin and your values get on with. Fancy trying tallow? The Original comes with a 60-day guarantee. Also see tallow balm vs coconut oil.