Beef Fat Sunscreen Is a Thing Now—Because Apparently Coconut Oil Wasn’t Crunchy Enough?

If you’ve ever looked at a McDonald’s fry and thought, “Wow, I wish my skin were that healthy,”—good news, you might be someone’s target market.

A billboard for a new beef-tallow sunscreen by a brand called Primally Pure has social media in a full-blown side-eye spiral. The ad features a bottle of the SPF product beside the tagline: “Poison-free SPF with tallow.” Right next to that? A glowing blonde woman under the very subtle messaging: “The sun isn’t poison, but your sunscreen is.”

Insert record scratch.

The photo made its way to X (formerly Twitter), where journalist @PeterHamby captioned it perfectly: “Babes, you’re poisoning your face, try this rendered beef fat instead.” And yes—they mean actual cow fat. Grass-fed, organic, rendered beef fat. You know, the stuff that comes from around a cow’s kidneys and loins. Yum?

According to Primally Pure, this tallow is “biocompatible with your skin,” which means your face won’t revolt immediately. It’s also free of seed oils, fragrances, and chemicals—because nothing says skincare like going full pioneer.

And this isn’t the first time beef fat has strutted into the spotlight. Last year, TikTok was flooded with people slathering themselves in tallow for glowy skin, bug bite relief, rashes, and burns. (Siri, how do I unsubscribe from 1800s apothecary-core?)

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But Does It Work?

Here’s the thing: there isn't a lot of research yet on how effective tallow sunscreen is. So if you’re planning a beach day or spending hours outside, please stick with a dermatologist-approved SPF until the science catches up. Your skin (and future self) will thank you.

And for now? Maybe just leave the cow fat in the skincare aisle and off your breakfast plate.