Tallow Balm vs Regular Moisturiser

Is tallow balm better than a regular moisturiser?

Not for everyone. It depends on your skin and what you want. A tallow balm is a better fit if you have dry skin, want a very short ingredient list, and prefer something rich that you use in small amounts. A regular cream or lotion is a better fit if your skin is oily, you want a light feel in summer, or you want specific researched ingredients such as ceramides, glycerin, sunscreen or retinol. Many people use both: a light cream in the morning and a balm at night.

The main differences

• Water. Most creams and lotions are 60 to 80 per cent water. A balm has none. That is the biggest difference, and it drives almost everything else.
• Ingredient list. Water and oil do not mix, so a cream needs emulsifiers, thickeners and a preservative to stay stable and stop things growing in the water. A balm needs none of those. AusTallow has three ingredients.
• How much you use. Because there is no water to evaporate, a pea-sized amount of balm covers the whole face. With a cream you use more.
• Texture. A cream feels the same all year. A balm is firm in the cold and soft in the heat, and needs a few seconds of warming between your fingertips.
• Feel on skin. A cream feels light and absorbs quickly. A balm feels richer. Used in the right amount it should still sink in within a minute or two.
• Research. Ingredients like ceramides, glycerin and petrolatum have a lot of clinical research behind them. Tallow has much less. Its case rests mainly on its make-up and on what users report.

Cost per use

A jar of balm looks expensive next to a big tub of cream, but you use far less. A 50g jar of AusTallow is about 200 face applications, roughly 25 cents each. A basic supermarket cream will still usually cost less per use. A premium cream often costs more. The full numbers are in is AusTallow worth it?

Which should you choose?

• Choose a balm if your skin is dry or rough, you want no water, fragrance or preservatives, or you want one product for face, hands and lips.
• Choose a cream or lotion if your skin is oily or breakout-prone, you want something light under makeup in summer, or you want a specific active ingredient.
• Use both if you like a light feel during the day and something richer at night.

Whatever you use, wear a separate sunscreen during the day. Neither a balm nor a basic moisturiser replaces it.

AusTallow is a cosmetic moisturiser. It is not a therapeutic good and it is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or skin condition. Information on this page is general in nature. If you have a diagnosed skin condition, speak to your GP or dermatologist.