Does Tallow Clog Pores? What You Need to Know Before You Buy

We get it—putting animal fat on your face sounds like a breakout waiting to happen. But tallow’s reputation for clogging pores is mostly myth, not science. Unlike heavy oils like coconut or cocoa butter, tallow from grass-fed cows has a fatty acid profile that mimics your skin’s natural sebum. That means your skin knows how to absorb and use it efficiently—without the congestion or greasy residue.

In fact, for many people with oily or acne-prone skin, tallow helps reduce breakouts by calming inflammation, strengthening the skin barrier, and rebalancing oil production. It’s especially useful when commercial products full of fillers and preservatives have wrecked your moisture barrier. The key is purity: when tallow is blended with clean, non-comedogenic ingredients and applied in small amounts, it nourishes instead of suffocates.

At Garden Club, our tallow cream is specifically formulated to be gentle and non-clogging. We don’t add heavy carrier oils or synthetic junk—just pure tallow and carefully chosen botanicals your skin can actually use. If you’re worried about breakouts, this is the cream that calms, not clogs.