The 3 Best Animal-Based Skincare Ingredients

Animal-Based Ingredients Are Emerging In Skincare

In the constantly-evolving world of skincare, trendy ingredients come and go. While synthetic formulas often steal the fight for their 5 minutes of attention, there's a powerful resurgence of appreciation for nature's own potent offerings. Among these, animal-based ingredients are proving their worth, offering unparalleled benefits for achieving healthy, glowing skin. In 2025, consumers are increasingly seeking out natural, non-toxic skincare products, and natural, animal-based ingredients are proving their worth. Animal-based skincare provides a rich source of nutrients that our skin readily recognizes and utilizes with minimal toxic ingredients. Some of the best animal-based ingredients you can apply to your skin are:

1. Lanolin

Lanolin is the wax extracted from the wool of sheep. You probably weren't expecting to hear lanolin, likely because you never even heard of lanolin. We had to mention lanolin first as it has amazing skin benefits that almost no one knows about, including:

• Deep Hydration: Lanolin is a humectant, drawing moisture from the air and locking it into the skin. This makes it incredibly effective for combating dryness and preventing moisture loss, especially in harsh climates or during dry seasons, which is why it's often why, when it is used, lanolin is usually found in nipple creams and lip balms
• Restores Skin Barrier: It forms a protective, breathable layer on the skin's surface, shielding it from environmental aggressors like pollution and extreme weather. This barrier function is crucial for maintaining healthy, resilient skin and preventing irritation.
• 7-DHC: A fact many people don't know is that lanolin is actually the source of many vitamin D supplements. Lanolin is abundant in 7-DHC, which is extracted and then exposed to UV-B light to turn it into Vitamin D3. 7-DHC is also the same molecule in your own skin that becomes Vitamin D3 when exposed to the heat and UV radiation from sunlight.

2. Grass-fed Tallow

Tallow, rendered from animal fat (most commonly beef), has been used for centuries in skincare and is experiencing a well-deserved renaissance. Far from being greasy or heavy, high-quality rendered tallow is surprisingly light and deeply nourishing. Its fatty acid profile is remarkably similar to that of human sebum, the natural oil our skin produces. This compatibility allows tallow to penetrate the skin effectively, delivering essential nutrients and supporting cell regeneration.

Why Tallow is a Game-Changer:

• Nutrient-Dense: Tallow is rich in fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, along with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and oleic acid. These components are vital for skin health, promoting repair and providing antioxidant protection.
• Anti-Inflammatory Properties: CLA, in particular, is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, making tallow beneficial for calming redness and irritation associated with conditions like eczema and psoriasis.
• Deep Moisturization and Emollience: Like lanolin, tallow effectively moisturizes and softens the skin, leaving it feeling supple and smooth without a greasy residue.
• Supports Skin Regeneration: The vitamins and fatty acids in tallow contribute to cell turnover and repair, helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and scars.

3. Beeswax

Since bees are considered to be animals, beeswax naturally had to be included in a list of the best animal-based ingredients for the skin. Beeswax is a complex mixture of esters, fatty acids, and hydrocarbons that provides a unique set of benefits for the skin. It's perhaps best known for its protective and sealing qualities, but its versatility extends further.

Beeswax helps with:

• Forming a Protective Barrier: Beeswax creates a semi-occlusive barrier on the skin's surface, offering protection against environmental damage without clogging pores. This barrier helps to seal in moisture and prevent dehydration.
• Anti-inflammatory and Antibacterial benefits: Beeswax possesses natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, making it useful for soothing minor skin irritations and protecting against minor infections.
• Making balms more resilient to heat In creams and balms, beeswax provides a desirable thickness and firmness, which helps increase the melting point and heat resilience of creams and balms.

A Balm with all 3?

It would be very ideal to have all of the best-of-the-best animal based ingredients in a single balm. The sebum-like moisturization of tallow combined with the protection of beeswax and the deep moisturization of lanolin would make for a perfect natural balm. Indeed, Sundown Cosmetics is one of the few brands that have managed to add all 3 into a balm (not only that, they're all also the first 3 ingredients in Sundown's Lanolin-Infused Tallow Balm.) Many brands manage to mix tallow and beeswax together to make great balms, but only Sundown has managed to also mix lanolin's protective benefits in with beeswax and tallow.