Every key ingredient in Talo & Co is supported by peer-reviewed research. From the barrier-building power of tallow lipids to the antioxidant strength of hydroxytyrosol and bakuchiol’s retinol-like renewal, each component is scientifically validated to nourish, repair, and protect skin.
Files coming soon.
Long before modern laboratories and bottled serums, humans cared for their skin with simple, familiar ingredients. One of the most universal was tallow — rendered animal fat.
Across millennia and continents, people blended animal fats with aromatic plants, resins, and minerals to craft balms that soothed, protected, and strengthened the skin.
This tradition is not a trend — it’s one of the oldest skincare practices we know.
Ancient Egypt — Beauty Meets Ceremony
In Egypt’s golden age, both royalty and daily workers used ointments made from animal fats mixed with botanical oils, resins, and beeswax. Medical papyri describe these fats as soothing bases for healing balms.
Archaeologists studying 3,500-year-old embalming materials discovered similar ingredients: animal fat, plant oils, beeswax, and fragrant resins — proof that Egyptians relied on these nourishing blends for both ritual and everyday care.
Greece & Rome — Soap, Ritual, & Refinement
The ancient world embraced tallow through early soap-making. Greek and Roman records describe soaps crafted from ash and animal fat — a simple chemistry that produced a deep-cleansing paste.
Pliny the Elder wrote of “sapo”, a soap-like blend valued for keeping skin clean and hair supple.
These early formulas laid the groundwork for the soaps and cleansers used for centuries afterward.
Medieval Europe — Herbal Ointments for Harsh Days
In medieval Europe, the wisdom of healers took center stage. Manuscripts, including texts attributed to the famed “Trotula,” describe ointments made primarily from animal fats.
These balms were infused with herbs and used to soften chapped skin, soothe irritation, and shield the body from cold winds — a necessity in a world before central heating and synthetics.
Historical reviews consistently point to animal fat as the base of most topical remedies of the era.
Arctic & Indigenous Traditions — Survival Through Simplicity
In the far north, Indigenous communities relied on rendered fats such as seal oil to survive brutal cold.
This oil was applied directly to the skin to soften, cleanse, and shield against the elements.
More than a beauty practice, it was life-affirming — a practical ritual that protected the body from freezing winds and dry air.
Bringing Ancient Wisdom Forward
Across thousands of years, one theme repeats:
Animal fats were trusted because they worked.
They nourished the skin, supported its natural barrier, and blended beautifully with botanicals to create deeply protective balms.
Modern skincare often focuses on plant oils and synthetics, yet history shows that animal fats — especially tallow — were among humanity’s most compatible and reliable skin ingredients.
Today, as we seek simpler and more natural ways of caring for ourselves, many are rediscovering what ancient cultures knew:
Tallow is timeless.
Historical Quotes
“Fat and grease from different animals are mentioned in various prescriptions, sometimes for internal use and other times topically as a treatment or as a base in the formation of ointments.”
— Metwaly et al., 2021
“The suggested cosmetic preparations are mostly ointments, based on animal fats.”
— Pisanti et al., 2022
Source Highlights
(Non-commercial scholarly + museum references)
• Metwaly et al., 2021 — Ancient Egyptian medicine
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8459052/
• British Museum — Egyptian “black balm” analysis
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/ancient-egyptian-coffins-and-mystery-black-goo
• British Museum — Molecular analysis of burial materials
https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/projects/molecular-analysis-ancient-egyptian-burial-residue
• Scientific Reports (2023) — Egyptian balms
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-39393-y
• Nature (2023) — embalming formulas
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05663-4
• Britannica — Soap & detergent
https://www.britannica.com/science/soap
• Pisanti et al., 2022 — Medieval skincare (open access)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10087853/
• MDPI Cosmetics (2023) — Natural ingredients history
https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/10/3/71
• Nunatsiaq News — Seal oil traditions
https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/taissumani-nov-29/
• TIME — Who Discovered Soap
https://time.com/5831828/soap-origins/
tallow-history (pdf)
DownloadDiscover what makes each Talo & Co formula unique. From bakuchiol for gentle cellular renewal to helichrysum for overnight repair, and frankincense & myrrh for deep body restoration — each ingredient has a powerful, documented benefit.
Files coming soon.