Why Ingredients Matter
Because our skin is our biggest organ.
Modern skincare has trained people to focus on results before understanding inputs. Smoother. Brighter. Clearer. But skin doesn’t operate on promises, it responds to what it’s repeatedly exposed to.
Every product you apply becomes part of your skin’s environment. Some ingredients support normal skin function. Others interfere with it, disrupt it, or create dependence. Over time, those inputs matter more than any short-term result.
At Fat Lab, ingredient choice isn’t about trends or aesthetics. It’s about biological compatibility. Using ingredients the skin can recognise, tolerate, and actually use.
The Role of Fat in Skin Health
Healthy human skin is rich in lipids. These fats form the skin barrier — the structure responsible for retaining moisture, protecting against environmental stress, and maintaining overall skin stability.
When that barrier is compromised, skin becomes dry, reactive, inflamed, or unpredictable. No amount of stimulation or surface treatment can compensate for a system that lacks the right building blocks.
This is where tallow matters.
Why Tallow Sits at the Centre of Our Formulations
Beef tallow is uniquely aligned with human skin because its fatty acid profile closely mirrors the lipids naturally found in a healthy skin barrier. Oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid — these are not foreign substances to the skin. They are structural components.
Tallow doesn’t force activity. It supports repair by supplying fats the skin already knows how to work with. That’s why it’s so well suited to dry, compromised, sensitive, or over-treated skin.
We use 100% grass-fed beef tallow as the foundation of our products because it provides:
- Deep, lasting moisture without reliance on water
- Structural support for the skin barrier
- High tolerance across a wide range of skin types
The Supporting Ingredients and Why We Use Them
While tallow forms the backbone of our formulations, some recipes include carefully selected plant oils. Each one has a defined role. Nothing is included by default.
Jojoba Oil
Jojoba is technically a liquid wax ester, not a true oil. Human sebum is also largely made of wax esters, which makes jojoba unusually compatible with the skin. It supports surface balance, reduces moisture loss, and is well tolerated by sensitive and congestion-prone skin.
Sunflower Oil
Sunflower oil is rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid that plays a key role in maintaining barrier integrity. Skin that struggles with dryness, irritation, or imbalance is often deficient in linoleic acid. Sunflower oil helps replenish this without heaviness.
Castor Oil
Castor oil has a dense, protective structure dominated by ricinoleic acid. It helps reduce transepidermal water loss and supports barrier strength, making it especially useful for very dry or compromised skin. Its thickness is functional, not cosmetic.
Rosehip Oil
Rosehip oil provides linoleic acid alongside naturally occurring vitamin A and antioxidant compounds. It supports skin renewal, tone, and recovery, particularly for skin marked by past inflammation or environmental stress.
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is used in very small amounts for its calming and antimicrobial properties. Its role is functional, supporting a more settled skin response, not fragrance.
Frankincense Oil
Frankincense oil is traditionally used to support skin resilience and recovery. It contains naturally occurring compounds associated with calming inflammation and supporting tissue repair, making it well suited to skin that feels reactive, uneven, or slow to recover from stress.
Rather than stimulating the skin, frankincense is used to encourage steadiness over time. It supports a more resilient barrier and a more even appearance, particularly in skin that shows signs of long-term imbalance or sensitivity.
Ylang Ylang Oil
Ylang ylang oil is used to support skin comfort and surface balance. When used at low concentrations, it can help calm unsettled skin and support a more stable skin environment without overstimulation.
It is particularly useful for skin that experiences fluctuations in oil balance or sensitivity triggered by stress or environmental changes. Its role is supportive, helping the skin feel more settled and comfortable over time.
Vanilla (Infused)
We only use vanilla in our formulations through a slow infusion of whole vanilla beans into grass-fed beef tallow. We do not add vanilla essential oil or synthetic fragrance.
During infusion, naturally occurring compounds from the vanilla bean migrate into the tallow, contributing antioxidant support and a subtle, natural aroma. The scent is a byproduct of the ingredient itself, not something added to alter or mask the formula.
Infused vanilla is used to provide a gentler sensory experience while maintaining a focus on barrier support and long-term skin stability.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is used selectively and in small amounts, where its antimicrobial and clarifying properties are appropriate.
In face formulations, it supports skin clarity and balance for skin prone to congestion, without overwhelming the barrier. In scalp formulations, its naturally stimulating properties help support circulation at the scalp, contributing to overall scalp health and follicle activity.
Across all uses, tea tree oil is applied with restraint. Its role is to support clarity and function, not to strip or aggressively correct.
Argan Oil
Argan oil is used primarily in beard and hair formulations for its ability to condition hair while remaining comfortable on the skin. It is naturally rich in fatty acids and vitamin E, helping soften coarse hair and improve manageability without heaviness.
It also supports the skin beneath the hair by helping maintain hydration and reduce dryness or flaking. This dual benefit makes it particularly well suited to beard care, where both hair performance and skin comfort matter.
Sweet Almond Oil
Almond oil is used in both face and hair products for its gentle, supportive nature. It contains a balanced mix of fatty acids and vitamin E, making it well suited to ongoing use without irritation.
On the skin, almond oil supports moisture retention and surface comfort, particularly for skin that feels dry or tight. In hair care, it helps soften the hair shaft, improve flexibility, and support scalp comfort by maintaining hydration.
What We Don’t Use and Why
We don’t use preservatives, emulsifiers, or synthetic stabilisers.
Our products are anhydrous, meaning they contain no water. Without water, there is no environment for microbial growth, removing the need for preservatives entirely.
We also don’t emulsify fats into creams or lotions. Emulsifiers are designed to force oil and water to combine, but they can interfere with the skin barrier and contribute to long-term sensitivity for some people. By keeping our formulas fat-based, we avoid introducing ingredients that serve the formula rather than the skin.
Every ingredient in our products has a purpose tied to skin function. If it doesn’t contribute to barrier support, tolerance, or long-term skin health, it doesn’t belong.
A Different Approach to Skincare
Skincare doesn’t need to stimulate, strip, or constantly “correct” the skin to be effective. In many cases, skin improves when it’s given fewer inputs, better ones, consistently.
Ingredients matter because skin remembers what it’s exposed to. Over time, the right inputs restore stability. The wrong ones create dependence.
Our approach is simple by design, but deliberate in execution: Fat formulate with ingredients that support the biology of the skin, and remove anything that doesn’t.
That’s the difference between managing skin and supporting it.