I was recently asked what the difference was between our tallow and plant-based soaps, and I thought you might like to know as well. So let's jump in.
The main difference between tallow and plant-based cold process soap comes down to their base fats: tallow soap uses rendered animal fat (usually beef), while plant-based soaps use vegetable oils and butters like olive, coconut or palm oil. Both are made using the cod process method but both perform differently in the shower.
Cold process soap making is a method of making soap where the oils, fats, and butters are melted and the soap is made combining the lye solution to the base oils fats, butters) to create the saponification reaction. In hot process soap making, the soap is cooked to speed up the saponification reaction.
Tallow Soaps
Tallow is rendered suet fat from cattle, sheep, bear, goat or deer. The suet fat is the hard fat that is found around the organs. Tallow is made by melting down the fatty tissue and filtering out bits of meat, moisture, and impurities- they call this rendering. You can have a wet render where you add water to the fat, or a dry render where you heat the fat with nothing else added. At Hen Valley Soap we get our beef suet fat from Ottawa Valley Meats, and we dry render. Tallow makes a nourishing, long-lasting and eco friendly product.
Skin Benefits of Tallow
Tallow provides a gentle conditioning cleans that supports the skins natural barrier. Tallow on its own creates a very gentle soap that is suitable for all skin types. Tallow has a fatty acid profile similar to human sebum, skins natural oil. Tallow is rich in the triglycerides oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and linolic acid. This makes it easy for the skin to absorb without clogging pores. It contains natural vitamins A,D,E,K, and B12 which are said to nourish and help protect the skins barrier. Tallow is highly restorative and often preferred for dry, mature, or eczema-prone skin.
In the soap making world tallow is a traditional ingredient that's been used for centuries. The palmitic and stearic acid in tallow help make a hard, long-lasting bar of soap that won't strip your skin of its natural oils. Tallow has a high percentage of oleic acid which is well known as a skin conditioner. Oleic acid is a non-essential fatty acid found in human sebum. Tallow appears to be biocompatible with human skin, but "more research is needed that is geared towards tallow as a cosmetic product in humans" (Source).
Tallow Lather & Longevity
Tallow soaps produce a dense, rich, and creamy lather rather than massive bubbles. Because of tallows saturated fat density, it makes a very hard bar that lasts longer and wont go soft if put away wet. I have kids and they often leave bars of soap on the side of the sink rather than the soap dish. The part of the tallow bar that is wet and against the sinks surface doesn't go mushy, it stays firm.
Tallow & the Environment
Tallow utilizes an animal by-product that typically goes to waste. Tallow is natural and biodegradable. It's an eco friendly product. Tallow can often be sourced from local butchers and regional farms, making it low emissions.
Sourcing and Ethics
Tallow soap is not vegan-friendly since it is animal derived. However, advocates note it is an eco-smart use of an existing meat industry byproduct that would otherwise be discarded.
Plant Based Soap
Plant based soaps can contain a very long list of oils and butters. The most commonly used oils in cold process soap making are palm, coconut, olive oil, rice bran oil, sweet almond oil, avocado oil and castor oil. The most common butters include cocoa, shea, avocado, mango and kokum butter. Plant based soaps can be as simple as a Castile soap, only olive oil, or can have a combination of oils and butters depending on its intended purpose and lather type. Certain oils and butter are combined by the soap maker to formulate a recipe dependent on the soap makers goals: cleansing power, lather type, and conditioning properties. I'm going to use the word conditioning because a soap can't be moisturizing. like a moisturizer since its purpose it to clean. In most cases cold process soap is formulated to leave behind some conditioning properties by adding a superfat to the soap. A superfat is extra oils and butters that get left behind in the bar- these are not turned into soap during the saponification process.
Skin Benefits of Plant Based Soaps
There are a variety of oils and butters used in plant based soaps which make almost endless possibilities for soap formulation and skin benefits. I won't be talking about palm oil because we do not use that oil here at Hen Valley soap for sustainability reasons.
High olive oil recipes are very gentle and high in oleic fatty acid. Oleic acid is a rich omega-9 fatty acid that deeply conditions the skin, provides gentle cleansing, and a creamy lather. Olive oil is high in vitamins E & K.
Coconut oil on its own is very moisturizing until it's used in soap making. Coconut oil provides a deep clean, but too much coconut oil can be drying to the skin. That's why it is usually used in combination with other oils, though it can be used on its own with the right superfat. Coconut oil makes a hard bar of soap and a bubbly lather.
Rice Bran oil acts as a powerful emollient that leaves skin feeling soft and moisturized. High levels of palmitic and oleic acids help produce a stable, luxurious lather with soft bubbles.
Avocado oil is rich in oleic acid, which helps dry, mature, or sensitive skin retain water. It contains vitamins A, B, D, and E to help soothe and nourish the skin. It creates a stable, lotion-like lather that is mild and non-stripping.
Castor oil creates a rich, creamy, and stable lather in cold process soap while helping the skin retain moisture. High levels of ricinoleic acid help bubbles stick around, turning a weak lather into a luxurious, creamy foam. It acts as a natural humectant that draws water to the skin, keeping your hands soft after washing.
Sweet Almond Oil makes cold process soap extra moisturizing and creates a rich, creamy lather that leaves skin feeling soft. It is rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids that hydrate dry skin. We don't use this oil at Hen Valley due to allergies.
Plant based soaps rely on butters (like shea) to add moisture and conditioning properties.
Cocoa butter is packed with stearic and palmitic fatty acids, which helps create a very hard, long-lasting bar of soap. It produces a dense, stable, and creamy lather that feels smooth and luxurious on the skin. The natural fats in cocoa butter leave a protective, hydrating layer that prevents dryness.
Shea butter acts as a rich emollient that softens dry skin and prevents moisture loss without leaving a heavy, greasy residue. It contains beneficial fatty acids (like stearic and oleic acid) that help repair the skin barrier and reduce irritation.
Avocado butter contains about 65% to 70% oleic acid, which softens and conditions dry skin. It helps produce a stable, lotion-like lather in the finished soap bar. It brings vitamins A, B, D, and E and natural antioxidants from the avocado fruit into the recipe.
Mango butter is packed with essential fatty acids that help the skin hold onto water and maintain its natural barrier. Contains soothing properties that calm sensitive, dry, or irritated skin without clogging pores.
Kokum butter is rich in stearic acid (40% to 45%), which saponifies into a hard, long-lasting bar of soap that resists melting in the shower. The high stearic content contributes to a dense, creamy, and stable lather, making it a favorite addition for luxury and shaving soaps
Lather Type & Longevity
With plant based soaps you can expect different levels of creaminess and bubbles depending on the recipe. The soaps can range from bug fluffy bubbles to a softer lotion-like creamy lather depending on the oils and butters that are used. Bar hardness varies by recipe. Plant based bars can turn to mush is left in standing water.
Plant-Based and the Environment
Cold process soap is an eco-friendly alternative to commercial liquid soaps because it requires no external heat to manufacture and uses fully biodegradable, natural ingredients. The natural fats, oils, and lye break down safely in water and soil without leaving synthetic pollutants or microplastics.
Most plant based ingredients are from renewable resources. Plant oils like olive or coconut often travel long distances from tropical or Mediterranean regions, making them higher emissions than tallow. Palm oil farming is linked to major deforestation and habitat loss, which is why we don't use it. There are many sources of Palm oil that claim t be sustainably sourced but theres no watch dog to ensure that statement is accurate and not green-washing.
Sourcing and Ethics
Plant based soap is vegan and cruelty free. While there are no animal by-products, some plant oils (like controversial Palm oil) carry environmental concerns regarding deforestation.
Glycerin
Making cold process soap naturally creates glycerin as a byproduct of the chemical reaction called saponification. Both tallow and plant based oils consist of triglycerides (Lauric, Myristic, Palmitic, Stearic, Ricinolieic, Oleic, Linoleic, Linoleric) which are fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. When you mix the tallow and plant based oils with a lye solution (Sodium hydroxide & liquid), the lye breaks apart the triglycerides . The fatty acids bond with the sodium from the lye to form the actual soap, while the glycerol backbone is released as free natural glycerin.
In handcrafted, small-batch cold process soap this beneficial glycerin stays right inside the finished bar of soap. Glycerin is a natural humectant, meaning it draws moisture to your skin. Both tallow and plant based soaps have this skin loving benefit.
Conclusion
I know that was a lot of information, but if you've made it this far you now have a really good handle on the difference between tallow and plant based soap. Tallow is biocompatible with human sebum, , but some plant based oils (Olive & Avocado) also contain oleic acid, a triglyceride also found in human sebum.
Tallow makes a harder bar of soap and doesn't get mushy in the shower like plant based bars. Plant based bars with kokum or cocoa butter also make hard bars but these tend to soften in the shower. Tallow gives you a creamy lather but no bubbles. Plant based soaps have no limit in the type of lather you can expect-bubbly or creamy.
Both tallow and plant based soaps have environmental benefits: tallow is using an animal byproduct and usually sourced locally so it's low emissions. Plant based oils are usually sustainably harvested (exception is palm oil) but they travel far to reach the North American market making them higher in emissions than tallow.
Tallow or plant based which is better? Both can create skin loving bars of soap - I'd say they are pretty well matched. The final decision for you may come down to things like the availability of fragrance and design. Or perhaps the environmental and ethics will steer your buying decision.
Hope this helped!
Best Wishes
Nancy