What Is Tallow Acid?

Tallow acid, or tallow fatty acid, is a type of fatty acid naturally derived from animal fat. Despite the limited amount of information concerning its production, uses and safety, it is found in widely used products such as cosmetics, food and cleaning agents. Though it is confirmed safe for use in food, tallow acid is connected with environmental toxicity and its presence in cosmetics and cleaning products has not been thoroughly tested.

• molecule structure

Definition

• Tallow acid falls under the larger category of fatty acids. Fatty acids are acids that result from the breaking down of fat. Most cells can use fatty acids as a source of energy. Tallow acid specifically is the combination of fatty acids extracted from tallow--"hard fat" derived from the fatty deposits of animals.

Chemical Production

• Tallow acid is formed through "oleochemistry," the process by which fats are converted into fatty acids. First, hydrolysis is performed using water, temperature and pressure to split the fats into their crude forms. These fatty acids are purified through distillation and then saturated through hydrogenation, the increasing of the melting point. The purified fatty acids are then separated, and fractional distillation is used to identify the fatty acids of the desired chain length.

Uses

• Tallow acid is commonly used in products such as bar soap, body wash and liquid hand soap. Traces of tallow acid have been confirmed in detergent, fabric softener, germicide, insecticide, lubricants, water treatment agents and pigment modification products. Tallow acid is used in the packaging of particular foods as an additive for preservation purposes.

Research

• Tallow acid is associated with the toxicity of wildlife such as fish and plants. In 2008, tallow acid was listed on Canada's Environmental Domestic Substance List as a low human health priority and as a suspected environmental toxin, specifically aquatic. In 2006, the FDA Food Additive Status designated tallow acid as safe when used in limited amounts in food.

Considerations

• According to the cosmetic safety database "Skin Deep," data gaps and limited availability of information from companies and government industries regarding the effects of tallow acid on human and environmental health is concerning. It is confirmed that exposure to tallow acid by itself, or in its raw form, is toxic to humans. However, not enough studies have been performed to confirm the safety of cosmetic products containing tallow acid.