How to Read a Skincare Label: What Makes Lard-Based Products Different

Ever flipped over a skincare product and found yourself staring at a long list of unpronounceable ingredients? You’re not alone. These days, even products marketed as “natural” or “gentle” often contain preservatives, fillers, fragrances, and synthetic emulsifiers.

At Tiny Tallow, we believe skincare should be as simple and transparent as food. If you wouldn’t eat it, why put it on your skin?

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to read a skincare label, what to watch out for, and how lard-based products—with their short, clean ingredient lists—offer a safer and more nourishing option for your skin.

Why Ingredient Labels Matter

Your skin is your largest organ. It absorbs much of what you put on it—especially ingredients that are fat-soluble. That means what goes on your skin often ends up in your body.

Unfortunately, many commercial skincare products contain ingredients designed to improve shelf life, texture, or fragrance—not skin health.

Reading and understanding skincare labels is your first defence against unnecessary chemicals and allergens—and your best step toward choosing products that actually work with your skin.

The Big Red Flags on Most Skincare Labels

Here are a few of the common ingredients we suggest avoiding—especially if you have sensitive or reactive skin:

1. Fragrance / Parfum

This single word can represent a cocktail of hundreds of chemicals, many of which are known irritants or hormone disruptors. Even products labelled as “unscented” can contain masking agents.

2. Parabens

Used as preservatives, parabens can mimic oestrogen in the body and have been linked to hormone disruption. You’ll see them listed as methylparaben, propylparaben, etc.

3. Petroleum-Based Ingredients

These include mineral oil, paraffin, petrolatum, and others. They create a barrier but don’t nourish or repair the skin—and they come from a non-renewable resource.

4. Silicones and Emulsifiers

Look for words ending in -cone (e.g. dimethicone), which make products feel silky but can block pores and disrupt your skin barrier. Emulsifiers like PEGs or polysorbates may also increase skin permeability—letting other toxins in.

5. Colourants and Dyes

FD&C colours, often found in lotions and creams, are purely aesthetic and can cause allergic reactions or skin sensitivity.

Compare That to a Lard-Based Moisturiser

Now let’s take a look at what you’ll find in a jar of Tiny Tallow moisturiser:

  • Pasture-raised lard

  • Organic jojoba oil

  • Local beeswax

  • Essential oils (optional)

That’s it.

No preservatives, no fillers, no synthetic anything. Just real, whole ingredients that work with your skin, not against it.

Understanding Ingredient Order

In Australia (and most countries), skincare ingredients are listed in descending order by weight. That means the first few ingredients make up the bulk of the product.

So when you see:

Aqua, Paraffinum Liquidum, Glycerin, Stearic Acid, Cetyl Alcohol, Petrolatum…

You’re looking at a base of water and petroleum, thickened with emulsifiers, followed by a small dash of actual moisturising agents.

In contrast, Tiny Tallow’s products start with nutrient-dense lard, meaning you're getting the good stuff first—not just a filler base.

What's Actually in Lard?

Lard may only be one word on a label, but it contains a beautiful spectrum of skin-loving compounds:

  • Oleic acid – deeply moisturising and anti-inflammatory

  • Palmitic acid – supports skin structure

  • Stearic acid – softens and cleanses naturally

  • Vitamin A – encourages skin cell turnover

  • Vitamin D – promotes healing and reduces inflammation

  • Vitamin E – antioxidant protection

In commercial skincare, these nutrients are often added synthetically—and in very small amounts. Lard delivers them naturally and abundantly.

Less Is More (Especially for Sensitive Skin)

The more ingredients in a product, the more chances there are for your skin to react—especially when those ingredients are synthetic or poorly tested.

We regularly hear from customers who struggled with irritation, burning, or worsening eczema after using “sensitive” creams from major brands—only to find calm, clear skin after switching to our lard-based balm.

Here’s what one customer shared:

“I used to read labels and still end up confused. With Tiny Tallow, I can count the ingredients on one hand. It feels good knowing exactly what I’m putting on my skin.”
— Sarah, NSW

A Note on Preservatives

Lard-based skincare like ours doesn’t contain water, which means we don’t need to add preservatives. Most conventional moisturisers are emulsions (water + oil), which require synthetic preservatives to stop mould and bacterial growth.

By keeping water out, we keep the formulation simpler and safer.

Just store your balm in a cool, dry place and use clean hands (or a spatula) to keep it fresh.

How to Read a Skincare Label Like a Pro

  • Scan the first 3–5 ingredients — they make up the bulk of the product.

  • Look out for fragrance and preservatives — these are common irritants.

  • Watch for long chemical names — they’re often synthetic emulsifiers or fillers.

  • Short, recognisable ingredients = a good sign.

Final Thoughts

Skincare shouldn’t be complicated. At Tiny Tallow, we believe that clean, nourishing ingredients speak for themselves—and that transparency should be the norm, not the exception.

Once you learn how to read a skincare label, you’ll never look at commercial creams the same way again. And when you compare them to a simple, whole-food balm made from lard, beeswax, and jojoba oil… the difference is clear.

Your skin deserves real nourishment—not marketing spin.

Back to blog