Put a tallow balm on after red light therapy: a clean, bare face for the session, then a pea of balm. A balm doesn't do anything special for the light.
The jar I'd reach for afterward is Velvet Face Renewal ($89 as of October 5, 2026), built for the look of fine lines.
What did the red light trial measure?
Wunsch and Matuschka enrolled 136 volunteers for a 2014 controlled trial of red and near-infrared light. Twice a week for 30 sessions, 113 sat under large-area lamps, red (611 to 650 nm) or broader (570 to 850 nm). Another 23 got no light. Three blinded physicians compared before and after photos and rated wrinkles better in 69% and 75% of the two light groups, against 4% of controls. Ultrasound collagen scores rose with light and didn't move without it, and the broad band showed no advantage over red.
The sponsor funded the study in full and paid the lead investigator. Controls got no sham light, and 74% of them were rated worse, which the authors said might be due to the seasons and sun. They weren't asked how their skin felt. Home-device posts promise the same results from a mask, and the Cleveland Clinic notes home products may be less powerful than what dermatologists use.
Is red light the same as UV?
No. The paper calls it photobiomodulation: low-level light, without heat, that changes how cells work. Red and near-infrared light reaches into skin, the authors explain, and parts of the cell's respiratory chain absorb it there. Ultraviolet is a different band. The FDA places it between X-rays and visible light and ties long exposure to premature aging and skin cancer. The Cleveland Clinic notes red light therapy doesn't use UV. Tallow doesn't screen UV either, and our tallow and SPF post covers why a balm isn't a sunscreen.
Should the balm go on before or after?
After. My rule is a clean, bare face, so the light meets skin with nothing in the way. The trial left out anyone with a history of light sensitivity or a recent photosensitizing medicine, among others, so if that's you, or you're being treated for a skin condition, ask your clinician first. The balm is cosmetic care, not a treatment, and your provider's plan comes first.
When the session's done, warm a pea of Velvet between two fingertips and press it in, driest spots first. A thin film of fat slows the water leaving your skin. Velvet's 1% bakuchiol and 1.5% vitamin C are there for the look of fine lines, as our fine lines post explains, and Bare Silk ($34) is the plain choice.
The jar for this job is Velvet Face Renewal ($89). Subscribe to two jars and a third rides free, and every subscription takes 25% off the first delivery.
Questions we hear
Should tallow go on before or after red light therapy?
After. Go in with a clean, bare face so the light meets skin with nothing in the way, then press in a pea of balm. A balm does nothing special for the light. For the look of fine lines, we'd pick our Velvet Face Renewal.
Does red light therapy work for wrinkles?
In a sponsored 2014 trial by Wunsch and Matuschka, blinded physicians rated wrinkles better after 30 sessions in 69% and 75% of two light groups, against 4% of controls. Controls got no sham light, and 74% of them were rated worse, so read it as one promising trial.
Is red light therapy the same as UV light?
No. The FDA places ultraviolet between X-rays and visible light, and the Cleveland Clinic notes red light therapy doesn't use UV. Tallow doesn't screen UV either. Outdoors, a broad-spectrum sunscreen still does that job on your face and the backs of your hands.
Who should check with a doctor before red light therapy?
A 2014 trial left out anyone with a history of light sensitivity or skin cancer, a recent photosensitizing medicine, pregnancy or nursing, or epilepsy. If that's you, or a dermatologist manages your skin, ask before a first session, since the Cleveland Clinic warns that misusing a device could damage skin or unprotected eyes.
Go deeper
Start with the beef tallow for skin guide. Bakuchiol vs retinol and our Velvet post cover what's in the jar, and how to use a tallow balm covers the pea you'll press in. Blue light and skin covers the screen-light question under the same rule: what the studies found, and what a balm can't do.
Sources
- Wunsch A, Matuschka K (2014). A controlled trial to determine the efficacy of red and near-infrared light treatment in patient satisfaction, reduction of fine lines, wrinkles, skin roughness, and intradermal collagen density increase. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery 32(2):93 to 100.
- Cleveland Clinic (2021). Red light therapy: benefits, side effects & uses. Cleveland Clinic.
- US Food and Drug Administration (2020). Ultraviolet (UV) radiation. FDA.
Brian is the founder of Craft Tallow, a small-batch tallow skincare line shipped from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, built on 100% grass-fed suet. Questions? Reply to any email from us; it lands with him.