Velvet Face Renewal 1% Bakuchiol + Vitamin C + CoQ10 Tallow Face Balm

The premium seat, earned

Every collection has a premium seat. Velvet earns its own on the look of skin: bakuchiol at a true 1%, with vitamin C at 1.5%, organic rosehip CO2 and CoQ10. Renewal, brightening and tone in one waterless balm, without retinol’s dryness or sun sensitivity.

Each part has a job. Tallow carries everything in and squalane keeps the actives dissolved and moving. Bakuchiol and vitamin C work on the look of lines and tone, rosehip feeds the same job, and CoQ10 with vitamin E holds the jar stable. This is renewal as a practice: a daily ritual in service of skin longevity.

What a balm actually does

A balm does not add water to your skin. It helps skin hold the water it already has, which is why we say press it into damp skin: you supply the water, the fat keeps it there. In Velvet the damp step does a second job: the balm spreads thinner over damp skin, so the bakuchiol, vitamin C and rosehip go on in an even film instead of a thick one. Tallow carries no humectant of its own, so on bone-dry skin, put it on damp. Why Tallow has the chemistry.

The feel

Dense and velvet-matte from the first pass: it melts on contact, settles quickly, and leaves the powder-soft finish the arrowroot is there for.

Prefer to blend it yourself?

Velvet began as a kit recipe. The Craft Tallow Kit blends this and four more, fresh at your counter. Meet the kit.

Grass-Fed Suet Tallow	Rich in oleic acid, the fatty acid your skin uses to regulate its own barrier: it softens the surface so the actives travel with it, absorbing like something skin recognizes.
Squalane	Sugarcane-derived and biomimetic: keeps the actives dissolved and mobile all the way in, while delivering deep, weightless hydration of its own.
Organic Rosehip CO2	Whole organic rosehip seed drawn by cold CO2, nothing lost to heat: naturally rich in vitamin A compounds, carotenoids and sterols. The botanical backbone under the bakuchiol.
Vitamin C (oil-soluble)	Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate at 1.5%, the oil-loving form of vitamin C: it stays potent where L-ascorbic acid breaks down, travels the skin’s lipid layers and converts where it counts. Brighter-looking tone, none of the sting.
Bakuchiol 99%	A plant-derived retinol alternative, 99% pure at a true 1% finished: visibly smooths the look of fine lines and helps even the look of tone. Clinical-strength renewal without retinol’s sun sensitivity.
CoQ10 (Ubiquinone)	The lipid antioxidant skin makes less of with age: it partners with vitamin E on defense and supports the look of firm skin.
The Two Editions	Frankincense: Somali Boswellia “tears”, smoky-lemon over balsamic. Bulgarian Rose: the same Rosa damascena behind rose otto, from the Valley of the Roses, and closer to the living flower than distillation.
Vitamin E · Arrowroot · Rosemary	Vitamin E and organic rosemary CO2 work as antioxidant partners, while a touch of organic arrowroot lends the powder-soft, matte-velvet finish.

1. Morning and evening over clean, slightly damp skin: a pea-sized amount, warmed between your fingertips and massaged into face and neck. SPF after the morning coat.
2. Around the eyes use a little less, patted in gently and clear of the lash line.
3. Results build over weeks: most people notice tone and texture first, in two to four weeks, with fine lines following over eight to twelve.

How to use a tallow balm →

Frankincense Edition: Grass-Fed 100% Suet Tallow, Squalane, *Rosehip CO2 Extract, Vitamin C (THD Ascorbate), *Arrowroot Powder, Bakuchiol, Vitamin E, Frankincense CO2 Extract, CoQ10 (Ubiquinone), *Rosemary Antioxidant CO2 · *Organic

Bulgarian Rose Edition: Grass-Fed 100% Suet Tallow, Squalane, *Rosehip CO2 Extract, Vitamin C (THD Ascorbate), *Arrowroot Powder, Bakuchiol, Vitamin E, *Bulgarian Rose CO2 Extract, CoQ10 (Ubiquinone), *Rosemary Antioxidant CO2 · *Organic

No common allergens in the Frankincense Edition; the Bulgarian Rose Edition carries a trace of fractionated coconut oil from the rose dilution. Contains botanical aromatics (frankincense or rose, by edition). Bakuchiol does not bring retinol’s sun sensitivity, but daily SPF is good practice. Patch-test on your inner forearm for 24 hours before facial use.

Storage: A warm kitchen can grain the balm. That is the fat, not spoilage. A minute on the warming plate or in the hands brings it back.

Shelf life: Vitamin E and rosemary antioxidant keep the oils fresh. Keep the lid on, out of direct sun, and scoop with clean, dry fingers. Unopened and kept cool, a year is comfortable. Once it is open, use it inside a year. There is no water in the jar, so nothing grows in it as long as you keep it that way: dry fingers, lid on. Over a long time the oils go stale, and your nose catches that first.

Shipping: In-stock jars leave within 1 to 3 business days.

Will it smell like beef?

No. Our tallow is 100% suet, rendered low and slow in wet and dry steps by our Montana render partner, and never bleached or deodorized. The base fat arrives pale gold and nearly scentless, closer to unsalted butter than to anything from a grill. In this jar you smell something quiet and botanical, rosehip forward, with frankincense or Bulgarian rose depending on the edition; on skin after a minute, nothing you would notice. Where tallow smell comes from, jar by jar.

Is bakuchiol comparable to retinol?

In a published head-to-head study, 0.5% bakuchiol performed comparably to retinol on the look of lines and tone, with less dryness and irritation reported. We formulate at a true 1% in the finished balm, twice the trial dose.

Which edition should I choose?

Same recipe, different finish: frankincense reads resinous and quiet; Bulgarian rose reads soft and floral at a whisper. Skin results are identical.

Can I use it with my other actives?

It layers well over water-based serums. If you already use prescription retinoids or strong acids, introduce slowly and alternate evenings at first.

Bakuchiol vs retinol: what is the difference?

Bakuchiol is a plant-derived active that performed comparably to retinol on the look of fine lines and tone in a published head-to-head study, with less dryness and irritation reported and no added sun sensitivity. Retinol remains the pharmaceutical standard; bakuchiol is the gentler path to a similar appearance outcome.

What does clinical-strength mean here?

It means the jar matches the research: a true 1% bakuchiol in the finished balm, twice the 0.5% used in the published comparison study, alongside oil-soluble vitamin C. The strength is a number you can check, not a marketing word.

Can I use it while pregnant?

Velvet contains botanical aromatics (frankincense or rose) and no retinoids: bakuchiol is the retinol-free route. If you would rather skip aromatics in that season, Bare Silk Unscented is our essential-oil-free jar.

When will I see results?

Tone and texture usually shift first, in two to four weeks of daily use. Fine lines often keep improving over eight to twelve weeks. Renewal is a practice: morning and evening, SPF after the morning coat, and consistency does the compounding.

Is it suitable for the look of fine lines around the eyes?

Yes, around the eye area and clear of the lash line. The oil-delivered actives travel well in delicate skin; use a little less than you would for the face and pat it in gently.

How much do I use, and how long does a jar last?

A pea-size amount, warmed between fingertips and pressed over clean, slightly damp skin, morning and evening, with a little less around the eyes. Face-only use like this stretches a 2 oz jar well past a month, so the 45 and 60-day intervals usually fit Velvet best.

Will it clog pores or feel greasy?

Suet tallow is low in polyunsaturated fat, about 4%, and the fatty acids in it match the ones in your own skin's surface, so a pea-size amount pressed into damp skin absorbs rather than sitting on the surface. The usual reason a tallow balm feels greasy is dose: too much, on dry skin. If you are blemish-prone, patch-test and introduce it slowly, as with any rich balm.

Is Velvet a tallow face cream or a tallow face balm?

Both names point at the same jar. People type tallow face cream, tallow face balm and tallow face moisturizer, and in a jar with no water they're one product: suet tallow blended with squalane and the actives, poured dense and set. A true cream is an emulsion of water and oil that needs a preservative system. Velvet carries no water, so a pea on damp skin is the whole dose, morning and night.

Is Velvet the right tallow balm for the look of face wrinkles?

It's the jar we built for the look of fine lines, and the only Craft recipe with studied actives in it: a true 1% bakuchiol, twice the 0.5% used in the published head-to-head trial against retinol, with 1.5% vitamin C as tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate, CoQ10 and rosehip CO2. A plain tallow balm softens the look of lines while it's on; the actives are what the research measured over twelve weeks. It's cosmetic care, not a treatment.

It arrived soft, melted or grainy. Is it ruined?

No. Heat changes the texture, not the recipe. Soft or melted: stand the closed jar upright somewhere cool until it firms up (twenty minutes on a fridge shelf speeds it along). Grainy: warm the closed jar in your hands until it goes soft, stir with a clean, dry fingertip or spoon, then chill it for twenty minutes so the whole jar sets together. It may set a shade firmer than it left us; the recipe is unchanged. What is normal in a jar of balm, and what is not.

Why does this jar look or smell a little different from my last one?

Because the botanicals are real. Blue tansy, rosehip, calendula and helichrysum shift with the harvest, so color and scent move a little between batches. The recipe and the doses do not. What is normal in a jar of balm, and what is not.