Traditional diets from around the world have used animal fat in their diets for thousands of years. Lard is from a monogastric animal such as a pig, although some people believe Duck fat is a form of lard, and tallow is from ruminant animals (animals that eat mainly grass and have multiple stomachs). This would be cows, sheep, and deer.  Is there a difference between lard and tallow?  Does one offer advantages the other does not?  Why have modern humans replaced lard and tallow as a treatment for skincare with artificial ingredients such as phthalates, parabens, seed oils, and petroleum derived chemicals?  

In both cases lard and tallow are rendered, which means the fat was heated to remove any water, separate the fat from organs and then cooled. The fat from a pig usually is harvested from under the skin at the belly, its back or around the kidney.  The lard from around the kidney of a pig is called leaf lard, is creamier, and softer than the belly or back fat with a less porky taste.