Building New Zealand’s First Cosmetic-Grade Tallow Ingredients Brand

One year ago, we set out to do something that hadn’t been done before in New Zealand.

BOTALLOW was founded with a clear, focused ambition: to build New Zealand’s first premium, cosmetic-grade tallow ingredients brand — done properly, transparently, and at export standard.

Twelve months on, we’ve gone from idea to operation, from small pilot runs to scaled processing, and from local conversations to international stages. This first year has laid the technical, scientific, and commercial foundations for what we believe is a new category in natural skincare ingredients.

Creating a New Category in New Zealand Skincare Ingredients

From day one, our focus has been on cosmetic-grade tallow — not culinary by-product, not commodity fat, but a refined, low-odour, skin-compatible lipid ingredient designed specifically for skincare formulation.

Over the past year, BOTALLOW has become:

• The first ingredients company in New Zealand producing premium cosmetic-grade tallow for skincare
• The first and only cosmetic tallow supplier accepted by Cosmetics New Zealand
• A trusted supplier to dozens of repeat New Zealand customers, from indie brands to formulators and manufacturers

This work is grounded in grass-fed NZFAP traceability, a strong nose-to-tail ethos, and deep respect for the animal and the supply chain that supports it.

Scaling with the Right Partners

As a manufacturing-led business, process discipline has been critical.

This year we:

• Completed the Venture Taranaki Power Up incubator, receiving a grant to support the next stage of scale-up
• Refined and scaled our rendering and purification processes alongside the New Zealand Food Innovation Network (NZFIN), strengthening consistency, quality, and throughput

These steps moved BOTALLOW from proof-of-concept into export-ready production, while maintaining the low-temperature, multi-stage processing that underpins cosmetic-grade quality.

Investing in Science and Evidence

Scientific validation has always been central to our strategy.

This year, we secured multiple research-focused funding milestones:

• An Ārohia Evidence Grant from Callaghan Innovation (now MBIE) to investigate the commercialisation of lamb tallow for skincare
• New funding from the Bioprocess Resource Alliance to support further investigation into beef and lamb tallow for skincare applications, in collaboration with the Riddet Institute and Massey University

These programmes are designed to build a robust evidence base over time and inform how cosmetic-grade tallow can be responsibly positioned within modern skincare formulation.

Watch this space as we work toward becoming the first scientifically validated cosmetic tallow ingredient.

Taking BOTALLOW to the World

Our first year also took us well beyond New Zealand’s borders.

We were proud to represent BOTALLOW at the Asia New Zealand Foundation Young Business Leaders Initiative Summit in Vietnam, presenting to over 120 entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific region.

This experience reinforced that interest in traceable, functional ingredients is global — and that New Zealand is uniquely positioned to lead in this space.

Provenance, Trust, and Export Momentum

In the past year, we also:

• Received the New Zealand Story FernMark, reflecting our commitment to quality, provenance, and NZ-made production
• Began exporting into Australia, marking the first step in our international growth journey

Export readiness has shaped our systems, documentation, and processing standards from the outset — and this is only the beginning.

Looking Ahead

This first year has been about foundations:

• Provenance
• Process
• Science
• Partnerships

From two founders to a growing, export-ready ingredients business, BOTALLOW is now positioned to scale — not just volume, but impact.

We’re excited about what the next chapter holds: deeper research insights, expanded applications, new markets, and continued collaboration with the people shaping the future of skincare.

Watch this space.

Sara Corleison & Jane James
Co-founders, BOTALLOW