It is a fair question. Tallow is beef fat. So does a bar of tallow soap smell like beef?
Tallow Soap describes its bar as smelling of almost nothing: clean and neutral. Here is how the bar is made.
Rendering comes first
Tallow starts as raw beef fat. Rendering is the step that turns it into tallow. The fat is heated slowly until it melts, and the liquid fat is separated from the solid tissue and strained.
Rendering prepares the fat for soapmaking. The finished bar’s smell also depends on the formulation, making and storage.
Then saponification
In the soap itself, the tallow has been turned into something else. Combined with lye, it becomes soap and glycerin. That process is called saponification, and issue 22 explains it in full.
Why there is nothing covering it up
Some products sold as unscented add a small amount of fragrance just to mask the smell of other ingredients. The FDA notes this on its page about fragrances.
Tallow Soap’s bar has no fragrance and no masking agents. Nothing is added to cover anything. What you smell is the bar itself, and the bar smells of almost nothing. Issue 21 covers how to read fragrance claims on any label.
What changes the smell over time
Storage. Over a long time, fats slowly oxidize, and heat and light speed that up. Keep spare bars cool, dry and out of direct sun. Do not assume a particular smell will remain unchanged indefinitely.
Tallow Soap recommends using bars within two years. Issue 17 covers storage.
Try it for yourself
The 3-Pack Sampler is an option to try. Open a bar, smell it, wash with it. You'll know quickly.