In the first hours after a death, families often feel pulled in two directions at once. Part of you wants time to breathe, to call the people who need to know, to sit with the reality of what happened. Another part of you is suddenly faced with fast-moving decisions—transport, paperwork, timing, and how (or whether) you want others to see your loved one.
That’s usually when what is embalming comes up. Sometimes it’s offered gently, as one option among many. Other times, it can sound like a default step—so common that families assume they have no choice. The truth is more nuanced, and understanding it can help you protect both your budget and your values while you plan something that feels right.
This guide explains embalming history, what how embalming works today actually looks like in plain language, and when families can decline it in favor of refrigeration or natural body care instead of embalming—including for faith traditions and green burial and embalming concerns.
Why embalming is often suggested so quickly
In modern funeral care, embalming is most closely tied to one specific thing: time. If a family wants a public visitation with an open casket, especially if it will happen several days after death or in warm conditions, embalming can make the viewing experience more predictable. It can also be suggested when there’s travel involved or delays that are outside anyone’s control.
But it’s important to separate “common” from “required.” Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, funeral providers must disclose that embalming is not required by law except in special cases, and they can’t charge for embalming without permission. (You’ll see that disclosure on the funeral home’s General Price List.)
If you want a deeper Funeral.com walkthrough of the basics and the decision points, the Journal guide Embalming: What It Is, When It Helps, and When You Can Skip It can be a helpful companion as you read.
The short version of embalming’s history and why it still shapes expectations
To understand why embalming can feel like “just what people do,” it helps to know where it came from. In the United States, widespread embalming grew during the Civil War, when families wanted the bodies of soldiers returned home for burial. Arterial embalming made longer-distance transport and public viewing more feasible, and it changed how Americans experienced death—moving care from the home into professional settings over time.
This is the heart of embalming history: embalming became intertwined with the idea of “a proper goodbye,” especially when a community gathering and viewing were part of the ritual. Even today, many people picture a traditional funeral as automatically including embalming, even though legal requirements are far narrower than cultural expectations.
What the modern embalming process involves, in plain language
When families ask how embalming works today, what they usually want is a straightforward description—without euphemisms, but also without graphic detail. In most funeral homes, embalming is a professional procedure performed by trained staff with the goal of temporarily slowing natural changes after death, especially changes that could affect appearance during a viewing.
In broad strokes, the process usually includes:
First, the funeral home bathes and disinfects the body and places the features in a restful, natural position. Then the embalmer introduces preservative solution into the circulatory system and removes some bodily fluids, replacing them with embalming fluid. This is why you may hear it described as an “arterial” process. Additional care may include setting the mouth and eyes, styling hair, and applying cosmetics in a way that resembles the person’s everyday appearance. (If you’ve ever worried that embalming means your loved one will look unfamiliar, know that families can request a very natural presentation, or ask for minimal cosmetics.)
It’s also worth knowing that embalming is a temporary measure. It does not stop decomposition indefinitely, and it is not meant to “freeze” someone in time. It simply buys a window of stability—often long enough for a visitation, service, and transportation needs.
If you’d like a Funeral.com explanation focused on safety, timing, and common scenarios, What Is Embalming? Process, Safety, and When It’s Needed lays out the practical details in a calm, readable way.
Embalming vs refrigeration: what families are really choosing between
Families often feel like the decision is moral—“Is embalming respectful?”—when it’s usually logistical: embalming vs refrigeration is primarily about what kind of timeline and viewing you’re planning.
Refrigeration (sometimes called “cooling” or “refrigerated care”) uses temperature to slow natural changes without chemicals. If your family wants a quick burial or cremation, or you want a private goodbye rather than a public viewing, refrigeration is often enough. It can also be a strong fit for families seeking simplicity, a more natural approach, or budget flexibility.
On the other hand, embalming can support a longer timeframe and tends to be recommended for extended open-casket events, larger gatherings, or situations where travel will delay services. It’s less about “better” and more about “what problem are we solving?”
A practical next read—especially if someone has told you embalming is mandatory—is Funeral.com’s Is Embalming Required for a Funeral? Laws, Myths, and Alternatives Explained.
When embalming is required and when it’s optional
The keyword families search most is when is embalming required, and the honest answer is: it depends on circumstances and local rules, but it is rarely required simply because a death occurred.
Federally, the FTC Funeral Rule makes it clear that funeral providers must not misrepresent embalming as legally required and must disclose when it’s not required. Practically, “required” tends to show up in a few situations:
One is when a body will be transported by certain methods or across long distances, especially if an airline or common carrier is involved. In those cases, requirements may be set by the carrier, destination rules, or the sending/receiving jurisdictions. Funeral.com’s guide How to Transport Human Remains explains how embalming, refrigeration, and approved transport containers fit into that process.
Another is timing. Some states or local rules require that if a body is held beyond a set number of hours, it must be either embalmed or refrigerated. Importantly, that’s often an “either/or,” not a mandate for embalming specifically.
When you’re unsure, a good rule of thumb is this: if someone says embalming is “required,” ask them to show you exactly where that requirement comes from—state law, local ordinance, or carrier policy—and to explain your alternatives.
When families can say no, and what to request instead
If you’re considering declining embalming, you’re not alone. One reason this question comes up more today is that end-of-life choices are changing. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the U.S. cremation rate is projected to be 63.4% in 2025 (with burial projected at 31.6%). Because cremation often doesn’t require a public viewing—and because memorial services can happen later—many families find they don’t need embalming to have a meaningful goodbye.
If your family wants natural body care instead of embalming, you can ask about:
Refrigeration for temporary care until cremation or burial, especially if your plans will happen quickly. A private identification viewing (sometimes called a “family viewing”) without embalming may be possible depending on timing and the funeral home’s facilities. In some areas, families can also explore family-led after-death care and home funeral options, where permitted. Funeral.com’s Home Funerals and Family-Led Care: Legal Basics, Preparation, and When It Makes Sense is a gentle overview if you’re curious about that path.
And if your preference is connected to costs, it can help to understand the bigger picture of what you’re paying for and what’s optional. Funeral.com’s Funeral Costs Broken Down: What You’re Paying For and How to Compare Price Lists is designed for exactly that moment when the paperwork feels overwhelming.
Religious objections and green burial considerations
For some families, this decision isn’t just practical—it’s spiritual. Religious objections to embalming are common in traditions that prioritize a timely, simple burial and a natural return to the earth. Many Jewish and Islamic communities, for example, generally avoid embalming and emphasize washing, shrouding, and burial as soon as possible (with local variations and allowances for legal requirements). Funeral.com’s Green Burial and Natural Burial Grounds: Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Traditional Funerals discusses how faith and sustainability often overlap in end-of-life choices.
From an environmental standpoint, green burial and embalming concerns usually focus on minimizing chemicals and using biodegradable materials. Green burial practices commonly avoid embalming and instead rely on refrigeration and prompt burial, along with shrouds or simple caskets designed to return naturally to the earth.
If you’re leaning toward a greener approach, it can also be reassuring to remember that “natural” doesn’t mean “no ceremony.” Families can still gather, share readings, and honor a life with the same tenderness—just with different practical steps.
Pros and cons of embalming, without the pressure
When people search pros and cons of embalming, they’re often hoping someone will say, “Here’s what this choice actually changes.”
The most meaningful “pro” is usually emotional: embalming can make an open-casket viewing possible in situations where timing, travel, or warmth would otherwise make it difficult. For some families, seeing their person at rest is an important part of grief—an anchor for reality, a moment to speak words that didn’t get said.
The “cons” tend to be practical: embalming is an added procedure with an added cost, and it may not match a family’s spiritual beliefs or environmental values. It also isn’t necessary for many cremation timelines, especially when families choose a memorial service later rather than a viewing right away.
If you want a consumer-rights framing, the Funeral Consumers Alliance summarizes family rights under the FTC Funeral Rule, including the ability to decline services you don’t want.
Questions to ask your funeral director when you’re deciding
In a moment like this, it helps to have words ready. These questions to ask your funeral director are designed to be simple and direct, without sounding confrontational:
- “Is embalming required in our situation? If yes, can you show me the specific rule or policy that makes it required?”
- “If we decline embalming, what are our options for refrigeration and timing?”
- “Can we have a private family viewing without embalming? What timing would make that possible?”
- “How would embalming (or not embalming) affect cremation plans and scheduling?”
- “Can you walk us through the General Price List line items related to preparation, refrigeration, and embalming?”
If you’re also trying to keep decisions organized, Funeral.com’s How to Plan a Funeral in 7 Steps: Honoring a Life with Care can help you place embalming in the larger flow of funeral planning, so it doesn’t feel like the only decision that matters.
A gentle way to hold the decision
At its core, embalming is not a measure of love. It’s a tool—useful in some circumstances, unnecessary in others, and sometimes in conflict with a family’s values. If you want a viewing with more time, embalming may support that. If you want simplicity, speed, natural care, or a green burial approach, you can often decline and choose refrigeration instead.
And if you’re feeling unsure, that’s normal. The “right” choice is the one that fits your timeline, your beliefs, and what you need in order to say goodbye.
