Leather products are preferred by most people because of their durability and quality but when it comes to real vs fake leather, it could be a tough decision to make. Leather material is unmatched by any other synthetic fiber because of the rich, natural and elegant finish that it offers to the user. In the current age, several materials look similar to leather and are available for low costs.

Marketers often market these products as genuine or real leather. It is an unambiguous term for misleading customers into buying less expensive products for more price. Therefore, it is important to be capable of telling the difference between real leather and fake leather. Considering that genuine leather is quite expensive, telling it apart from the fake one is an essential quality that you must have.

In this article, you will learn about different ways to see through the misleading claims of marketers and identify which leather material is real and which one is fake. Here is a list of ways that can help you know whether the leather product you are buying is genuine or fake.

1. Be Aware of Unspecified Claims:

If the label is missing and does not specify the material of the product you are buying, there’s a good chance that it isn’t real leather. An unlabeled product implies that the seller is trying to conceal the real material of the product. Even though that there’s always the possibility of used products losing their labels but being certain is crucial when buying genuine leather.

Most people forget to check the label before buying any product and it is a pretty obvious thing to do. So if you see synthetic or polyester written on it, you would know for a fact that it’s not real leather, so there’s no point in buying that.

2. A Feel Test to Check for Imperfections:

Unlike most fabrics, imperfection is a good thing when it comes to leather. Leather is made from animal skin. Therefore, the surface of leather products is uneven and unique. However, an even plane or similar grains might be the result of machine-made products.

It would be easier to know whether the leather is real or not just by touching the surface. You can identify fake leather with its smooth plastic-like feel. Whereas, real leather has a flexible, soft, and grainy feel.

Some leather products have genuine leather as well as faux leather in them, such as a leather aviator jacket is made from real leather and may also contain a faux leather collar for better appearance.

3. Make Sure That it Smells Right:

One of the best ways to identify a real leather product is by doing a smell test, as the smell of leather can easily tell its originality. However, if you are unsure about what kind of smell you are looking for, try going into a store that you know sells pure leather products and recognize the smell.

If you are smelling a plastic or chemical-like smell instead of a musty smell, you might be holding a fake leather product in your hands. The authenticity of leather can be measured by its smell.

4. Try Burning a Small Part of it:

There are not many scenarios that would encourage you to light a small piece of your leather product on fire to test its originality but this works if you want to be sure that you are buying the quality product.

It would be best for bigger leather products such as a leather aviator jacket which has a corner edge or any hidden area that you can burn. Try lighting that area on fire for 5-10 seconds and if it doesn’t catch fire, then you can be sure that its original leather.

5. Try Spilling Water:

Genuine leather comes from animal skin and all animals have spores that can be easily visible. You can also test the authenticity of leather by spilling some water on your leather product. If the water puddles on top, it means that the product is fake. At the same time, if the leather instantly absorbs the water, it’s proof that you have a pure leather product in your hands.

6. Perform a Bending or Wrinkle Test:

Leather has unique flexibility and stretchable qualities that also show slight changes in color when bent. Whereas, faux leather is normal and you might have trouble bending it. Plus, you won’t experience any color change when bending a faux leather jacket.

You can also try pressing down a leather jacket, as real leather will wrinkle upon pressing similar to real skin. Faux leather on the other hand will depress down and retain its shape and rigidity after a while. This experiment can help you figure out the difference between real and faux leather.

Conclusion:

Leather isn’t a material only known for its durability because most people don’t mind spending some extra money for a quality and stylish genuine leather product. However, finding real leather might not prove to be easy because faux leather or fake leather products are often branded as real leather. Nevertheless, the above-mentioned ways can help you identify if you are spending on real or fake leather products.

If you are unaware of a trusted seller where you can get quality genuine leather products such as leather aviator jackets, leather wallets, leather purses, and all other leather products. The best place for you would be Leatherscin. As we offer original and quality products without missing out on any important detail.