Bags, belts, shoes, wallets, and other accessories: genuine leather items are increasingly in demand thanks to this material’s quality and versatility. However, there are a lot of shops selling synthetic leather as real high-quality products. In this scenario, how do we avoid being scammed? How to recognize a genuine leather item and distinguish it from others made of synthetic materials?
This article draws up a practical and quick guide to understand how to recognize real leather.
Check the Labels
As with any other product, the first thing to do to make sure of the materials, it is to read the labels. Genuine leather products usually have the following words: real leather, genuine leather. If there are no visible labels on the garment, this should give you the first hint. Most likely, sellers not advertising for real leather are offering you synthetic materials.
If you want to buy used items whose label is no longer legible, it is good to know that real leather is subject to wear and tear over time and deteriorates, showing the substrate of the leather’s grain. On the contrary, synthetic materials and imitation leather will ruin and tear to the point of being unusable.
Examine the Inside Layer
Another way to distinguish genuine from fake leather is to examine the inside layer. Leather accessories have two sides, the external and internal sides, and the latter can help us understand if an item is made of genuine leather.
Most items made of synthetic materials are limited to reproducing the external side but not the internal one (for which mesh fabrics are used). If on the inside there were filaments, then I have bad news for you, it is an imitation. Genuine leather leaves no protruding threads or strands.
Look at the Imperfections
Animal skin like ours has imperfections. The genuine leather items are all different from each other precisely because they are made with real animal skin. Identifying marks, wrinkles, or stains is a sign of good product quality. On the contrary, the faux leather products made with the help of machinery have symmetrical and similar veins. The same goes for the color: it is difficult for an article made of genuine leather to have a 100% homogeneous color, but instead, it will have small differences.
Your Nose Can Tell the Truth
It may seem strange or embarrassing but smelling the product can help us understand if an item is made of genuine leather. Leather has a distinct smell, while items made of synthetic materials often smell like plastic.
The Fire Test
We do not recommend doing this experiment at home or in the shop. However, using a lighter fire close to a leather object for a few seconds can reveal if the leather is real. If it is true leather, the item will be blackened and will give off a smell of burnt hair. An object made of synthetic materials, on the other hand, will most likely catch fire, exhaling the smell of burnt plastic.
Compare the Price
Last but not least is the value for money. An article made of genuine leather can never have the price of an article made of faux leather. For obvious reasons, genuine leather items are more expensive: first of all, the processing necessary to make the leather a finished product requires hours and hours of work and skilled labor. Unlike the faux leather items printed in series by industrial machinery, the real leather items are handcrafted by skilled workers.
Next time you will buy leather items, use these tips to tell the difference between faux and genuine leather. To know more information about leather products and business opportunities, come to visit our website.
