How To Tell Fake Leather From Real Leather

Leather is beautiful and understanding it is an art. Not everyone has the expertise of identifying full-grain, top-grain, genuine or real leather. You need to learn certain tips and tricks to understand fake leather from real leather.

Consider this guide if you want to become the master of identifying fake leather from real leather.

1. Take A Look At The Product Description - “Genuine Leather” Isn’t Real Leather

The first thing you would do anyway is look at the product description for you to be interested in one. But, to tell whether it’s real leather or fake, you’d need to read carefully. Anything that says cowhide leather, sheep leather, full-grain leather, or top-grain leather will most definitely be real.

Be careful not to buy anything that says faux leather or genuine leather. Those aren’t real or “genuine at all!

2. Real Leather Shouldn’t Feel Like Plastic. It Can Feel Rough Or Smooth, Or Anywhere In Between

Leather is a natural material. It ages like a human. Wrinkles give leather a lot of character. To make sure your leather product is real, make sure it doesn’t feel like plastic. It can feel rough, smooth or anywhere in between. Look out for anything that too unnatural and feels like plastic.

3. Real Leather Feels Like Skin When You Press It

Real leather is a natural material. How would you define types of rocks or minerals? By it’s natural look and feel, right? Same goes for leather. Don’t buy something that smells and feels unnatural. It will be genuine, faux or fake leather for sure. Be careful not to be fooled!

4. Real Leather Absorbs Water

Yup! You read that right. Real leather absorbs water. This doesn’t mean you cry in the rain so no one can see your tears. :p Try to keep it safe from water but if you happen to let it rain on your leather product, expect it to absorb water. Fake leather won’t be able to do that. So, if the water drips off, it’s fake and if it is relatively absorbed, it is real!

5. Take A Look At The Price - Real Leather Is More Expensive

One of the most important fact to remember is that real leather is more expensive than fake leather. Real leather production cost is high so no authentic brand can sell a real leather jacket for less than 200 Dollars unless a huge sale is offered or the leather is simply fake. Beware of such scammers. Know that leather is a natural product so there is no cheap alternative to real leather. It’s best you invest once, but in something worthwhile.

6. Real Leather Doesn’t Crack Easily

Real leather is made from animal skin, right? We got that out of the way a long time ago. So, imagine your skin cracking; it doesn’t really crack, does it? Same goes with animal skin and real leather. Once the animal skin turns into leather, it will continue to have properties pertaining to animal skin. You will notice that a leather jacket or a product made from real leather will last you a long time and won’t crack. Compare a real leather jacket with a fake leather jacket and you will see how easily fake leather tends to chip off. It starts looking ugly after a while and you’ll be embarrassed to wear it. Even under direct sunlight, real leather will not crack or peel. The longer you own a leather product, the more character it will have. It doesn’t wear off very easily.

7. Real Leather Doesn’t Catch Fire Easily

Since plastic is made from petroleum, it is sure to catch fire extremely easily. Real leather on the other hand, won’t be destroyed by fire. This doesn’t mean you test it by setting your leather jacket on fire. The difference between fake leather and real leather is that real leather has high resistance to fire and won’t melt like plastic. You won’t be able to burn leather, you can simply char it. We repeat, DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME (or anywhere)!

8. Real Leather Should Wrinkle When You Press On It

Do you currently own a leather jacket? If yes, then you should bring that bad boy out and try to press on the leather. Don’t worry, nothing harmful will happen to your beloved leather jacket. It will only wrinkle. Real leather has the quality to look wrinkled and “pulled” when you press on it. Fake leather, on the other hand, won’t be affected if you push on it. It is noticeably less flexible. If you press on a fake leather jacket; the texture will hardly be affected by the pressure. At the end of the day, everything goes back to the fact that real leather is a natural material and has qualities of a something natural. It feels like skin, wrinkles like it and will last you a lifetime too.

Don’t set your leather jacket on fire but go ahead and press on the leather jacket to see if it wrinkles. Ready, set, go ahead, take the leap of faith!

You may now consider yourself the master of leather. You have ample knowledge to identify real leather from fake leather. Leather Jacket Shop produces real leather but if you don’t believe us, order a product now and use this guide to test our products! We promise to never disappoint you.