How to Know You're Getting Real Leather

There's nothing like the smooth touch of an authentic leather couch or a well-worn leather jacket. Because of leather's unique characteristics, authentically crafted items usually come at a premium price. Competing manufacturers recognize this and offer imitation leather items at a discounted price. Some dealers may even try to pass off imitation leather as authentic leather in hopes of skimming profit off of an inflated sale price. Avoid being scammed by checking that your leather items are real and 100% natural.

Magnifying glass

Instructions

- 1
  Look for a manufacturer's tag, which is usually stitched into the seam or a corner of the item. Terms such as "Man-Made Materials" or "Synthetic Materials" mean imitation leather. Real leather is usually tagged with claims like "100% Genuine Leather" or "Authentic Leather."
- 2
  Inspect the leather's surface for pores with a magnifying glass. Real leather has small pores on its surface that occur randomly. Imitation leather may be absent of pores, or have them arranged in an identifiable pattern.
- 3
  Touch the leather. If the leather feels cold, hard or in any way like plastic, it's likely fake. Real leather should feel smooth, supple and moderate or warm in temperature at all times.
- 4
  Smell the leather. Real leather has a rich, woodsy scent that is immediately distinguishable. Any item that has a plastic or slightly chemical odor to it is imitation.
- 5
  Feel the edges of the leather item. Cut edges on authentic leather will be rough and expose the visible grain structure. Fake leather will be sewn off or have a foamy feel to them.
- 6
  Drip a few small drops of water onto the surface of the leather. The pores of real leather will soon absorb the water. Fake leather will hold the water droplets suspended until they roll off or evaporate.

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