How to Spot Fake Leather: 4 Ways to Tell If a Bag is Genuine

When you first start your search for the perfect leather handbag, it’s easy to get excited about all the styles and brands available. But the search can easily become overwhelming. There are so many leather hand bags for women to browse before you stumble on the right bag to fit your style and personality. But also consider this, not all handbags are what they say they are. In fact, many bags claim to be leather, when in fact they are merely imitations. So, how can you ensure you aren’t purchasing a fake? Here are 4 ways you can tell you are purchasing a bag that is made out of real, genuine leather.

Step 1: Check the Label

This is a pretty obvious thing you should do when purchasing a leather handbag: read the label or tag. Items that are made using real leather will proudly say so on the tag or label. Look for ones that say something like: “100% real leather,” “full/top grain leather,” or “genuine leather.”

How to spot a fake: If the label says anything about “man-made material” or doesn’t mention the material that it is made of, chances are it’s a fake. Additionally, check the price tag. While everyone loves a good deal, real leather is going to be most expensive than synthetic materials. If you find a deal that seems too good to be true, chances are it probably is.

Step 2: Look Closely

Get a good close up look at the leather, zoom in on a picture if shopping online. Real leather is going to have flaws and imperfections because it is made from real animal skin. Real leather will not be completely uniform and will include blemishes.

How to spot a fake: If the material looks uniform with no blemishes or imperfections, it could be fake leather. If the leather bag has a textured pattern, this could be a good indication that the material was machine-made.

Step 3: Touch It

If at all possible, touch the material before you make a purchase. Remember, real leather is a natural material, so when you run your fingers across the surface, it won’t feel perfectly smooth. When you push your finger into the surface, it will stretch and wrinkle a little bit, just like your skin.

How to spot a fake: Synthetic materials will feel cold and unnatural even when your run your fingers across the surface. Also, when you push your finger into the surface it won’t react like skin; instead of stretching or wrinkling it will simply depress under your finger while maintaining its shape.

Step 4: Smell It

Anyone who has smelled real leather before will know that genuine leather has a distinct smell. This natural scent can not be accurately reproduced.

How to spot a fake: Thankfully, there is no reliable way to mimic the smell of real leather. Faux leather smells like plastic, so if the material smells like plastic, chances are it is a synthetic material.

At Floto, we mainly work with vegetable tanned leather that has a sweet scent to it when it is brand new.