10 Simple Ways to Check if Genuine Leather is Real

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Spot fake vs real leather by look, feel, & smell

Co-authored by Mallika Sharma and Devin McSween

Last Updated: December 6, 2024 Fact Checked

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Distinguishing Genuine vs Fake Leather

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Types of Real Leather

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How Can You Identify if Leather Is Genuine?

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Products made of genuine leather are a class apart from their faux leather counterparts due to their natural, rich, and elegant finish. However, synthetic leather made from plastic can look similar to genuine leather. If you’re in the market for genuine leather and want to make sure you’re getting the real thing, keep reading! We spoke with certified leather care technician Mallika Sharma to learn several different ways to identify genuine leather and tell it apart from fake, synthetic leather.

Telling the Difference Between Genuine and Fake Leather

Check for a label that says “Genuine leather.” Feel and smell the leather, too. Real leather is soft with an imperfect grain and smells earthy or natural. Fake leather is cold, uniform-looking, and smells plasticky. Genuine leather also absorbs water while water just sits on top of faux leather.

Section 1 of 2:

Ways to Distinguish Genuine Leather from Fake Leather

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Check the tag for “Genuine leather” on the label. Most manufacturers are proud of the fact that they use real leather and will note it on the label. Be wary of any product that doesn't specifically claim to be real leather. If the label says, “Manmade material,” it is most likely a synthetic leather made of plastic. If the label doesn't say anything at all, chances are the manufacturer wants to conceal the fact that it isn't real leather.^{[1]
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- Authentic leather is often labeled as real leather, genuine leather, or top/full grain leather. The label might also state, “Made with animal products.”
- Fake, synthetic leather is often labeled as faux leather, pleather, vegan leather, PU leather, or leatherette.
- Used leather goods may have lost their tags. Check for other signs that the product is genuine leather to determine if it’s real or fake.
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Look at the surface grain for an imperfect “pebble” texture. Imperfections in leather are actually a good thing. Remember, real leather is made from animal skin and has a grainy surface made of pores; each piece is as unique as the animal it came from. Sharma says “real leather is more imperfect, with random grain patterns, while fake leather seems more perfect and synthetic.”^{[2]
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Mallika Sharma
Certified Leather Care Technician

Expert Interview. 26 April 2021.}
- Very regular, even, and similarly patterned grains often indicate that the leather was machine-made.
- Real leather might have scratches, creases, and wrinkles—this is a good thing!
- Note that as faux leather manufacturers get more skilled, their designs are better at mimicking real leather. This can make identifying genuine leather online, where you only have a picture, more difficult to do.
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Run your hands over the leather to get a sense of its feel. Genuine leather feels soft with a subtle bumpy texture. It also warms up in your hands after you hold onto it. Most synthetic leather is made of plastic, which means it usually feels hard, smooth, and cool to the touch.^{[3]
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Real leather wrinkles under your touch, just like real skin. Fake leather made out of synthetic materials, like plastic, usually just depresses down under your finger, retaining its rigidity and shape.^{[4]
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Sharma says “leather is very elastic in nature” and stretches easily.^{[5]
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Mallika Sharma
Certified Leather Care Technician

Expert Interview. 26 April 2021.} When you bend genuine leather, it usually changes color and wrinkles up. On the other hand, faux leather is much more rigid and inflexible; it’s typically difficult to bend.^{[6]
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Smell the leather for a natural, musty odor. Sharma points out that genuine leather is made out of animal skin, so it “has the smell of animal hide.” This gives it “a natural smell,” like the woods, must, or earth. Because faux leather is man-made, it often has a plastic or chemical scent.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Mallika Sharma
Certified Leather Care Technician

Expert Interview. 26 April 2021.}
- If you're still unsure what to smell for, head into a store that you know sells genuine leather and sniff a few of the bags, shoes, or furniture. Ask an employee if they have any synthetic leather and smell it as well. Once you know what you're sniffing for, the scent differences are pretty unmistakable.
Machine-made leather typically has perfectly cut and straight edges. Genuine leather is a fibrous material, which naturally frays around the edges when it's cut to form “strands.” Faux leather made from plastic has no such strands, meaning the edges are cleanly cut.^{[8]
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If the good is fake, the water will simply puddle up on top. But real leather will absorb a small drop of water in only a few seconds, telling you quickly if it is genuine.^{[9]
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Know that real leather goods are rarely ever cheap. Products made of real leather are usually more expensive than synthetic leather. This is because faux leather is easier to make while tanning animal hides requires the skills of a trained craftsman.^{[10]
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- If a deal on genuine leather seems too good to be true, it likely is. Real leather is expensive.
- Shop around and get a feel for the price of real leather, semi-leather, and synthetic leather products to understand the differences between them.
- While all real leather goods are usually more expensive than fakes, there are different types of leather that have different price ranges:
  - Cow leather is usually the most expensive due to its durability and ability to tan easily.
  - Split leather, which is an underlayer split from the surface layer, is typically less expensive than top grain or belting leather.
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Use the fire test, recognizing that it will likely ruin part of the good. This experiment works if you have a small, hard-to-see area that you can safely damage, like the underside of a couch. Simply hold a flame up to the leather for 5 to 10 seconds and watch what happens to see if the leather is genuine or not:^{[11]
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- Real leather only chars slightly when heated and smells a bit like burnt hair.
- Faux leather catches flame and smells like burning plastic.
Test the new bag's authenticity. "I wasn't sure if a leather handbag I bought online was the real deal. This article gave me simple DIY tests like smelling it and dropping water on it to check. Doing these myself verified my purchase was, in fact, genuine leather." - Anjana M.

Use the article to educate on leather. "As a leatherworker, I'm so glad I found this piece. It really breaks down the qualities of full grain, top grain, and more. I can better explain the leather types to customers now. The details help me sound like an expert!" - Dennis Paul D.

Identify jacket's leather types. "My brother gifted me a nice leather jacket, but I wondered what type it was. Bending and feeling the material, like this article said, helped me conclude it's a mix of top and full-grain leather. The hands-on tests let me learn more about it." - Paul B.

Reveal genuine leather. "I know burning leather is extreme, but I tried the tiny flame test on a thrift store find. In seconds, I had my answer — the acrid smell and melting confirmed it was fake. This straightforward technique definitively reveals real versus faux leather." - Santos A.

We want to hear from you! Advice from our readers makes our articles better. If you have a story you’d like to share, tell us here.
A bright blue piece of leather furniture may not look natural, but this doesn't mean it isn't made of real leather. Colors and dyes can be added to both synthetics and natural leathers, so ignore color and stick to feel, smell, and texture when searching for real or faux leather.^{[12]
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Section 2 of 2:

Knowing the Different Types of Real Leather

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Understand that "genuine leather" isn't the only kind of real leather. Most people are more concerned about differentiating real leather from faux, or fake leather. But serious connoisseurs know that there are actually multiple grades of real leather, of which "genuine leather" is actually the second lowest grade. From most luxurious to least, the other types of real leather are:
- Full Grain Leather
- Top Grain Leather
- Genuine Leather
- Bonded Leather
- Most leather is made from cow and buffalo hides.
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Purchase "full grain" leather for the most high-end products. Full grain leather only uses the very highest (closest to the air) layer of skin, which is the toughest, most durable, and most beloved cut of leather. It is left unfinished, meaning it has completely unique characteristics, creases, and coloring. Because of the smaller amount of leather on the surface of each animal and the difficulty of working with full grain toughness, the price is understandably high.^{[13]
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- Be aware that some manufacturers will label something as "Made with full grain leather" even if only parts of the product are full grain. This is another reason why it’s recommended you see the product before buying it.
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Choose "top grain leather" for high-quality goods at a reasonable price. The most common "luxury" leather is top grain, which takes the layer of skin just below full grain and works it lightly to remove imperfections. It is smoother and more consistent than full grain leather, but easier to work as well, which helps keep the price down.
- While not as durable as full grain, top grain leather is still a strong, well-crafted material.
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Know that "genuine leather" usually has a suede side or feel to it. Genuine leather is made by stripping off the harder, more expensive grains from the top, and then using the softer, easier-to-work leather underneath. It is not as durable as full or top grain, but it is much cheaper since it can be manufactured into a variety of goods with ease.^{[14]
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- Remember—genuine leather is a specific grade, not the phrase for real leather. If you request genuine leather in a leather shop, they will have a specific type of product in mind.
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Avoid "bonded leather," which is made from leather shavings. While bonded leather is still leather, it isn't an unbroken or regular piece of animal skin. Instead, the shavings from all the other leather grades are collected, ground up, and mixed with an adhesive liquid to make a piece of leather. Though less expensive, the quality is lacking compared to the other leathers.^{[15]
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- Because the quality is less impressive, bonded leather is often used for book covers and other smaller, less-worn items.

How Can You Identify if Leather Is Genuine?

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How can you tell the difference between faux leather and real leather?

Mallika Sharma
Certified Leather Care Technician
Mallika Sharma is a Certified Leather Care Technician and the Founder of The Leather Laundry, a niche spa service for luxury leather gear in India. Mallika specializes in leather cleaning, coloring, repairing, and restoring for shoes, handbags, jackets, wallets, belts, and sofas. She holds a Master’s degree in Finance and Investment from the University of Edinburgh Business School. Mallika is a certified Professional Leather Care Technician and trained with the globally reputed leather care company, LTT in the United Kingdom.

Mallika Sharma

Certified Leather Care Technician

Expert Answer

Fake leather has a fabric-like base, while real leather has a rugged base, like a genuine skin. Real leather also smells like an animal hide, and has random, imperfect grain patterns.

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Which leather is the most expensive?

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Full Leather would be most expensive, followed by Top Leather, Genuine Leather, and lastly, Bonded Leather.

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How do I identify pigskin leather?

Darrell Cooley

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It could be difficult to discern pigskin; usually it's used as a liner on leather goods to make them tougher without adding weight, as pigskin is very strong. Pigskin will usually have "dimples" on the surface. It can be any color, but the most common is black or brown. Pigskin suede is softer than tan suede.

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If you want to buy a leather good online, stick to reputable, well-known dealers and sellers to avoid getting scammed or purchasing faux leather.

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