When the cold winter months arrive, fur clothing becomes a popular choice for warmth and style. But the market is filled with products that look similar, yet range dramatically in quality and authenticity. Many manufacturers use artificial fur to imitate real fur, making it difficult for the average buyer to know what they are actually purchasing. Knowing how to tell the difference is essential. This guide will give you simple, practical tips to distinguish genuine fur from fakes, ensuring you make an informed investment.
Introduction
Genuine fur has a natural beauty, warmth, and durability that artificial materials struggle to replicate. However, it also comes with a higher price tag. Unscrupulous sellers often take advantage of this by passing off high-quality synthetics as the real thing. The differences are there, but they require a trained eye to spot. You do not need to be an expert to identify real fur. By using a few simple tests—looking at the luster, feeling the density, examining the skin, and even performing a burn test—you can confidently assess any fur garment.
How to Use Sight and Touch to Identify Fur
The first line of defense against fake fur is your own senses. A careful visual inspection and a hands-on feel can reveal a lot about the material’s true nature.
Examining the Luster and Shine
One of the first things to notice is the luster, or the way the fur reflects light. Genuine, high-quality fur has a natural, deep shine that varies across the garment. It is not a uniform, flat gloss. The hairs have a subtle, organic variation in tone. Artificial fur, on the other hand, often has a uniform, plastic-like sheen. It can look unnaturally bright or, conversely, dull and lifeless. As a general rule, the more vibrant and natural the luster, the better the quality of the fur.
Feeling the Density and Texture
Your sense of touch is a powerful tool. Run your hand over the fur. A good-quality, genuine fur will have a balanced mix of needles (the longer, stiffer guard hairs), wool (the soft, insulating undercoat), and velvet (the fine, dense fibers). The proportions should feel right. The needles should not be too long, and the hair should not feel sparse. When you stroke the fur, it should feel smooth and full of tension, like stroking a healthy animal’s coat.
There is a common trick used to simulate this feel. Some manufacturers apply oil to synthetic fur to make it feel softer and give it a temporary shine. You can detect this by brushing the fur with your hand. If the needles or fibers clump together temporarily and leave a greasy residue on your fingers, it is a strong sign that you are dealing with treated artificial fur. Genuine fur will not have this oily feel.
How to Inspect the Skin and Hair Follicles
One of the most reliable ways to tell real fur from fake is to look at the base of the hairs. This requires gently parting the fur to see the skin or backing.
Examining the Leather or Fabric Backing
For real fur, the hairs grow from a leather skin, often called a pelt. If you can part the fur and see the base, you should be looking at a leather surface. It will have a suede-like texture. It will not have a woven pattern.
For artificial fur, the fibers are woven or knitted into a fabric backing. When you part the fibers, you will see a clear warp and weft pattern, like a piece of cloth. You may even see the grid of the weave. If you see a fabric backing, the item is synthetic.
Checking the Distribution of Hairs
Look closely at how the hairs emerge. In natural fur, the hairs grow in clusters. You will typically see three or four hairs emerging from a single follicle or a small, natural grouping. The distribution is organic and slightly irregular.
In artificial fur, the fibers are planted by a machine. They are distributed in a uniform, repetitive pattern. There is no natural grouping. This even, man-made pattern is a clear giveaway of a synthetic product.
How to Test for Resilience and Bounce
A key property of good fur is its natural resilience. Real fur hairs have a built-in memory. They are designed to spring back into place after being bent or compressed.
The Airflow and Spring-Back Test
A simple test can demonstrate this. Blow gently on the fur to create a small depression in the pile. Then, watch how the hairs react. In high-quality, genuine fur, the needles and hairs will immediately return to their original state once the airflow stops. The fur “springs back.”
In artificial fur, or in poor-quality real fur that is old or damaged, the fibers will lack this resilience. After being pushed down, they will stay flat or return to their original position very slowly. They lack the natural “memory” of healthy animal hair.
I once helped a client who was considering a vintage fur coat. It looked beautiful in the store, but when I performed this test, the fur stayed flat after I blew on it. It had lost its natural resilience. The client decided against the purchase. A few months later, she found a coat with excellent spring-back, and it has remained in beautiful condition for years. This simple test can save you from buying a garment that is already past its prime.
What Is the Burn Test for Fur?
For a definitive answer, especially when dealing with loose fur or scraps, a burn test is the most reliable method. This test should be done with extreme caution, using only a few stray hairs or fibers from an inconspicuous area.
How to Perform the Burn Test
Take a small tuft of fur, ideally a few stray hairs from the garment’s interior or a hidden seam. Using a lighter or match, carefully touch the flame to the ends of the hairs.
- If it is natural fur: The hair will immediately char and curl away from the flame. It will smell distinctly like burning hair—a strong, unpleasant, but unmistakable organic odor. The residue will be a black, brittle ash that crumbles easily between your fingers.
- If it is artificial fur: The fibers will react very differently. They will often melt and shrink away from the flame, sometimes forming a hard, plastic bead at the end. The smell will be that of burning plastic or chemicals. The residue will be a hard, non-crumbly mass.
This test is extremely effective because the chemical composition of real hair (protein) and synthetic fibers (plastic) is fundamentally different. The smell alone is often enough to tell you the truth.
Conclusion
Distinguishing real fur from artificial fur is a skill that anyone can learn. It requires a combination of observation and simple physical tests. Start by looking at the luster. Real fur has a natural, varied shine, while fake fur often looks uniformly plastic. Feel the density and texture. Genuine fur should be smooth and springy, not greasy or clumpy. Inspect the backing. Real fur grows from leather; fake fur is woven onto cloth. Test the resilience by blowing on the fur. Real fur springs back immediately. And if you need a final, definitive answer, perform a burn test on a few stray hairs. Real fur smells like burning hair and turns to ash; fake fur smells like burning plastic and melts. By using these methods, you can make a confident, informed purchase.
FAQ
Q: Is real fur always more expensive than fake fur?
A: Generally, yes. Real fur is a natural material that requires skilled processing, making it significantly more expensive than mass-produced synthetic alternatives. If a price seems too good to be true for a garment that claims to be real fur, it is a major red flag.
Q: Can high-quality fake fur pass the visual and touch tests?
A: Some high-end synthetic furs are very convincing at first glance. They can mimic the look and initial feel of real fur. However, they almost always fail the backing inspection (you will see a woven base) and the burn test. The resilience of real fur is also very hard to replicate perfectly.
Q: Is it safe to perform the burn test on a garment I might buy?
A: Only perform the burn test on a few loose, stray hairs that are not attached to the main garment, such as those found in the seams or on the interior lining. Never burn hairs directly from the visible exterior of a garment you intend to purchase. When in doubt, ask the seller for a small sample.
Q: Does the “greasy” feel test always indicate fake fur?
A: It is a very strong indicator. Some lower-quality real furs might be treated, but the “oiling” trick is a common technique used specifically to make cheap artificial fur feel soft. A persistent, greasy residue on your fingers after brushing the fur is a reliable sign of a synthetic product.
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