1. Identifying genuine leather

Hand touch: Touch the surface of the leather with hand. If it feels smooth, soft, plump, and bouncy, then if is genuine leather; the surface of the common artificial leather is unsmooth, inflexible, and less soft.

View with eyes: The surface of genuine leather has clear pores and patterns; cow leather has regular fine pores, yak skin has rough and sparse pores, and goat skin has fish scale pores.

Smell: All genuine leather has leather smell, while artificial leather has strong plastic smell.

Burn: Tear some fiber from the back of genuine leather and artificial leather, burn it, if it gives pungent smell and forms a knot, it is artificial leather; if it gives off hair smell and doesn’t form a knot, it is genuine leather.

2. Identifying artificial leather and synthetic leather

The four methods mentioned above can also be used to identify artificial leather and synthetic leather. In addition, artificial leather and synthetic leather also have following characteristics:

1) When the surface of the leather is pressed with finger, there are no obvious pores or wrinkles; if wrinkles appear, they won’t disappear distinctly.
 
2) Pores on the surface of the leather are a key indicator for telling genuine from artificial leather

3) Cut off the lower corner and burn it, it gives off smell but not the burnt smell of hairs.

3. Methods to identify genuine leather and fake leather

1) Touch with finger: Pressing the leather with finger will form fine wrinkles. Release fingers, if the wrinkles instantly disappear, it shall be genuine leather. Artificial and synthetic leather don’t form wrinkles.

2) Use water: Sprinkle a drop of water on the leather and wipe off. If it feels damp and sticky, it is genuine leather.

3) View with eyes: Check the front of the leather with eyes, genuine leather has pores and artificial leather doesn’t have pores. Check the back of the leather and identify the part without folds, if there is base cloth, it must be artificial leather or synthetic leather.