I wrote this note because many customers want to know more about the material and quality of each type of genuine leather bag and wallet, and also because after walking around, I saw that every seller confidently wrote "genuine leather bag/wallet" while looking at the picture and shape of the bag, Kat is 100% sure that the seller is not telling the truth about their product, or the seller himself does not know about the product he is selling. Due to different leather properties, the design, quality and lifespan of each type of leather product are also different, so please take some time to refer to it when needed to choose the right and suitable products for yourself!

Leather has always been considered the most luxurious and high-end material for making bags, wallets, and belts. Genuine leather is soft, supple, and extremely durable. In fact, leather lasts many times longer than other imitation leather materials. Leather breathes, so it can cool you in the summer and keep you warm in the winter months. Leather used to make bags, wallets, belts, and other items goes through a series of chemical processes called tanning. This process softens, beautifies, and protects the leather. Leather can be divided into the following types:

Top-grain leather

A piece of leather has a thickness that depends on the age and the type of animal from which the leather is tanned. This thick layer of leather can be separated into many layers. Top-grain leather is the top layer of the hide. This top layer is about 1.0 -1.5mm thick and is also the best and most beautiful part of the hide. Top-grain leather is divided into two types: Full grain leather and corrected grain leather. Full grain leather is left in its natural state, without adjusting the grain. Meanwhile, Corrected leather has a surface impact to reduce scratches, and is raised to develop effects. Most customers prefer corrected leather because it is easy to clean when water is spilled. This type of leather has a surface protection layer and is scratch-resistant while full grain leather does not. Full-grain leather is very durable, does not crack during use, and the more you use it, the softer it becomes. When using, you should be careful to avoid too much friction on the leather surface, especially at the corners of bags and wallets to ensure the durability and beauty of the product.

Split and coated leather (Or colloquially known as "double-layer leather")

Split leather is the lower layer of the hide after the top layer of skin has been removed. It can be processed into suede or split & coated leather. Split & coated leather is usually harder and less durable than top-grain leather. Because the inner genuine leather layer and the outer artificial coating have different degrees of elasticity, in hot and humid weather conditions like in Vietnam, the leather can still peel and break after a certain period of use. The durability of split leather depends largely on the quality of the artificial coating on the leather surface, which is difficult to assess with the naked eye. However, the advantage of split & coated leather is that it can create leather panels with a certain hardness, suitable for making bags, wallets with a hard form, and very fashionable boxes - something that whole leather is very difficult to do (because whole leather will become softer the more it is used, and if the real leather layer is thick to have the necessary hardness, the bag/wallet will be too heavy, inconvenient to use).
Split and coated leather can still be processed to have a grain similar to that of a whole piece of genuine leather. However, when looking at the cross-section of the leather, you can see that the leather is not uniform (split into two layers), the leather is harder, the leather surface does not have pores like piece leather, or if there are, they are created by processing, so the leather surface is very uneven and unnatural. When pressing on the leather surface, the elasticity of the leather is less.
Leather is a natural product, not a plastic or vinyl material, so there are variations in color. Even on the same piece of leather, there can be differences in feel from place to place. These differences are not a manufacturing defect. They are a natural characteristic of 100% genuine leather. These signs of nature are what make leather so desirable. Just as your skin is different from place to place, so is cowhide.

Although leather is a very durable product, it still needs care. If exposed to sunlight for a long time, it can fade, just like fine fabrics. Avoid placing leather near heat sources as this will dry it out and cause it to crack. Avoid placing sharp objects on the leather. Limit the use of polishes or soaps.

How to Distinguish Leather

With advantages such as durability, beauty, good elasticity... leather products are always the concern of fashion lovers. But how to know if it is leather, artificial leather, or imitation leather? Below are some tips for you when choosing leather to make products.

1. Pig skin: The pores appear on the surface, round and rough, slightly inclined, every three pores are clustered together. On the surface, there are many small triangles, when touched, it feels hard, flat, solid, often used to make leather shoes, suitcases and bags.

2. Cow/buffalo leather: Cow leather has round, straight pores, not tight together and evenly distributed. Buffalo leather has larger pores, fewer pores, is softer than cow leather, and does not look as smooth and beautiful as cow leather. These two types are often used to make leather shoes and sandals.

3. Horse leather: The pores are oval, not clear, larger than the pores of cowhide, arranged in a regular manner, on the soft, dark spongy surface. Used to make suitcases and bags.

4. Goat leather (chamois): The leather surface has arc-shaped lines with 2-4 large pores, surrounded by small pores. The leather surface looks smooth, the grain is tight, and feels supple to the touch. Often used to make gloves, bags, and hunting clothes.

5. Sheepskin: Thin, soft, tiny pores and oval shape, several pores combine together in long rows, evenly distributed. Often used to make handbags.

6. Faux leather: It feels like goatskin on the outside, but if you look closely you can't see the pores, it's a processed product.

HOW TO DISTINGUISH REAL LEATHER FROM FAKE LEATHER

– There are two main types of imitation leather: simili and PU. With simili, you can easily recognize this material because it is cheap, hard, covered with a layer of polyester on the surface so it is very shiny, often sewn into market goods. PU is easier to confuse, because this is a high-quality imitation leather material, soft and similar to real leather. However, PU is still essentially a synthetic compound, so it can peel off over time.
– Real leather has a musty smell, while fake leather has a plastic or chemical smell (like plastic or paint, gasoline).

– When heating leather products: If it is real leather, the leather will be scorched and have a burnt smell of organic compounds (smells like grilled meat ^^), while fake leather will clump.

– Drop a few drops of water onto the leather surface. If it is genuine leather, after a few minutes, you will see the water stain spread and penetrate the leather. Genuine leather always absorbs moisture.
– Visual observation: the surface of real leather is slightly rough, with very natural grain lines, or with concave and convex marks. Depending on the tanning and processing techniques, the leather surface will be flat, soft... but still leave relatively rough marks. On the surface of real leather, if you look closely, there will be small pores, which can be seen with a normal magnifying glass. The surface of real leather does not have cracks or stretch marks like fake leather. The surface of fake leather is usually smooth, even and flat.

– When you press hard on the surface of the bag with your finger, if it is genuine leather, it will leave a dent. Fake leather and synthetic materials will not have this elasticity.
– Real leather will lose its freshness and become a bit dull after a while. Then, wipe it clean and apply a little lotion or colorless polish, and the surface of the real leather product will be fresh and soft immediately. Fake leather rarely changes color or is not affected much by polish or lotion.
– Genuine leather products, especially cowhide handbags, are hard when new, but become softer with use. Fake leather wallets will dry out and crack very quickly.
– Real leather when not finished is often small in size and shaped like the animal that produces that type of leather, often zigzag and not square, fake leather is often very large and square in size.
– The inside of a genuine leather wallet is almost bare, while imitation leather has a lining and a layer of shaped cardboard. Imitation leather products are often lined with fabric or woven threads that are pressed against the back of the leather.
Note: For some types of leather, with today's advanced tanning techniques, leather products may have other characteristics than the above.

For example:

– For painted leather – the leather surface is covered with a layer of paint (this layer of paint is very durable and does not peel off over time). When burned, it may have a burning chemical smell (paint). When lightly scratched, the leather will not be scratched and is less water-absorbent.
– For waxed or oily leather, the outer surface of the leather is covered with a layer of wax/oil to protect the leather (skin care) to keep the leather moist and not dry. This type of leather is very susceptible to scratches, however, the scratches will disappear completely when using shoe polish or skin care cream.

—->Finally, the most important thing to know the exact quality of the Leather, we should go directly to the store or the place of production of the product (if possible) to see and test the leather in the best way because in reality, we cannot use the above testing methods to test directly on the product. It will be very difficult for a store owner to let you bring burned leather or similar testing methods…