WHAT YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND

Here we will tell you the difference between real leather and the materials which claim to be leather.

There are different types of products that claim to be “leather”, but do you know the difference between Real leather and Artificial leather also known as PU leather, vegan leather, faux leather, leatherette, synthetic leather, and pleather.

Artificial leather

Artificial Leather is also known as PU leather is an imitation of the real leather created from polyurethane, a plastic with a similar feel and aspect to the leather, but without involving animals. PU Leather is considered vegan leather.

The most common way to create PU leather is using a cover of plastic polyurethane or a polyurethane coating and applying it to a base made of fiber (generally polyester) The PU leather generally has the same texture as the animal skin (Real leather) but it’s lighter and at the same time it is not as durable as the real leather and tends to tear easily.

As the PU leather looks quite similar to real leather but there are a few pros and cons to it.

Pros – like if we discuss pros then definitely it is quite cheaper to produce so, therefore, cheaper to be purchased so final production cost gets heavily reduced and secondly as PU leather is made of plastic so it tends to be easy to clean.

Cons – And if we discuss the cons then first would be on durability and it will be not that durable as compared to real leather secondly it will not develop a patina, thirdly PU does not bend well so with time it will crack and peel.

Real leather

Real leather is crafted from animal skin and must be tanned to avoid decomposition and become usable leather, if given the proper care it can last a long time and generally gains a nice texture as it ages. Real leather is difficult to tear or puncture and is much more breathable and humidity resistant.

The maintenance of real leather is a bit more complicated than PU leather as real leather may need a leather conditioner applied from time to time to keep it supple, or it will become stiff or brittle. This is because natural oils in leathers dry out over time.

Usually, there are three types of leather i.e. genuine, top-grain, and full-grain leather where genuine leather doesn’t just mean that the product is made of real leather (which it is), but it also means it is the lowest quality of all products made out of real leather basically you should read it as: “At least it’s genuine leather” then comes Top grain leather which can be considered as quite above of the middle quality of leather and is vastly used by the majority of designer brands and luxury brands as well the finish of this leather is great and it does get better with age. Then comes full-grain leather which takes the entire grain of hiding with all imperfections and inherent toughness of the material this type of leather is often marked with imperfections from the animal, like a brand or a scar, but products from pricier companies won’t use these flawed hides – making it even more expensive.

Final Words – The purpose of this article was to share information and bring clarity to everyone, As Real leather is a byproduct of the meat industry and is a natural product so it decomposes well far below the time taken by PU leather.

We at Bennetic only use top grain and full grain leathers standing firm on our statement of Quality over everything we work hard to source our raw materials from the experts and world-renowned suppliers with ethical values intact.