Determining whether a handbag is made of genuine leather or synthetic material

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I. Concepts of three types of leather: 1. Recycled leather (also known as leather cardboard): It is not truly paper in the traditional sense; it is a material similar to cardboard that is produced by washing, softening, grinding waste leather from tanneries and leather processing plants, and then adding adhesives. Hence it is commonly called leather cardboard, and can be used as material for leather manufacturing and box production. 　　2. Artificial leather: It is made by using resins such as polyvinyl chloride and polyurethane as coatings, with fabric or woolen materials as the base. It is generally impermeable; however, with advances in science and technology, artificial leather manufacturing techniques have become more sophisticated, resulting in improved product quality. Especially in terms of imitation leather, it can be indistinguishable from real leather, offering similar properties in terms of breathability, softness, feel, and appearance. That’s why many foreign animal protection organizations advocate for people to wear clothing made of synthetic leather in order to oppose the use of natural leather. 　　3. Natural leather: It is leather made from animal hides through processing, grinding, softening, and dyeing. It is genuine leather. The most expensive option is natural leather, which is chosen by many brands for their products. Many leather collections from international brands are luxury goods. 　　II. Four identification methods: 1. Visual identification method: Identification is carried out by examining aspects such as the pattern and pores of the leather. On natural leather, patterns and pores can be seen, and they are evenly distributed (just like those on human skin). The cross-section shows distinct layers, with animal tissue fibers in the lower layer. When scratched with a fingernail, the leather fibers stand up, giving a fuzzy sensation, and some fibers may fall off as well. On the back side of synthetic leather, fabric can be seen; there are no animal fibers on the sides, and no pores on the surface, although some have artificially created pore imitations that appear faintly. The patterns are not distinct, or there are regularly patterned artificial designs with fairly consistent pores (in a neatly arranged pattern). Recycled leather contains animal fibers, but these are short broken fibers pressed together, so it naturally lacks natural patterns and pores. 　　2. Touch test: Genuine leather has an elastic feel; when the surface of the leather is folded downward by about 90 degrees, natural wrinkles appear. By bending different parts of it, the thickness and number of wrinkles vary significantly, showing clear unevenness, which indicates that it is genuine leather, as it possesses a natural fibrous structural layout. Artificially made leather has a texture similar to plastic, poor resilience, and the thickness and number of wrinkles formed when bent in different directions remain consistent. 　　3. Odor identification method: Natural leather has a strong leather scent, and this smell remains noticeable even after it has been processed; in contrast, artificial leather and synthetic leather products have a plastic smell and lack any leather scent. Take a small sample and burn it; the main things to check are the smell of burning and the state of the ashes. When natural leather burns, it emits a musty, burnt odor, and the residue resulting from combustion is fragile and turns to powder. In contrast, artificial leather, synthetic leather, and recycled leather produce a more intense flame during burning, contract rapidly, and have an unpleasant plastic smell; after burning, they become sticky and harden into lumps once cooled. Of course, when buying clothes, you definitely can’t let them get burned! So the key things to consider are the feel and the surface texture. 　　4. Freezing – heating test method: Natural leather generally does not experience changes in its feel of softness or hardness as the ambient temperature changes. Artificial leather and synthetic leather become stiff when exposed to the freezing temperature of a refrigerator, while they soften under the effect of light. This is rather difficult for ordinary consumers to handle. More information on the nebulization tester: http://www.whxcsy.com/