How to Tell if Fur Is Real: 6 Practical Checks

To tell if fur is real, part the hairs and look at the base: real fur grows from a leather skin, while faux fur is attached to a woven and knitted fabric backing you can see between the fibres. Real fur also has two layers of hair, long guard hairs over a soft underfur, and each hair tapers to a fine point. Coveti verifies every Yves Salomon piece in our women’s fur coats before dispatch, and our guide to fur coat outfits covers how to wear it once you have it.

By Gemma Deeks, Coveti Fashion Editor. Updated 22 October 2026.

Key facts

• Real fur grows from a leather skin; faux fur is fixed to a woven and knitted fabric backing.
• Most real furs have long guard hairs on top of a dense, shorter underfur; faux fur is usually one uniform layer.
• Real hairs taper to a fine point, while synthetic fibres are often cut blunt at the tip.
• A pin pushed through real fur meets the resistance of leather; on faux fur it slips through the fabric weave.
• Burnt real hair singes and smells like burnt hair; burnt synthetic fibre melts into a hard bead.
• Shearling is sheepskin with the wool left on, so its base is the suede side of the same skin.
• Knitted fur is real fur cut into strips and worked onto a knit base, so its backing is a knit by design.

The base test: part the hairs

This is the most reliable check and needs no tools. Blow on the fur and part it with your fingers until you can see where the hairs meet the base. Real pelts show a continuous leather skin, pale and smooth like the back of a glove. Faux fur shows rows of threads: a woven and knitted grid with the fibres looped through it.

If the garment has an open hem and a loose lining, you can also look at the reverse. Real fur shows leather, often with the joins of individual skins stitched together. Faux fur shows the back of a fabric, like the reverse of a carpet.

One exception: knitted fur. Here real fur is cut into thin strips and worked onto a knitted base, so you will see a knit structure, but each strip still has a leather edge with the hair growing from it. Pieces like the belted coat in merino knit and fox fur are made this way.

Guard hairs, underfur and the tips

Most real furs have two kinds of hair. Guard hairs are longer, stiffer and glossier; underfur is short, fine and dense. Blow into the fur and you will see the underfur open up beneath the guard hairs. Faux fur is usually made from fibres of a single length and thickness, so it parts evenly with no second layer.

Now look at the tips. A real hair grows to a natural point, finer at the end than at the root. Synthetic fibres are extruded and cut, so the ends are often blunt. Under a magnifying glass the difference is clear.

Sheared and plucked furs are the harder case. Shearing trims the hair to an even length and plucking removes the guard hairs, so both lose the two-layer look. The base test still works on them. The belted coat in sheared and long-haired mink fur shows both finishes on one coat.

Touch and movement

Run your hand along the fur and then against it. Real fur feels soft and slides; when you brush it the wrong way it springs back into place. Faux fur can feel slightly coarse and sometimes squeaky, and it tends to stay flattened where you pressed it.

Watch how it moves. Real fur is light and ripples as you walk. Faux fur is often heavier for the same volume and moves as a block. Real fur also feels warm to the touch quickly, while acrylic and polyester can feel cool and slick.

The pin test

Push a pin through the base of the fur from the outside. On a real pelt the pin meets the resistance of leather and needs a firm push. On faux fur the pin slips straight through the gaps in the weave. Use a fine pin in a hidden spot, such as under the collar and inside a seam allowance, so you leave no visible mark.

The burn test, with a caution

Only do this on a piece you own, and never on the garment itself. Snip a few hairs from a hidden area, such as the inside of a hem, hold them with tweezers over a non-flammable dish and touch them with a flame.

Real hair singes, curls away from the flame and smells like burnt hair; it leaves a fine ash that crumbles between the fingers. Synthetic fibres melt and shrink, smell of plastic and chemicals, and leave a hard, dark bead. Keep water nearby, work away from fabrics and do not hold the hairs in your fingers.

Labels and where you buy

Check the care label and composition label. Rules in many markets, including the US and the EU, require garments containing real fur to say so; in the EU the label reads “contains non-textile parts of animal origin”. A label naming the animal, such as mink, fox and rabbit, is a good sign, though labels can be wrong on second-hand and unbranded pieces.

The simplest safeguard is the seller. Coveti sells 100% authentic pieces and verifies every item before dispatch, with insured, signature-required delivery by DHL Express and FedEx International Priority. For the house’s own position on its materials, read does Yves Salomon use real fur.

Real fur vs faux fur at a glance

Our picks

1. Long-Haired Mink Fur Coat with High Collar in Black

Long-haired mink shows the guard hair and underfur structure clearly when you part it.

2. Belted Fox Fur Coat in Gold

Fox has the longest guard hairs of the furs here, with natural colour variation across the skins.

3. Belted Coat In Sheared And Long-Haired Mink Fur

Combines sheared and long-haired mink, so you can compare both textures on one piece.

4. Short Long-Haired Mink Fur Jacket in Black

A short mink jacket with a dense, glossy pile that springs back when brushed.

5. Belted coat in merino knit and fox fur

An example of knitted fur, where real fox strips are worked onto a merino knit base.

6. Boxy jacket in technical fabric reversible rex rabbit fur

Rex rabbit has a short, plush pile with very little guard hair, a useful contrast to mink.

Frequently asked questions

How can you tell real fur from faux fur?

Part the hairs and look at the base. Real fur grows from a leather skin; faux fur is attached to a woven and knitted fabric you can see between the fibres.

Does real fur burn differently from fake fur?

Yes. A few real hairs singe and smell like burnt hair, leaving crumbly ash, while synthetic fibres melt into a hard bead with a chemical smell. Only test hairs snipped from a hidden spot, never the garment.

Can faux fur have a leather backing?

Standard faux fur is made on a fabric backing, not leather. If you see leather at the base, you are almost certainly looking at real fur, and in the case of curly wool on suede, shearling.

Is shearling real fur?

Shearling is sheepskin with the wool left on. It is a real animal material with a suede back, but it is wool rather than fur in the strict sense.

Is Coveti fur authentic?

Coveti sells 100% authentic pieces and verifies every item before dispatch. Yves Salomon is a Paris fur and leather house working long-haired mink, fox and rabbit.

Keep reading

Learn how two-sided styles work in reversible fur jackets, see smaller doses of fur in fur collar jackets, and explore the full edit at Yves Salomon on Coveti.