Faux leather is one of the kinds of synthetic or artificial leather. It is a substitute for real leather. It is designed to look like real leather, but the surface of synthetic leather is uniform.  

 Faux leather also feels cold and unnaturally even compared to real leather. When you press your finger into the surface of faux leather, rather than stretching or wrinkling like real leather, the synthetic material depresses under your finger while still retaining its shape. Because of the chemicals used in its production, faux leather can also smell like plastic.  

 Faux leather is also known as synthetic leather because it begins with a fabric base such as polyester. The fabric is then, given an imitation leather finish and texture with wax, dye, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or polyurethane.  With the increasing demand, faux leather has become more popular these days. Almost every house has furniture made of faux leather. There was a time when faux leather was frowned upon because it has always been cheaper and nasty compared to real leather.

But as the prices of real leather are continuously increasing, the demand for faux leather is going up as well. Customers prefer a product which is cheap and as well as good, and for middle-class customers and below, buying products made of real leather is just a waste of money.

( https://www.bedsos.co.uk/faux-leather-vs-real-leather-pros-and-cons-i277 ) ( https://buffalojackson.com/blogs/insight/what-is-faux-leather-made-out-of )

 DOES FAUX LEATHER LAST? 

 Faux leather does not last as long as the real leather does. And the saddest thing is, when faux leather starts to wear out, it does not wear out attractively. Apart from this, it is much cheaper than real leather, and that is why customers can afford it regularly. 

 How to Distinguish Real Leather From Artificial Leather? 

 Many people have mixed feelings when it comes to choosing between real leather and artificial leather-like faux.

 Here are some points on how you can differentiate between the two: 

 – Comfort: 

 Real leather is flexible, breathable and quite malleable. On the other hand, faux leather is rigid because of its synthetic material, and it does not have the same natural give that real leather offers. 

 With time real leather will soften, whereas, plastic-based faux leather will not. 

 – Visual Appeal: 

 Faux leather is more versatile and can be found in many colour options whereas, real leather doesn’t have this. 

 Synthetic leather requires far less upkeep than real leather, and will retain its original visual appeal long into the future; but so too will natural leather that has been maintained and lovingly cared for. 

 – Cost: 

 Faux leather is way less expensive than real leather. 

 – Texture: 

 One of the biggest and most obvious tell-tale signs of synthetic leather is the way it feels. Try as they might, there is just no way to get leatherette, pleather, or any other leather alternative to feel like natural leather. This is a real shame, as the soft, supple way that leather feels is one of the things people love most about it. 

 Let us now discuss the pros and cons of faux leather.

 PROS: 

 – Cheaper than real leather.

 – It is animal friendly

 – It requires little maintenance.

 – It is UV fade resistant.

 Cons: 

 – It is not breathable

 – It is more environmentally wasteful compared to real leather, as real leather is a by-product of cows processed for their meat.

  – It does not carry the same hypo-allergenic qualities of real leather.

 – It doesn’t have the smell of 100% real leather, which some consumers prefer. 

By looking at the different properties that both faux leather and real leather offer, now it is up to you of which one to choose. You should be knowledgeable enough to figure out which suits you the best. 

It is you who makes the decision.

Make a wise one!