Why Do I Need to Know?
Learning how to tell real fur from fake fur is important because real fur is not always labeled. Although Massachusetts, New York, and Wisconsin now require that all real fur must be labeled as such, the federal requirement is much different. The Humane Society of the US explains on their website:
Under a loophole in the federal law - The Fur Products Labeling Act - if the real fur on the garment is valued at $150 or less, it can go unlabeled - even if dyed pink to look fake. The HSUS estimates that one in seven real fur garments are not required to be labeled.
Aside from this loophole, there have been instances where real fur has been mistakenly or misleadingly labeled or advertised as fake fur.
As Pierre Grzybowski, Deputy Manager of the Fur Campaign at HSUS, demonstrated at the Taking Action for Animals conference, it’s nearly impossible to tell real fur from fake fur by look or by touch. Real furs can be dyed any color of the rainbow, and fake furs can appear very real. Even touching the fur does not always reveal the answer, since today’s fake furs are designed to mimic real fur in every way.
The Burn Test
The best test is the burn test. In general, natural fibers burn and synthetic fibers melt. You probably won’t be able to do this test in a store, but if you buy an item or if you already have an item you’re unsure of, cut or pluck a few hairs off of the garment. Using a lighter or a match, try to burn the ends of the hairs. If the tip of the hair burns, crumbles away when you touch it and smells like human hair burning, it is real fur. If the tip of the hair melts, curls up into a hard ball and smells like an unnatural chemical, the fur is synthetic.
Federal Legislation
Various federal bills have been introduced to close the labeling loophole on the federal level and require that all real fur be labeled as such, but as of April, 2009, no such bill is currently pending.
