How To Distinguish Real Cashmere From Fake

This is the most pivotal aspect of it all. Authentic cashmere is often called "soft gold," and its softness is the differentiating trait.

Genuine cashmere: The first thing you will notice about cashmere is that the fiber is soft, supple, and smooth; it is perfectly light and comfortable resting on the skin and has a similar feel to a baby's warm cheek or a piece of warmed jade. When you place cashmere against your face or neck, it does not provoke a prickly feeling.This is due to the fact that cashmere is comprised of fibers that are incredibly thin and have smooth, round, scale structures worth of wool.

Fake or lower-grade cashmere: This may also feel soft but, would usually feel slightly scratchy or prickly. Your lower-quality garment may feel uncomfortable on your skin 'cause most likely there is wool blended into the fabric. Wool fibers are much coarser than cashmere, having less refined scales which may cause irritable sensations, particularly on sensitive skin. If it feels smooth but close to silk, it could have blended too many synthetic fibers into the fabric (ie. polyester).

Tip: Genuine cashmere should feel soft and smooth against your skin, while faux cashmere may feel prickly or unnaturally slippery.

Cashmere fibers are specifically structured to be hollow which makes them extremely light while still being incredibly insulating.

Genuine cashmere: You will notice an extremely light feel in the product, perhaps you would even describe the cashmere garment as "weightless." A thick cashmere sweater may feel lighter than a cotton sweater of similar thickness.

Fake or blended products: These garments often feel heavier and denser because they are made of wool or synthetic fibers. Wool generally feels heavier than cashmere and most synthetic fibers are also heavier than cashmere.

Short tip: Good cashmere is always "light as a feather," while bad or low-quality cashmere will often feel rather "hefty."

Color: It's hard to dye cashmere, so colors are inherently soft and muted, not too bright or shiny at all. Caution with extreme vivid, saturated colors.

Sheen: Real cashmere has a soft natural sheen, similar to pearls, but is not glaring enough. If the shine is too bright or "slick," it likely contains synthetic.

Pile: A cashmere sweater will have a layer of short, evenly distributed fibers. Gently rub your hand across it to see if it sheds. Note: If it's real cashmere, it will shed a little, especially when it's new. That's normal. If it sheds too much just with a rub - fluff is flying everywhere - then it was a lesser quality material (or poorly crafted). Also, check pile length: very long, dense fibers (like those on teddy bear fur) are not usually cashmere - it could be rabbit or some other imitation fiber.

This is the most practical test. Remember: "Good stuff isn't cheap, and cheap stuff isn't good."

Price: The production of cashmere is extremely limited. A single goat produces enough cashmere per year for about half of a sweater. This means that a genuine 100% cashmere sweater will always cost several hundred yuan (and then on top of that are branding, design and distribution costs). If you come across a genuine 100% cashmere product that is below 500 yuan, it's hard to believe it would be real cashmere. Any price point labeled "pure cashmere" and ridiculously low should be disregarded.

Labels: Always read the care label! Care labels are required by law to be made clear. If the care label says "100 % Cashmere", that will be pure cashmere. If it contains words like "Wool", "Lambswool", "Acrylic" or "Polyester", it will be a blend or a different material. Any vague word such as "cashmere" without a more detailed description should raise caution.