Understanding the different types of leather.

Todd@RUPES

Todd@RUPES

Just a regular guy
Automotive leather can come in various styles which include the following: Aniline, Semi-Aniline, and Pigmented (Coated/Protected) leather. Aniline leather is almost never found in automobiles today, although some older and specialty vehicles use this. Pigmented leather is the most commonly used and the quality can vary wildly. Finally semi-aniline, most commonly found in higher end vehicles, is somewhere in the middle.



PIGMENTED (Protected/Coated) LEATHER.
pigmented.jpg


This is leather that can been coated with a synthetic material. The leather hide itself is left in its natural (usually dark gray) form. The coating provides the color and the protection for the leather. In the picture above the coating has a light tan finish. Generally less expensive or thicker coatings will feel more vinyl like or stiff. Thinner, higher quality coating will retain much of the leather's natural feel. Thick coatings are usually used in cheaper vehicles because the coating hides the natural flaws in the leather, making it less expensive to finish.

Care

Caring for pigmented leather is truly about keeping the leather clean. Dirt and particulate will scratch and wear the leather leading to shiny appearance and exposure of the leather hide underneath. Acidic body oils can wear or stain the vacuum frequently and use a gentle, water based cleaner to remove embedded dirt and oil. Use a protectant or conditioner that features protectants (to reduce abrasion and increase sun fade resistance). Over time the leather coating will crack microscopically or stretch in the seams and folds. Conditioners can penetrate the coating through these cracks and openings, keeping the leather underneath soft and supple.


SEMI-ANILINE LEATHER
semi-anline.jpg


This is leather in which the hide has been dyed (similar to aniline leather) but there is still a protective coating on top. This coating is usually extremely thin allowing the leather to feel very natural and supple. The coating can either be clear, tinted, or dyed. The ultra thin coating does not mask defects (such as mosquito bites or scars) as well so only select hides are used. In the example above the hide has been dyed red and the coating is clear.

Care

Caring for semi-aniline leather is near identical to caring for pigmented leather. Keep the leather clean by frequently cleaning and vacuuming. Semi-aniline leather is usually not as resilient as pigmented leather so frequent conditioning is also recommended.


ANILINE LEATHER
aniline.jpg


Aniline leather is leather that has been dyed and tanned but features no protective coating. This is the most natural and soft leather. It is also extremely vulnerable to stains, water damage, dye transfer, scratching and scaring. Aniline leather is not typically found in automobiles today. In the diagram above the leather has been died a deeper brown.

Care

Do not eat, drink, or use using anything wet on aniline leather. Doing so can alter the stiffness or cause irreversible staining. Clean and condition the hides with products designed for use with aniline leather.
 
Thanks for this reference guide Todd! I'm far from a leather expert, so this is new knowledge to me. I didn't even know the coating on some leather provided the coloring.
 
zoomzoom mazda5 said:
Don't forget to not to use those so call Mr Clean pads on your leather.
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Also be carefull with those ink removing sticks. I used one on a leather couch that had ball point pen ink on it and it took the color along with the ink out. Now there is a white line where the ink was.
 
So aniline hides need specific chemicals and can be damaged by chemicals designed for coated or semi-aniline hides? How about the reverse, could using an aniline oriented product on semi-aniline or coated leathers cause undesired results or damage?

Is there a striking difference between aniline and semi-aniline, with regard to look or feel?
 
Thanks for this Todd. It is very informative and really helps to understand what you working with.

Question:
On newer cars that have protected leather like my Acura, is Letherique kit even needed? Or do I really just need a lite interior cleaner?
 
TroyScherer said:
Thanks for this Todd. It is very informative and really helps to understand what you working with.

Question:
On newer cars that have protected leather like my Acura, is Letherique kit even needed? Or do I really just need a lite interior cleaner?
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This is a tricky question because if you ask different leather experts you will get different answers.

Here is the thing, when the leather is fresh (just tanned and coated) it is pretty much protected under the pigment/coating. So in this case something like Leatherique isn't going to offer much benefit as you really cannot reach the hide underneath.

However, over time the coating will develop microscopic tears and areas around the stitching and seems will open up do to material stretch. At this point some of the leather is exposed and leatherique can reach the material. I have read both trains of thought on the subject but in my experience I have seen great results from using Leatherique on leather that was less then a year old.

Taking it a step further, most leather conditioners (or products marketed as leather conditioners) are really protectants for the coating, although they have some conditioning benefit (added oils such as lanolin). As the coating wears (naturally) these condtioners are going to offer some benefit to the leather underneath (as needed).

I keep the seats in my car clean and use a leather conditioner about once every other month. I still like to use Leatherique (and still remove some light soiling) once a year, but may increase the usage as the seats wear.
 
Very interesting...

I currently use Optimum Protectant Plus or 1Z Einszett Leather Care one a month or so. And use the leatherique kit once a year. My seats are 8 years old and still look good. The drivers seat is now finally starting to show some creases and such. So at this point I am planning on sticking with my current regime.
 
umi000 said:
Great post Todd - like others, I hadn't realized that some leather was colored via the coating.
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On cheaper leather if your not carfull you can actually wipe the color coating right off the leather with the wrong cleaners.
 
rzatch said:
On cheaper leather if your not carfull you can actually wipe the color coating right off the leather with the wrong cleaners.
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I guess you could remove the coating on more expensive leathers if you used the wrong (aggressive) chemicals as well. On most semi-analine leathers you might night even know you are removing the coating if it is clear.
 
CH.Detailing said:
So aniline hides need specific chemicals and can be damaged by chemicals designed for coated or semi-aniline hides? How about the reverse, could using an aniline oriented product on semi-aniline or coated leathers cause undesired results or damage?

Is there a striking difference between aniline and semi-aniline, with regard to look or feel?
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Aniline leather is extremely vulnerable to scratching or staining. If you spray water on aniline leather (that doesn't have any conditioner on it) it will absorb into the hide immediately. If you rub your finger nail over it it will scratch. Using regular cleaners/conditioners on will cause an uneveness of color (and can harden/stiffen it) as the chemicals are absorbed through out the depth of the hide.

There is some debate as to whether or not even aniline specific cleaners/conditioners (usually oil based IIRC) work and to what degree.

I don't see why aniline leather care products would harm coated/semi-aniline leather, as the coating should prevent the majority of these products for working.

Whether there is a striking difference between semi-aniline and aniline leather is debatable I suppose as most of us will only see aniline leather on high end bags and shoes. Some extremely high quality leather (a Rollys Royce Drop-Head coupe) is so soft and some supple that I couldn't imagine anything nicer. The aniline leather used on some King Ranch Ford's was no where near as nice.

To test for the two place a drop of water on the seat, if it beads it has a coating, if it absorbs it is aniline. Or lightly rub an inconspicuous spot with your finger nail, if you see a texture change then it is aniline.
 
The leather seats on a King Ranch are also supposed to be a very finicky leather and you are supposed to use the products from Ford only on them. They appear to be an aniline type finish.
 
rzatch said:
The leather seats on a King Ranch are also supposed to be a very finicky leather and you are supposed to use the products from Ford only on them. They appear to be an aniline type finish.
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My understanding, or at least what I have heard (I have zero experience with them) is that they used an aniline leather for the first 2 years before switching to a semi-aniline leather after a lot of complaints about durability and staining.
 
I don't know about that, but they are a neat seat covering not sure I would want to live with it though.
 
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