'Faux fur' products made of real fur, it emerges as Boots pulls accessories from shelves

Boots has recalled 'faux fur' hairpins from shelves, after it was found they were actually made of real fur.

Shoppers who are conscious of animal rights and the problems with the fur trade often buy faux fur, made of synthetic fibres, instead of the real thing.

They may be shocked to discover that retailers across the high street use suppliers which have mislabeled faux fur — and are actually selling real fur obtained in unknown and possibly cruel conditions.

Savvy shopper Ruby Miranda could smell a rat when she felt the fur on the Scunchi hairpins sold by Boots and labelled as faux fur.

She said she could tell that the fur was real as it tapers at the end, whereas faux fur tends to have blunt ends.

Social media users bombarded the company with complaints, and it has now admitted that after testing, the product does indeed contain real fur.

The hairpins have been recalled, and those who bought them can be returned to shops for a full refund.

However, Boots said the supplier labels and sources the materials, which means suppliers could be selling real fur marked as faux fur to retailers across the high street.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, has said that shoppers across Britain are being duped into buying real fur, as inexpensive products labelled as 100pc acrylic or faux have been found to contain animal hair.

She said: " It is appalling that British shoppers, who are actively choosing not to buy real fur because of the terrible animal suffering, are being misled into buying the very same fur products they’re trying to avoid. The combination of trusted brands, cheap prices, and items described as 'faux' or '100% acrylic', means many people will be justifiably horrified to discover they’ve inadvertently bought animal fur.

"Consumers rightly expect brands to sell what they say they’re selling, so urgent action is needed to stop this insidious creep of fur through the back door."

A spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals agreed, telling  The Telegraph this problem could indeed be widespread.

She said: "Because we're all familiar by now with the cruelty inherent in the fur industry, most British high-street stores have firm fur bans in place and luxury brands are increasingly opting to use innovative vegan fabrics over animal skins.

"For people who want the look and feel of fur without the cruelty, faux fur can be a good option.

"However, telling the difference between real and faux fur has become increasingly difficult as the quality of fur alternatives has improved – and as the fur industry is in its death throes, it's doing whatever it can to stay visible – including deliberately mislabelling real fur as faux – as it knows that compassionate shoppers wouldn't buy it otherwise"

A Boots spokeswoman said: "We agreed to stock this product from a trusted supplier after receiving assurances that it was made from faux fur.

"We take any customer concerns seriously and so we removed the product from sale while the supplier carried out further testing.

"Unfortunately, this has shown that the product does contain real fur and as a result, we have permanently removed it from our stores and website.

"We would like to apologise for any distress this causes customers, and we are offering a full refund should customers wish to return the product to stores. If customers have any further questions then please call our customer care line on 0345070890."

An earlier investigation found that products across the high street and online marketed as faux fur actually contained fur from angora rabbits and racoons, which campaigners say are skinned alive to produce the product.

Retailers including TK Maxx, House of Fraser and Missguided were found to be selling real fur labelled as faux fur. All these shops blamed their suppliers, and immediately recalled the products when notified.

Products Humane Society International have found to contain real fur include a £5 pom pom keychains made from rabbit fur; a parka with raccoon dog fur trim for £35; and a knitted hat with a marmot fur bobble for as little as £3.50.

HSI has called for the government to implement more thorough labeling and testing and ultimately wants there to be a ban on fur imports into the UK.

British people take a dim view of the fur trade, with 9 out of 10 telling YouGov that it is unacceptable to buy and sell real fur.

Fur farming was outlawed in the UK in 2000 and EU regulations ban fur from domestic cats, dogs or commercial seal hunts. The UK still imports and sells fur from a range of other species such as fox, rabbit, mink, coyote, raccoon dog, and chinchilla.