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Boots pulls 'faux fur' products after discovering they contain real fur

Boots has apologised for the mix-up: PA Archive/PA Images
Boots has apologised for the mix-up: PA Archive/PA Images

Boots has recalled a range of "faux fur" hairpins from its shelves after they were found to contain real fur.

The high street store was bombarded with complaints after shopper Ruby Miranda spotted the mistake.

Experts say Boots is just one of many retailers which has fallen afoul of a scam in which suppliers mislabel real fur as fake.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK, told The Telegraph: “Unfortunately our investigations have found that many trusted brands and retailers have been found selling real fur as faux, with the problem being particularly widespread online.

"The companies falling foul of the ‘fake faux fur’ scandal are often as horrified as their shoppers when we alert them to it, but it’s sadly an all too common mistake as companies don’t always have the right safeguards in place to keep real fur out of their supply chains."

A Boots spokesman told the Standard: “At Boots UK we have clear animal welfare standards that we take very seriously. 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.

"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.