Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

Leather remains a popular choice for furniture today regarded as stylish, with a sense of luxury. The increasingly wide range of qualities, colours and finishes being used, mean that problems can often occur.

Issues can occur for several reasons including; the customer having unrealistic expectations of performance of the leather and occasional misuse. In other cases, the problems may be due to material defects or manufacturing faults.

These problems can be costly for your business and it is important that they are investigated and either remedied or learned from to avoid the same issue recurring in the future.

 

The Head Grease Problem

 

A common problem with upholstery leather is linked to head grease. Deterioration of the leather or finish may originate from extended use, and therefore contact with organic micro-dirt such as sebum.

The sebaceous glands are microscopic exocrine glands in the skin that secrete an oily or waxy matter called sebum, to lubricate and waterproof the skin and hair of mammals. In humans, they are mainly found on the face and scalp.

Although the upholstery leather may comply with current standards (EN 13336 for example), head grease exposure can in many cases cause a deterioration of the finish. This commonly materialises as either a loss in colour, fading, discolouration, flaking, peeling, change in handle/feel, a general loss in finish adhesion or a combination of these factors.

Although well-finished leathers will be able to withstand this type of soiling, some that are less robust may see a weakening of the finish after just a few months of use. This results in a very negative experience for the customer especially if they have paid a premium for their furniture and can ultimately impact on brand reputation.

 

Leather Head Grease Testing 

 

Eurofins | BLC have developed a routine analysis which assesses the susceptibility of leather to problems caused by head grease.

In this analysis, the leather is aged and treated with an artificial solution that replicates the effect of sebum. The testing can take up to 10 working days, depending on complexity, and on completion assessment of any visual changes such as breakdown of the finish are evaluated against a control leather piece, using grey scale analysis and microscopy.

Eurofins | BLC also have the capability of including different hair product types – such as hairspray, wax or gel – into the sebum solution. To discuss your testing or problem-solving needs contact one of our leather experts by emailing [email protected]

1 September 2021

Latest News

SVHC Focus: Melamine - Are... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

On 17th January 2023, ECHA confirmed the addition of 9 new substances to the SVHC list within REACH. Amongst these newly...

13 March 2023
PFAS Possible Further... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

From 25th February  2023, PFAS restrictions under Annex XVII of REACH will come into force.

16 February 2023
9 New Hazardous Chemicals are... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

9 New Hazardous Chemicals are added to the list of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC)

17 January 2023
The E-Learning Chemical... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

Eurofins | BLC are pleased to launch the release of a series of 5 e-learning modules. Designed to provide manufacturers...

9 January 2023
Introduction to the Rangeland... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

Free Webinar: Thursday 12th January 2023 at 3.00 pm CET      

14 December 2022
FREE WEBINAR | Consumer... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease

Free Webinar: Tuesday 10th January 2023 Session 1: 11.00 am CET Session 2: 11.00 am ET (5.00 pm CET)

5 December 2022
Sustainable Materials... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease 24 November 2022
Footwear Sustainability... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease 14 November 2022
California passes PFAS... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease 26 October 2022
Sustainable Materials... Upholstery Leathers - Problems with Head Grease 15 September 2022

Send An Enquiry

Contact Eurofins | BLC to discuss your enquiry with friendly and helpful experts and to get a quotation. For Eurofins | BLC to receive your enquiry, you must complete all 3 sections of the contact form below. To receive the Technical Update email, you simply need to complete this form. Eurofins | BLC aim to respond to all enquiries within 24 hours Monday to Friday.

  • Step 1 Tell us about your enquiry
  • Step 2 Tell us about your business
  • Step 3 Tell us how we can contact you

Select your enquiry category









Type your enquiry

Tell us about your business

Tell us how we can contact you