Boots recalls hairpins after faux fur turns out to be real

CONSUMERS have been duped into buying real fur that is labelled as faux, it has emerged, after Boots recalled hairpins following complaints.

Ruby Miranda suspected the hairpins – which had a “faux fur” bobble on them – might be real fur when she discovered the ends were tapered and not blunt. This, she said, is a sign that the product had somehow been mislabelled and should have been tested.

She started a Facebook campaign that resulted in people sending angry messages to Boots, which tested the hairpins and found they did indeed contain real fur. Boots recalled the product and anyone who bought the hairpins can return them for a refund.

Campaigners fear the practice is widespread, with fur farms deliberately mislabelling their controversial products – nine out of 10 Britons surveyed by Yougov said they would not buy real fur.

Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International UK (HSI), said: “The companies falling foul of the ‘fake faux fur’ scandal are often as horrified as their shoppers when we alert them, but it’s sadly an all-too common

‘Sadly, it’s an all too common mistake as companies don’t always have safeguards in place to keep real fur out’

mistake as companies don’t always have the right safeguards in place to keep real fur out of supply chains.

“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.”

HSI has called on governments to implement more stringent laws.

Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond, called for a ban on all fur imports.

He said: “The UK led on implementing bans on fur from cats, dogs and seals in the EU. Now that we’re leaving the EU, we can and should extend this to a full ban on the import of fur from animals bred and killed for the trade. The public’s view is clear and I hope the Government’s policies will reflect that.”

A Boots spokesman 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 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.”