What Is The Difference Between A Leather Cream, Conditioner Or Wax?

All conditioners are not created equally. It is important to understand the difference between a leather cream, a leather conditioner, and a leather wax. Here is a quick breakdown of the difference:

Leather Cream:

Leather cream provides essential moisture to keep the leather soft and flexible. It prevents cracking and peeling while providing water-resistant protection from the elements. Sunlight can fade leather, a good leather cream such as Yukon’s will have ingredients that protect the leather from UV light, keeping the color fresh. Leather cream can restore your item’s color and help repair scratches and scuffs. With crazy horse leather, the cream helps turn daily scuff marks into a beautiful, lustrous patina, so the look of the leather improves with wear and time. A good leather cream will penetrate the leather fibers, keeping your leather strong and supple.

Leather Conditioner:

Leather conditioner is used to moisturize the leather but does not provide a rich sheen like a cream does. Conditioners protect leather from the elements while keeping it soft and supple but cannot restore color like the creams do. Most leather conditioners contain oils and waxes that can darken the leather, so always do a spot test somewhere inconspicuous (like the bottom of the bag) before applying to the entire item.

Leather Wax:

Wax provides shine and water resistance. Wax cannot penetrate the fibers, so it does not provide the moisture that fine leather needs. Wax’s main purpose is to provide water resistance and shine. To keep your leather looking as good as new, you will still need to use a cream or conditioner to penetrate the fibers, provide nourishment, and replace vital oils that are lost over time.

Yukon’s leather cream was specifically developed to clean, nourish, and protect your fine leather items. Never use soap or detergent on leather, they can cause irreparable damage. Yukon’s conditioning cream is all you need to clean and protect your leather. Our exclusive combination of oils provides the nourishment your leather item needs to stay supple and durable, looking as good as the day you bought it. Our cream helps the leather to repair itself and provides the ultimate in water resistance and U.V. protection. Yukon’s leather conditioning cream restores the natural color of the leather and aids in developing a lustrous patina.

The Macaulay Crossbody Bag by Yukon is a multipurpose bag with an elegant design and comfortable, convertible, ergonomic straps. Clean, sleek lines showcase the striking natural grain of the crazy horse leather. Leather wax can be used to emphasize the beautiful patina, but a conditioner or cream is still necessary to nourish the fibers. An average conditioner provides the oils the leather needs to remain soft and supple but can’t restore color like a leather cream. Keep Yukon’s leather conditioning kit in the Macaulay’s roomy front pocket to quickly address a spill or scuff mark. Yukon’s leather conditioning cream provides the perfect balance of protection, nourishment, and color restoration. Our leather cream replaces the need for separate cleansers, conditioners, and wax or polish. The Macaulay is built to last; Yukon’s leather conditioning cream will ensure a long and beautiful lifespan.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A LEATHER CREAM (AND WHAT TO AVOID IN A LEATHER CREAM):

The first step in caring for your leather is to purchase a great leather conditioning cream. Look at the ingredients to ensure it has everything you need to nourish and protect the leather without additional harmful ingredients. Yukon has taken away the guesswork by offering our new leather conditioning kit. Our kit consists of a tin of our exclusive conditioning cream and a soft sponge applicator inside a convenient leather pouch. Yukon’s kit is the perfect size to toss into your bag, backpack, or briefcase to have on hand in case of emergencies. Lightweight and portable, you can keep your kit with you to prevent damage from accidental spills, scratches, or exposure to the elements. An additional bonus is the leather pouch the kit arrives in –this little pouch has a jam-free YKK zipper and can be reused in a multitude of ways!

A good leather conditioning cream must be free from acids, impurities, and most natural fats. Some manufacturers include these harmful ingredients in their conditioners, as they give a quick, inexpensive shine to leather items. Unfortunately, the shine wears off and these ingredients go rancid, leaving behind a bad smell. They also leave the leather prone to cracking and rotting. Yukon’s leather cream has been developed to provide both short-term aid and long-term nourishment for your fine leather items. Our exclusive leather cream is 100% free of acids, impurities, and harmful natural fats. Our cream provides emergency aid as needed and utilizes the right kind of oils to nourish and protect the leather and prolong its lifespan.

When used once or twice a year to clean and condition, Yukon’s leather conditioning cream will enhance your bag’s appearance while extending its long life. Our leather bags are built to last - maintain your leather items with Yukon’s leather conditioning cream to ensure their lifetime of beauty and durability.

Two key ingredients to look for in a great conditioning cream are sweet almond oil and sweet cacao butter. These are the main ingredients in Yukon’s leather conditioning cream. Sweet almond oil is an organic ingredient that is eco-friendly. This oil contains a high level of linoleic acid, an omega fat that is great for both skin and leather. Fats that are too greasy or heavy may leave a short-term shine, but they dry out quickly, leaving the leather brittle. Sweet almond oil penetrates deeply into the leather, nourishing it and leaving it soft and supple. Sweet cacao butter has been used on the skin for centuries thanks to its excellent moisturizing capabilities. Sweet cacao butter is also a great moisturizer for leather. Unlike other natural fats, sweet cacao butter does not go rancid, which can leave behind a bad smell. Cacao butter absorbs deep into the leather without leaving a heavy or greasy residue. Cacao butter also provides excellent U.V. protection and water resistance.

Here is a quick list of the important benefits these two ingredients provide:

AFON YUKON LEATHER CONDITIONING KIT

SWEET ALMOND OIL:

• Moisturizes - penetrates leather, leaving it soft and supple.
• Great absorption – almond oil has a light, non-greasy texture that absorbs deeply into the leather and provides shine, without leaving a sticky residue. This oil is ideal to treat leather that’s been accidentally exposed to water or other liquids – water that’s left untreated penetrates the leather’s surface, and the water molecules combine with the leather’s natural oils, evaporating together as the leather dries. Sweet almond oil absorbs deep into the fibers, nourishing the leather and replenishing the oils it needs to remain strong, soft, and flexible.
• Eco-friendly – at Yukon, we take protecting the environment seriously. Sweet almond oil is great for leather and the environment, too.
• Breathability – sweet almond oil penetrates deep into the fibers to give the leather nourishment and a long-lasting shine, without clogging the leather’s pores. Leather is an organic, breathable material – sweet almond oil’s lightweight texture allows the leather to breathe the way it’s meant to. This helps to promote the long lifespan of the leather.
• Prevents cracking, drying, and peeling – this vital oil replaces the natural oils that leather loses over time.
• V. protection – sweet almond oil provides natural U.V. protection to prevent fading, cracking, peeling, and discoloration.
• Water-resistance – sweet almond oil provides additional water resistance (leather is naturally somewhat water-resistant). It is also ideal for use after the leather has been exposed to a spill or the elements, as it will penetrate deep into the fibers to replace the natural oils that get lost when the water evaporates.
• Provides shine and protection – sweet almond oil provides a beautiful shine while protecting the leather from the elements.
• Restores the original color – revive your old leather items by conditioning them with a cream containing sweet almond oil. This oil will restore the original color while protecting the leather and leaving it soft, supple, and flexible.

SWEET CACAO BUTTER:

• Moisturizing – Sweet cacao butter is an excellent moisturizer that softens and nourishes leather. It will prevent the leather from becoming dry, cracking, or peeling.
• Biodegradable – sweet cacao butter is a natural ingredient that is good for the environment and great for leather.
• Absorption – sweet cacao butter is easily absorbed into leather. It penetrates deep into the fibers, providing nourishment and moisture. Cacao butter is a stable fat that never goes rancid, unlike other natural fats. It will not leave a residue or create a surface build-up.
• Protects against water damage – sweet cacao butter creates an invisible barrier that helps to repel water. Use a cream containing cacao butter before taking your bag out into the rain, sleet, or snow. Sweet cacao butter protects leather against water and U.V. light damage.
• V. protection – cacao butter naturally contains protection against the sun’s harmful U.V. rays. Leather needs to be protected from these rays to prevent cracking, peeling, and fading.
• Enriches the leather’s original color – sweet cacao butter revives old leather, bringing back the original color and imparting a soft, natural sheen. You can bring your old leather items back to life with a conditioning cream containing this super-powered ingredient!
• Restores leather – use a conditioning cream containing sweet cacao butter to restore the leather’s original color, softness, and sheen.

Here at Yukon Bags, we wanted to create the ultimate leather conditioning cream. We’ve added paraffin to soften the leather while providing extra waterproofing and a beautiful sheen. Hydrocarbon waxes are included so no additional wax needs to be applied. Our exclusive mixture of waxes condition, moisturize, preserve, and polish the leather. They provide superior water and weather- proofing, creating an invisible barrier between your leather item and the harsh elements.

The short-term effects of our conditioning cream result in a clean, beautifully polished leather item that is protected from outside elements. The long-term effects include extending the life of your leather item while keeping the leather soft, supple, and strong. This cream penetrates the leather’s fibers to provide nourishment and replace the vital oils that leather loses over time. It forms an invisible barrier to provide the ultimate protection against liquids, harmful UV rays, and the elements.

Yukon’s leather conditioning cream helps the leather to repair itself and restores leather to its original color. Cleaning and conditioning your leather items with our cream not only extends the item’s lifespan, but also aids in transforming scuffs, scratches, and marks from accidental spills into a rich patina that highlights the fine quality of crazy horse leather.

The Morley Leather Tote Bag by Yukon is the ideal go-everywhere bag. This versatile tote has a detachable inner cloth lining – perfect for easy cleanup, this convenient liner can be quickly removed to allow extra storage space for a weekend getaway. Scratches, scuffs, and spills are no match for the authentic crazy horse leather the Morley is crafted of. Toss Yukon’s leather conditioning kit into this sturdy tote to aid the leather in repairing itself. The markings from your daily adventures will gracefully transform and become a part of the bag’s burnished patina.

A KIT BUILT TO PROTECT THE BAGS THAT ARE BUILT TO LAST:

Here at Yukon, we build our leather goods to last. Top-quality materials are expertly crafted by skilled artisans. Every detail, even the smallest, is crafted from the highest quality materials with longevity in mind. We use only YKK zippers, which are world-renowned for their jam-free durability. Our buckles, snaps, and studs are solid, sturdy brass that’s been antiqued for an added pop of vintage style. Our stitching is meticulous and precise, so you never have to worry about a ripped stitch or a loose seam. For the bag to last a lifetime, the stitching must hold tight. Our bags are built to last, and our leather conditioning cream was created to keep the leather looking as good as the day you bought it throughout a lifetime of use.

At Yukon, we believe that our planet is worth protecting. We purchase the hides for our leather exclusively from tanneries that are L.G. Gold Standard Certified. Tanneries must go through a rigorous series of audits to be L.G.-certified and Gold Certified is the best of the best. These audits are designed to prove that the tanneries are using 100% eco-friendly practices to produce their hides. All our materials – from the leather right down to the boxes we ship our goods in are produced keeping the environment in mind. Our boxes are made from recycled cardboard, and our leather conditioning cream was designed using only the purest ingredients, with no harmful additives.

Every day is an adventure. Whether trekking through the wilds or exploring busy city streets, we want you to enjoy your daily adventures without worrying about what the adventure is doing to your bag. Accidents happen – with that in mind, we set out to create not only the ultimate leather conditioning cream but also an ideal means of carrying the supplies you need to address accidental damage quickly and effectively. Perfectly sized to toss into a bag, backpack, or briefcase, this nifty kit contains a tin of our exclusive leather conditioning cream and a perfectly sized applicator sponge. We’ve packaged our cream and applicator inside an eco-friendly reusable pouch that’s ideally sized to toss into your bag, briefcase, or backpack.

Damage from spilled liquids and surprise rainstorms doesn’t have to be permanent, by keeping this handy little kit nearby you can quickly treat any accidental damage immediately, and help your item retain a beautiful, lustrous patina. The leather pouch is refillable and reusable. Our pouches make terrific coin purses and are an attractive way of keeping small items like paperclips, safety pins, and thumbtacks organized. These little pouches are perfectly sized to hold Band-Aids and ointment for a campout, or a toothbrush, mints, and a fabric stain-remover pen for busy working professionals. Toss your dog’s treats into a pouch for your next hike together. The ideas are endless, and the pouch is sturdy and lightweight.