That cozy down jacket you bought to fend off winter chill might not be what it seems.

Investigations in China have uncovered a growing scandal: Some jackets marketed as premium down are stuffed with cheap, lightweight fillers like “feather silk” that offer little warmth and less value.

With over 70,000 counterfeit products seized, the revelation has left shoppers questioning what they are really paying for and how to spot the difference.

Zhang Xi, who has been in the clothing business for over a decade, said he never expected to fall victim to the counterfeit jacket scam.

After spending over 600 yuan (US$82) to purchase what was marketed as a premium down product, he was shocked to find it was filled with feather silk instead of real goose or duck down. He cut open the jacket after seeing news reports on counterfeit products.

“I thought paying more meant better quality, but I was wrong,” Zhang told Shanghai Daily. “Even after working in this industry for years, I couldn’t tell the difference. If someone like me, with experience, can be hoodwinked, what hope for the less savvy?”

Besides cost and performance issues, the fake jackets also carry some health risks. Feather silk often undergoes minimal cleaning and is more likely to carry bacteria or allergens.

A mother surnamed Xia from the central province of Hubei shared her concerns about the impact of counterfeit jackets on the social media platform WeChat.

“Migrant parents working in cities buy jackets online for their kids who remain back in rural hometowns,” she said. “They think they’re sending warm winter gifts, but instead, children end up wearing clothes that don’t protect them from the cold. Worse, these jackets might cause skin irritation or even illness.”

China's State Administration for Market Regulation issued orders on November 28 to intensify crackdowns in Chinese provinces where such counterfeit products have proliferated.

Bosideng, the largest down clothing company in China, has been the object of scrutiny in this apparel scandal. It has been in business 40 years of history and sells its products in 70 countries.

A pair of Bosideng men’s down pants, priced at over 700 yuan, was revealed to contain only 3 grams of down. A service staffer at the company explained that “feather quality varies, and ours is purer, making it lighter.” The pants were quickly pulled from Bosideng’s online store.

Down prices have risen significantly over the past six months, with the prices for “90 percent white duck down” increasing by 12 percent, according to the China Down Industry Association.

The association has advised consumers to purchase from reputable channels and avoid low-priced traps. Current prices for “90 percent white duck down” are around 500 yuan per kilogram, while “95 percent white goose down” for bedding is priced at about 1,400 yuan per kilogram. Products priced below these levels may be of compromised quality.

The difference between genuine down and cheaper substitutes lies in the material's origin and performance.

“Genuine down, also known as down clusters, comes from the soft undercoat of ducks and geese,” Zha Zhengxing, president of the Jiangxi Lushan Apparel Industry Association, told Xinhua News Agency. “It's lightweight, highly insulating and looks like tiny dandelion puffs. By contrast, feather silk and down silk are by-products derived from crushed feathers. They're denser, less warm and more prone to clumping or poking through the fabric.”

The huge price gap incentivizes some manufacturers to cut corners, blending cheap materials into jackets labeled as “90 percent down.”

“A jacket with genuine 90 percent down sells for about 150 yuan wholesale,” said Zou Junchang, owner of Jiujiang Fanke Bear Down Clothes Factory, who explained that feather silk versions cost as little as 50 yuan.

Until 2022, China’s down jacket regulations allowed materials like feather silk to be counted as “down.” The loophole enabled unscrupulous companies to inflate down content percentages on labels.

New national standards, implemented in April 2022, require manufacturers to list the exact type and proportion of filling, banning vague terms like “90 percent down” unless at least 85 percent of the filling is genuine down clusters.

“Some brands still don't comply,” said Zou. “Consumers often can’t tell the difference between real down and feather silk just by looking at a label.”

Online retailers further complicate the problem. Many platforms lump all insulated jackets into two broad categories: “down jackets” and “cotton-padded jackets.”

Feather silk products, which technically fall somewhere in between, are often mislabeled as down jackets.

“It confuses buyers,” said Zou. “When they see a jacket for 199 yuan labeled as ‘90 percent down,’ they think they're getting a deal.”

At China’s largest down jacket wholesale market in Pinghu in neighboring Zhejiang, merchants are scrambling to restore consumer trust.

Storefronts now display quality certifications prominently, and some manufacturers have taken extra steps to reassure buyers.

“We’ve added QR codes to our tags,” said Zhong Jie, owner of Yushe Apparel. “Consumers can scan them to see test results for down content, cleanliness and sourcing. It’s the only way to rebuild credibility.”

But not all sellers are so optimistic.

“The feather silk scandal has hurt everyone,” said Miao Yuejie, a merchant with over a decade of experience. “Even honest manufacturers face suspicion. Customers are cutting open jackets, asking for lab tests. It’s exhausting.”

An online merchant from Zhejiang down jacket brand Taokele told Shanghai Daily that the producer had to install a hidden zipper inside every down jacket so customers could open it and check the filling.

“Every seller claims their jackets contain over 90 percent premium down clusters, but after the scandals, few customers are likely to believe that, especially on e-commerce platforms,” said a staff member from Taokele.

Wang Qiuhan, director of the Textile and Apparel Research Institute at Wuhan Textile University, said the only way to allay public distrust is to further codify the various types of winter wear.

“China has standards for down jackets, but none specifically for feather silk insulation, which can be made into cheaper winter wears after proper cleaning and sorting,” he explained. “Establishing distinct categories and testing protocols would protect consumers.”

In 2021, the Lushan Apparel Industry Association released guidelines for “feather silk apparel,” setting benchmarks for quality and labeling. National-level standards may follow.

“As consumers demand better transparency, the market will change,” Wang said. “This is an opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves through quality, not just marketing.”