Exotic Leather

Exotic Leather Shoe Care Guide

Exotic leather like crocodile or alligator skins are generally very durable, but they do require regular conditioning in order to prevent them from drying out and having their scales crack. You can either use the Saphir Beauté du Cuir Reptan or Saphir Médaille d'Or Reptile Cream to deeply nourish these leathers.

Step 1: Brush off dust

Brush off any superficial dust on your shoes using a horsehair brush. The sturdiness and flexibility of the horsehair’s bristles allows easy dusting on the edges of the shoe, where most dust and dirt accumulates.

Hold the brush firmly and brush in a ‘back-and-forth’ motion.

Step 2: Gentle Cleaning

A gentle cleaner to remove daily soiling. It prepares the leather by opening its pores and enabling it to absorb the nourishing ingredients from the Reptile Cream in the next step.

With a clean cotton cloth wrapped tightly around your first two fingers, apply a coin-sized amount of the Cleanser onto the cotton cloth. Massage the product into the leather using small circular motions. After each wipe, roll the cloth over to a clean side and repeat the application until you have wiped the entire shoe.

Step 3: Deeply Nourish

Leathers with scales are likely to crack in between the scales when they get too dry. The Reptile Cream is formulated with lanolin to help provide deep nourishment to keep these leathers soft.

With a cotton cloth and a tiny amount of the cream, massage the product into the leather using small circular motions. When the cream stops spreading, add more cream and repeat this process on the entire shoe, paying particular attention to the vamp where creases and cracks occur.

Step 4: Boar Hair Brush

It is important to brush the shoes with a boar hair brush to push the shoe cream into the pores of the leather. This is to ensure the cream is permeated and absorbed well into the leather.

Hold the brush firmly and brush vigorously in a 'back-and-forth' motion. Take note to apply pressure when brushing the shoes.

Step 5: Dry Buffing

Wrap a clean part of a dried cotton cloth around your first two fingers and wipe the shoes to remove any excess cream that has not been absorbed into the leather. Not only that, you will also be spreading the lustre all over the shoes. At this point, you will notice a soft shine on your shoes.

Step 6: Protect & Waterproof

After applying the Reptile Cream, we highly recommend using the Super Invulner to protect and waterproof your exotic leather shoes. Formulated without silicone, it contains a non-aggressive and non-greasy solvent to avoid damaging or discolouring fragile surfaces.

Shake the can of Super Invulner Spray before use. Spray the Super Invulner can about 30cm away from the shoe in a well-ventilated area. Be careful not to spray onto the lining of the shoes and also take note to not over-saturate the shoes. Allow the shoes to rest and dry completely for at least 30 minutes.