Actress Bella Thorne mistakenly referred to her jacket as "faux fur", upsetting fans who confirmed the item of clothing is made of real animal hide.

The 18-year-old Big Sky star shared a photo of herself donned in the coat on Instagram Tuesday (1Mar16), and in the image caption she insisted the piece was cruelty-free, writing: "When you're a tomboy and trade in sweats and kicks for boots and fur. (Dear internet Trolls, it's faux fur...)".

But in reality the jacket is made of genuine arctic fox and rabbit fur imported from China. The item is the Tierra Striped Fur Jacket designed by fashion brand Alice & Olivia, which sells in high-end retailers like Harrods and Bloomingdale's with a $1,700 price tag.

Apparently Bella had no idea her clothing was authentic animal hyde, with her representative telling website TMZ the redhead was gifted the jacket during a photo shoot and "told it was faux fur". Her spokesperson claims now she knows the piece is not faux fur, Bella will never wear it again.

Although she is said to be upset over the discovery her jacket was made from a real creature's skin, The DUFF leading lady spoke about her love of leather in the past - another animal product made from cow.

"I really love big scarves," she told Teen Vogue while describing her favorite winter clothes. "I have a whole bunch. My mom got me all of these really pretty one. They're soft, and I love the colors. I also love leather. I have some leather jeans and some leather jackets that I just got that I really like."