Kylie Jenner has been busy launching three new Kylie Cosmetics products this week, but before her Silver Series makeup brush set even became available, fans took to social media to express their dismay at the $360 price tag. In the face of the backlash, Kylie took to Twitter to defend the cost of “the most amazing luxury brushes ever,” citing the fact that they’re “real brushes.” Compared to their synthetic counterparts, she said these offer “different performance/quality/everything.”

But is that actually the case? What’s the difference between real and synthetic brushes anyway? We talked to some experts to get all of the details.

What’s the difference in material between natural and synthetic brushes?

It all comes down to the bristles. “The difference between real and synthetic makeup brushes is the source from which the bound fibers of the brush head are made,” celebrity makeup artist Bob Scott tells Teen Vogue. “Real or natural brush fibers are made from various animal furs and hairs. Synthetic brush fibers are made from nylon and other plastics.”

Bob explains that real brushes tend to be sourced from animals, like sable, squirrel, fox, and “farmed mammals” (like goats).

Synthetic brushes, on the other hand, “are made of melted and spun plastics, like nylon and other plastics polymers,” he notes.

To get even more specific, makeup artist Beau Nelson, who counts Kristen Stewart among his celeb clients, further explains that “most synthetic brushes are made of Taklon Nylon, which is an extruded fiber designed to mimic hair shape.”

Why are real brushes so much more expensive than synthetic ones?

That has to do with actually getting the materials for the brushes and then putting them together. “Real brushes tend to be more expensive because sourcing good (soft, uniform size, uniform color) natural fibers itself is expensive,” Bob says. “With restrictions on fur harvesting and distinguishing the right kind of fibers for the right kind of brush, prices can go up really fast as you look for better and better natural-fiber brushes.”

And then there’s the way the brushes are actually manufactured once the materials are gathered. “Real brushes are often handcrafted, hand tied, and hand bunched,” Beau says. “There is a lot of labor involved, thus they are more expensive than synthetics.”

Is there really a difference in how they feel?

That depends on the brush — and the person who’s using it. Daniel Martin, a makeup artist whose clients include Jessica Alba and Elisabeth Moss, tells Teen Vogue that he can feel the difference, “especially when it comes to eye brushes, since that area of the face is more delicate.”

But Bob notes that the “layperson, with their eyes closed” may not actually be able to detect a difference on their skin if they’re dealing with a really good synthetic.

Beau credits the recent improvements in synthetic brushes. “The technology in synthetic brush fibers have been advancing quickly in the past five years; now many companies are offering synthetic fibers that are actually shaped like virgin hair — which has a pointy end as opposed to a blunt, straight cut — and the feeling is much nicer than it ever has been before,” he says. “Synthetic brushes now mimic most hair feels besides the softest hairs, like blue squirrel and sable.” And certain companies have even been tackling that arena lately — Real Techniques' PowderBleu brush line, which is specifically designed to imitate blue squirrel hair, launched earlier this year.

What about how they work?

Beau says he uses mostly synthetic brushes now because those advancements make it so that there’s “very little difference in how they apply makeup.” In fact, he says, synthetic brushes can be advantageous in certain ways, like when it comes to maintenance. “They also don’t damage the way natural hair ones do over time as they are washed over and over again,” he says. “Synthetic brushes can also be sanitized with alcohol without drying the hairs, which is another benefit over natural-hair brushes.”

He does point out, though, that many makeup artists say there's a difference between how natural and synthetic brushes work and use them for specific purposes based on that difference.

Daniel, for example, says he tends to use synthetic brushes with cream and liquid makeup and natural brushes with powders. “Talc based products get better pick up with natural fibers because its so fine and, like hair, the natural bristles are more porous,” he says. “Synthetics don’t have a cuticle so it tends to be better with creams and liquids because there’s no absorption.”

Bob’s preferences are similar: He says he generally uses synthetic brushes when he needs a “denser application” of the makeup, and natural brushes when he needs a smoother, more blendable application. “When I’m applying gel or oil based products (usually smaller, firmer detail brushes for eyes or lips), when I am working with a product that needs more of a push to blend (cream or full coverage foundations and large domed ‘airbrush effect’ brushes); I tend to prefer synthetic brushes for their dense and even application and because they last better after washing those products out,” he says. “When I use natural-fiber brushes, I am typically diffusing powder or soft cream shadows, blush, or very lightly blending concealer with moderately densely bound hairs in flat or dome shaped brushes.”

He does recommend having synthetic brushes in your roll regardless, “so that you have brushes that are easy to wash and maintain without worrying about shedding, to have brushes that can be used with more artist-specific products (greasepaints, waterproof gels) and not have to worry about damaging a very expensive natural-fiber brush.”

But is animal cruelty a concern with natural brushes?

Many people say it is and that using real hair is cruel to animals. PETA has taken a strong stance against real makeup brushes, stating on its website that animals are tortured and slaughtered for their hair or fur, including that which is used in makeup brushes.

Some companies, however, maintain that their natural brushes are sourced in a humane manner. For example, Zoeva Cosmetics states on its website, “The natural hairs of Zoeva brushes are collected from goat hair, which is gently combed or shaved. No animals are harmed during this process.” BareMinerals also asserts that “no animals are harmed in the process of making our brushes,” but that they do sell synthetic brushes for people who want to avoid real hair.

For his part, Bob — who uses a combination of real and synthetic brushes — says real brushes simply aren’t animal-friendly. “The animal that once wore the fur in that brush would probably have been very happy not being farm-raised, slaughtered, and harvested,” he says. “It is very likely that the animal that was farmed for fur was farmed only for its fur, so consider the waste that goes along with that. There are companies and organizations that do farm their animals humanely and make efforts to minimize waste, but if you can’t rationalize eating meat, then you should reconsider using natural-fiber brushes.”

So what should I use?

“I wouldn’t say it’s important to use natural brushes for the sake of using natural brushes,” Bob says. “But as an artist, I need to use a brush that will give me the payoff that I want and sometimes only a natural-fiber brush will fit the bill.”

That said, he also points out that you can certainly find synthetic brushes that do the job just as well. If you don’t want to spend the money for a natural set, or want to avoid the use of real animal hair, you shouldn’t have a problem finding something that works for you. “There are plenty of options when seeking an alternative to natural-fiber brushes,” Bob says. “And it would probably be very easy to wean yourself off the idea that a natural brush is the only brush that will work, or the only brush that can be luxurious.”

As Beau stresses, “sometimes companies make synthetic brushes that are so close (and colored to look like) natural hair that they don’t even know the difference.”

Photos: courtesy of Instagram/@kyliecosmetics, @realtechniques.

Related: Fans Already Aren't Happy With Kylie Jenner’s New Makeup Brushes — So She Responded

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