Golden Ratio Face: How to Check Your Face Against 1.618
The golden ratio face test compares pairs of face measurements with 1.618, like face length to face width. You can check it on a straight-on photo with a ruler app in a few minutes. Before you take the result seriously, know this: the claim that beautiful faces follow the golden ratio has weak scientific support. A 2010 study found different ideal ratios that match an average face. This page shows how to measure both, and what the research says. In the Lookist app, your report scores facial harmony and symmetry with written notes.
Want all 15 feature scores with explanations? Get Lookist for iPhone
How to measure your golden ratio face by hand
You need one straight-on photo and a ruler app, or a printed photo and a real ruler. Measure on the photo so nothing moves.
- Take a photo at eye level, at arm's length or more, with a neutral face and your hair off your forehead.
- Measure face length from your hairline to the bottom of your chin, and face width across the cheekbones. Divide length by width.
- Measure mouth width between the corners and nose width across the nostrils. Divide mouth by nose.
- Measure from your nose tip to your chin, and from the center of your mouth to your chin. Divide the first by the second.
- Measure from the line through your pupils down to the center of your mouth. Divide it by face length. This is the first Pallett ratio.
- Measure the distance between your pupils. Divide it by face width. This is the second Pallett ratio.
- Compare each result with its target in the table below. Closeness is 100% minus how far off you are, in percent.
The five face ratios people compare
The golden ratio, also called phi, is about 1.618. It's the ratio you get when a line is split so that the whole line compared with the long part equals the long part compared with the short part. Golden ratio face tests compare pairs of face measurements with that number. These are the five ratios used most.
Face length ÷ face width (target 1.618)
Length from the hairline to the chin, divided by width at the cheekbones. This is the most famous golden ratio claim. Most real faces measure below 1.618, and round or square faces sit lower than long ones.
Mouth width ÷ nose width (target 1.618)
The distance between your mouth corners divided by the width of your nose at the nostrils. Smiling widens the mouth and pushes this ratio up, so keep a neutral face.
Nose tip to chin ÷ lips to chin (target 1.618)
The vertical distance from your nose tip to your chin, divided by the distance from the center of your mouth to your chin. This one often lands close to 1.618.
Eyes to mouth ÷ face length (target 0.36)
The first of the two Pallett ratios. It's the vertical distance between your pupils and the center of your mouth, as a share of face length. Pallett, Link and Lee found that faces looked most attractive when this was about 36%.
Pupil distance ÷ face width (target 0.46)
The second Pallett ratio. It's the distance between your pupils as a share of face width. The same study found the best-looking arrangement at about 46%.
Does the golden ratio make a face beautiful?
Not according to the research. The best-known golden ratio face model is Marquardt's phi mask. In 2008, Holland reviewed it in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and found real problems. The method used to show a fit was faulty. The mask fit masculinized European women, like fashion models, better than typical faces. It suited non-European faces poorly. And its proportions didn't match what most people actually prefer, especially for femininity.
Older face rules have the same problem. In 1985, Farkas and colleagues tested nine classic face proportion rules on 153 young adults. The rules rarely held, and the study concluded they don't describe average faces and shouldn't be treated as a prescription.
So where did the newer ratios come from? In 2010, Pallett, Link and Lee ran four experiments where people compared versions of the same face with the features moved. Attractiveness peaked when the eye-to-mouth distance was about 36% of face length and the distance between the eyes was about 46% of face width. Those numbers match an average face, not 1.618. The authors called them the new golden ratios.
The classic golden ratios are popular, so they are worth knowing. Read them as a fun comparison. The two Pallett ratios have better research behind them.
How to read each ratio
Here is what pushes each ratio up or down.
- Face length ÷ width: a longer, narrower face pushes it up toward 1.618. Round and square faces sit lower.
- Mouth ÷ nose width: a wider mouth or a narrower nose pushes it up. A smile can add a lot, so keep your mouth relaxed.
- Nose tip to chin ÷ lips to chin: a longer chin below the lips pushes it down. Tilting your chin up or down also moves it.
- Eyes to mouth ÷ face length: a longer midface pushes it up.
- Pupil distance ÷ face width: wide-set eyes or a narrow face push it up. This ratio is the least affected by camera distance and expression.
Golden ratio vs. facial harmony
Facial harmony is the broader idea that features fit together in size and position. The golden ratio is one attempt to put a single number on it. Research hasn't supported that number, but it does support related ideas. Faces close to the average of many faces tend to look attractive, and symmetry helps a little.
The golden ratio does show up in art, architecture and some patterns in nature, which is part of why the idea stuck. A number that fits a shell doesn't have to fit a face.
If you want a harmony check built on better-supported ideas, read the face rating guide. It covers symmetry, thirds, eye spacing, canthal tilt and two width ratios.
Golden ratio face targets at a glance
Use this table to compare your own measurements. A high closeness means your measurements match these particular targets. It does not mean your face is more beautiful.
| Ratio | Target | Where the target comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Face length ÷ face width | 1.618 | Classic golden ratio claim |
| Mouth width ÷ nose width | 1.618 | Classic golden ratio claim |
| Nose tip to chin ÷ lips to chin | 1.618 | Classic golden ratio claim |
| Eyes to mouth ÷ face length | 0.36 | Pallett, Link and Lee (2010) |
| Pupil distance ÷ face width | 0.46 | Pallett, Link and Lee (2010) |
What actually makes proportions look good
If the golden ratio is weak science, what do studies support? Three ideas come up again and again. Faces close to the average of many faces tend to look attractive. Symmetry helps a little. And features that look healthy, like clear skin and bright eyes, count for more than most people expect.
None of those needs a ruler. Averageness is about features that fit each other rather than one feature that stands out. Health cues are about skin, sleep and grooming, which you can change. That is the reason a face report that covers skin, eyes and hair tells you more than a set of ratios.
Ratios are still useful in one narrow way: they help you describe your face. Knowing that your lower third is longer, or that your eyes sit wide, can guide a haircut, a beard shape or how you angle your head in photos.
Get a facial harmony score in Lookist
The Lookist app does not give golden ratio percentages. It scores facial harmony and symmetry from one front photo, each with a written note, as part of 15 feature scores and an overall score out of 10.
Harmony describes how well your features fit together, which is the idea the golden ratio tries to capture with one number. The report also covers skin, eyes and hair, which no ratio can see. Scan history lets you compare photos taken the same way.
Limitations of golden ratio face tests
The biggest limitation is the idea itself. There's no strong evidence that faces closer to 1.618 look better, and research points to average proportions instead. A golden ratio score is a comparison with a number, not a beauty score.
Photos add their own errors. A phone close to your face makes the nose and the center of the face look bigger, which changes mouth-to-nose and length ratios. A tilted chin changes every vertical ratio. Expressions change mouth width.
Your face isn't a formula, and neither is attractiveness. A ratio describes proportions in one photo. It doesn't measure your worth.
Tips for measuring golden ratio on a photo
Ratios cancel out photo size, but not angle or distance.
- Hold the phone at eye level and at least an arm's length away.
- Keep your chin level and look straight into the lens.
- Keep your mouth closed and relaxed. A smile throws off the mouth ratio.
- Pull hair off your forehead and away from your cheeks.
- Use soft, even light from the front.
- Skip filters. Face-slimming filters change every width.
Frequently asked questions
What is the golden ratio of a face?
It's the idea that some face measurements divide into about 1.618, like face length to face width. The idea is popular, but research hasn't backed it as a rule for beauty. A 2010 study found different ideal ratios that match an average face.
How do I find my golden ratio for my face?
Use a straight-on photo and divide pairs of measurements: face length by width, mouth width by nose width, and nose-to-chin by lips-to-chin. The steps on this page walk through all five ratios.
What is a good golden ratio face score?
Most straight-on photos land between 80% and 90% average closeness across the five ratios. A higher number only means your ratios sit near these targets. It's not a beauty rating.
Which celebrity has a golden ratio face?
Lists of celebrities with golden ratio faces come from media stories, not peer-reviewed research, and each one uses its own measurements. We don't repeat them. The research on the golden ratio itself is weak.
What are the new golden ratios?
From Pallett, Link and Lee (2010): faces looked best when the eye-to-mouth distance was about 36% of face length and the distance between the eyes was about 46% of face width. These match an average face.
Is the golden ratio face test real science?
Not really. The best-known golden ratio mask has been criticized in a plastic surgery journal for faulty methods and for not matching what people prefer. Treat it as a fun comparison.
Why is my face length ratio far from 1.618?
Real faces rarely measure 1.618. Where you mark your hairline also matters, and a receding or low hairline moves the ratio a lot.
Is there an app for golden ratio face?
Many apps claim to. Lookist scores facial harmony and symmetry instead, with written notes, as part of 15 feature scores from one front photo. It is on iPhone.
Does a high golden ratio score mean I'm attractive?
No. It means your ratios sit near these targets. Research hasn't shown that 1.618 predicts attractiveness, and the Pallett ratios match an average face rather than a special one.
Why do other golden ratio tests give me a different score?
Each test picks its own ratios, its own points and its own scoring. Some measure from the hairline, some don't. Compare results from the same method only.
References
- Pallett, Link and Lee (2010). New "golden" ratios for facial beauty. Vision Research 50(2)
- Holland (2008). Marquardt's Phi mask: pitfalls of relying on fashion models and the golden ratio to describe a beautiful face. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 32
- Farkas, Hreczko, Kolar and Munro (1985). Vertical and horizontal proportions of the face in young adult North American Caucasians: revision of neoclassical canons. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 75(3)
Read how we check sources. For photo handling in the app, read our privacy policy.