Facial harmony & facial ratios
Individual guides to every facial measurement, with illustrations, worked examples and research.
Harmony describes how facial dimensions relate to one another. Explore 71 individual guides with landmark illustrations, worked examples, and the origins and research behind each measurement.
What is facial harmony?
A harmonious face is one where no proportion pulls attention to itself. The forehead, midface and lower face are in balance; the eyes are spaced to suit the width of the face; the nose, lips and chin line up in profile. The individual features do not need to be remarkable. What matters is how they relate to each other, which is why harmony is measured with ratios and angles rather than sizes.
Why it isn't the golden ratio
The “golden ratio mask”, a grid built on 1.618 that supposedly fits every beautiful face, makes a good illustration and a poor measurement. Studies that test it against real ratings find that attractive faces do not converge on 1.618; they fall inside ranges that differ from one feature to the next, between men and women, and across ethnic groups. Research instead finds consistent preferences for proportions close to the population average, for symmetry, and for clear sex-typical features. So each measurement is compared with its own range, adjusted for gender and ethnicity.
The proportions that matter most
Facial thirds
Hairline to brow, brow to the base of the nose, and nose to chin. Roughly equal thirds read as balanced; a long lower third makes a face look heavy at the bottom, a short one can make the chin look weak.
Facial fifths and eye spacing
A balanced face is about five eye-widths across, with one eye-width between the eyes. Eyes set too close or too far apart are among the most noticeable deviations, because the eye area is where people look first.
Midface and face shape
The midface ratio (the distance between the pupils against the height from the pupils to the upper lip) and the face width-to-height ratio describe whether a face reads as compact or long. A compact midface is one of the most consistent features of faces rated as attractive.
Jaw, chin and profile lines
From the front, jaw width relative to the cheekbones sets the outline of the lower face. From the side, the gonial angle, mandibular plane and chin projection decide whether the jawline reads as defined or recessed, and reference lines from orthodontics (Ricketts' E-line, the S-line, Burstone and Holdaway lines) judge lip position. See the full list in Facial analysis, or compare real faces in the celebrity harmony rankings.
Every measurement, explained
33 front-view and 33 side-view measurements contribute to Harmony. Five additional guides explain supporting measurements with no Harmony score weight. All tutorials are available to read.
Front · Facial Thirds
Front · Face Shape
Cheekbone width divided by the height from brow level to the upper lip.
The full face height compared with cheekbone width. Despite the report label, the calculation is height divided by width.
Pupil spacing divided by the vertical distance from pupil level to the upper lip.
Temple width as a percentage of cheekbone width.
The height of the cheekbone-width landmarks within the pupil-to-upper-lip region.
Front · Eyes
Distance between the pupil centers as a percentage of cheekbone width.
The width of the visible eye opening divided by its height, averaged across both eyes.
The gap between the inner eye corners compared with the average eye-region width.
The upward or downward slope from the inner eye corner to the outer eye corner.
The slope from the inner brow to its arch region, averaged across both brows.
The gap from pupil level to the inner-brow level, scaled by eye-opening height.
Vertical brow thickness compared with a horizontal brow-to-outer-hood span.
The combined horizontal spans of both brows divided by cheekbone width.
Visible upper-lid height relative to the eye-opening height, averaged across both eyes.
Front · Nose
The vertical offset of the nose-bottom landmark from the nasal-base landmark in the front photo.
Nose-base width divided by the gap between the inner eye corners.
Nose-base width compared with bridge width. The calculation divides the base by the bridge.
An angle relating the two outer eyelid-hood endpoints to the nose-bottom landmark.
The absolute difference between the eye–nose triangle angle and the frontal jaw angle.
Front · Mouth
The combined vertical height of the lips as a percentage of the lower face height.
The visible height of the lower lip compared with the upper lip.
The vertical drop from the marked upper-lip peak to the central dip of the Cupid’s bow.
The horizontal mouth width compared with nose-base width.
Mouth width divided by pupil spacing, despite the order in the report label.
Average vertical position of the mouth corners relative to the central mouth seam.
The span below the lower lip compared with the span between the nose base and upper lip.
Front · Jaw
The angle relationship between the left and right lower jaw borders seen from the front.
The angle where the cheek-to-jaw-side line meets the lower jaw border, averaged across both sides.
Width across the upper jaw-angle landmarks as a percentage of cheekbone width.
The upper portion of the lower third, from nose bottom to mouth seam, relative to the whole lower third.
Front · Ears
Front · Neck
Side · Upper Third
The inclination of the forehead’s hairline-to-glabella line relative to vertical.
The angle at the nasal root where the forehead meets the upper nose.
The difference in direction between two lines from the brow prominence to the upper forehead.
The angle from vertical at the nasal root to the brow prominence.
Side · Facial Profile
The profile relationship of the nasal root, nose base and soft-tissue chin.
The profile relationship from brow prominence through nose base to chin.
The angle from brow prominence through the nose tip to the chin.
Ear-to-nose-base distance compared with nasal-root-to-chin-fold distance.
The horizontal position of the lower orbital reference relative to the front of the eye.
The direction from the nasal-wing base to the lateral eyelid endpoint, measured against horizontal.
The angle between a chin-to-upper-lip line and the Frankfort reference direction.
The angle at the nasal-wing base between the ear reference and the lower eyelid.
The horizontal position of the corneal apex relative to the lower-eyelid landmark.
Side · Nose
How far the nose tip extends in front of the nasal wing, relative to a constructed nose length.
The angle at the nose tip between the points just above and below it.
The direction of the nose underside relative to the Frankfort reference.
The angle between the underside of the nose and the upper lip at the nose base.
The angle at the nasal root between the nose-tip direction and the chin direction.
The angle at the nose tip between the nasal-root line and the chin line.
Side-view horizontal nose reach relative to the vertical distance from eye front to nose tip.
The direction from the nose base to the tip relative to the Frankfort plane.
Side · Lips
The lower lip’s signed distance from a line running from nose-base/tip midpoint to soft-tissue chin.
The upper lip’s signed distance from a line running from nose-base/tip midpoint to soft-tissue chin.
The lower lip’s signed distance from a line running from nose tip to soft-tissue chin.
The upper lip’s signed distance from a line running from nose tip to soft-tissue chin.
The lower lip’s signed distance from a line running from nose base to soft-tissue chin.
The upper lip’s signed distance from a line running from nose base to soft-tissue chin.
The lower lip’s distance from the line joining the upper lip and soft-tissue chin.
The angle in the fold between the lower lip and the chin.
Side · Jaw
The angle between the ascending jaw-side direction and the lower mandibular border.
The inclination of the lower jaw border relative to horizontal in the oriented photo.
Constructed jaw-side length relative to constructed lower-border length.
The vertical difference between the constructed jaw corner and the mouth corner.
The horizontal position of the chin’s most forward point relative to the nasal root in the oriented photo.
Side · Neck
How a ratio is scored
Each scored measurement has a reference range, a scoring curve and a weight. The result detail shows the settings that apply to your analysis. Values outside the reference range receive scores according to that curve. Read Understanding your scores for how individual scores combine.
Some measurements draw on classical artistic proportions; others come from clinical profile analysis or FaceIQ’s own adaptations. The guides identify that distinction and link to relevant studies. A published facial measurement does not by itself validate an attractiveness score or its exact range.
Read the drawing before the number
- Check the landmarks. Open a ratio in your report and compare its lines with the tutorial. If a point is misplaced, see checking your landmarks.
- Check the order of division. Height ÷ width and width ÷ height move in opposite directions. Each guide spells out the calculation used in the app.
- Keep the photo consistent. Expression, camera distance and head orientation affect measurements. See taking the right photos.
- Read millimeters as estimates. The app assumes a 190 mm face height to scale the photograph. This does not supply a calibrated physical measurement.
Common questions
What does facial harmony mean?
Is facial harmony the same as the golden ratio?
Can you improve facial harmony?
What is a good harmony score?
Still need help with harmony?
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