A study using 3D scans of 601 young adults has highlighted the facial traits people tend to find most appealing in men and women.
Researchers say their analysis points to several appearance patterns that are consistently rated as more attractive across both sexes.
The study, published in March 2026, used three-dimensional facial photography and geometric morphometric analysis to assess 29 anatomical curves and 1,021 landmarks on each face. Six external evaluators, made up of three men and three women, independently scored every face using a visual analogue scale from 0 to 100, with higher numbers indicating greater attractiveness.
For female faces, higher attractiveness scores were linked to a slimmer facial shape, fuller lips, sharper overall definition, balanced vertical proportions, and mild profile convexity.
For male faces, the top-rated characteristics were more commonly associated with stronger chins, a more angular facial structure, less lateral fullness, a straight profile, and slightly increased lower facial height.
Speaking with PsyPost, study author Georgios Kanavakis, from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said: “Physical attractiveness influences many aspects of our daily lives and plays a critical role in everyday human interactions.
“From first impressions and simple acquaintances, to professional opportunities and romantic relationships.”
Kanavakis also stressed that beauty is not typically determined by one standout feature alone.
He added: “While we often think of beauty as being entirely subjective, decades of research have shown that people tend to agree surprisingly well on which faces they find attractive.”
According to the researchers, facial appeal is more often shaped by the way multiple subtle features work together than by a single ideal nose, chin, or jawline.
The team also pointed to public figures whose features most closely matched the facial patterns identified in the study.
Among women, the examples most aligned with the findings were Margot Robbie and Elsa Hosk.
For men, David Gandy and Henry Cavill were identified as the nearest real-world comparisons.
The paper also underlined how quickly people form judgments based on appearance.
The study concluded: “First impressions are made in one tenth of a second and have a strong and lasting impact on human relationships.
“In addition to basic information, such as sex or age, we consciously or unconsciously form opinions about others upon our first visual contact with them.
“These opinions are related to traits such as trustworthiness, competence, and intelligence.”
Separate earlier research has likewise suggested that, on the whole, women tend to be rated as more attractive than men.
The newer findings add to that broader pattern, suggesting that facial structure matters, but only as part of a larger mix of cues that shape how attractive a face appears.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Lead author Eugen Wassiliwizky, from the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt, said: “Particularly striking is that women rate other women as significantly more attractive than men while male faces are rated similarly – and overall lower – by both sexes.”