Facial golden ratios are simple, clear and abundant. Since my first investigation of human facial proportions in 1997, it seemed clear that the most important features that define a human face are the simplest and most obvious: An oval head and the positions and dimensions of the eyes and the mouth. As evidence, consider the "smiley face." It expresses a variety of … [Read more...]

Best practice techniques for facial and beauty analysis. Numerous studies have been done to investigate the existence and/or relationship of golden ratio proportions in the human face. Surprising few get it right, so the results of many of these studies are inaccurate and misleading. There are four important keys to selecting photographs that are suitable for facial … [Read more...]

Another attempt to debunk the Golden Ratio is fundamentally wrong. In October 2015, Dr. Keith Devlin was interviewed by science writer Julia Calderone in an article titled "The one formula that's supposed to 'prove beauty' is fundamentally wrong." Professor Devlin is a accomplished Ph.D. in mathematics at Stanford University and NPR's Math Guy. His comments have reach … [Read more...]

Do these celebrities owe their good looks to the Golden Ratio? Click on images for full resolution. When a joke becomes science, then science becomes a joke. A designer in Russia morphed several celebrity faces as a joke, but it somehow morphed into "scientific evidence" in yet another attempt to debunk the golden ratio. This time it was on Wired.com, a major online … [Read more...]

In 2014, Elle Magazine announced “Meet the very real woman behind the planet’s most perfect face: It’s Joan Smalls. Supermodels, over? As if. Joan Smalls wields the kind of flawless, unequivocal beauty that is both a throwback to the past and a sign that fashion is finally facing the future.” The Elle article describes Joan's background and rise to supermodel status, … [Read more...]

"Beauty is in the phi of the beholder." It has long been said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and thought that beauty varies by race, culture or era.  The evidence, however, shows that our perception of physical beauty is hard wired into our being and based on how closely the features of one's face reflect phi in their proportions.  The Golden Ratio appears … [Read more...]

What determines the beauty of a perfect face? We may never answer the question "how many angels can dance on the point of a needle," but how about this one: "How many Divine proportions ratios are there in the face of an angel?" The YouTube video and information in this article may give some insight into the answer, with details on the contest, a recap of explanations of … [Read more...]

University study declares a "new" golden ratio for facial beauty but validates Phi, the Golden Ratio, as the basis for perceptions of beauty. A university study (PDF) by Pamela M. Pallett, Stephen Link  and Kang Lee at the University of Toronto and University of California, San Diego announced that a "new" golden ratio had been found in perceptions of beauty in the human … [Read more...]

The human face is based on Phi and Golden Ratio proportions. The human face abounds with examples of the Golden Ratio, also known as the Golden Section or Divine Proportion.  We'll use a succession of golden ratios to create a golden ruler to understand design in the face: The head forms a golden rectangle with the eyes at its midpoint. The mouth and nose are each … [Read more...]