PLATE 01 + 02 / HUMAN FACE

Anatomy of proportion

Select a region to explore its structure and evidence.

AnteriorFront

A / FIXED REFERENCE

LateralProfile

B / FIXED REFERENCE

No feature selected
Selection is linked across both views.

Illustrative anatomy · approximate outlines.
Not a measured “ideal” face.

FORMA FEATURE / MOUTH & LIPS

Lip proportions & projection: measurements, ratios, and research

Vermilion is the colored lip tissue. Upper-to-lower height, absolute fullness, border shape, and forward projection describe different aspects of lip appearance.

How lip proportions & projection is measured

Compare central upper and lower vermilion heights at rest. In profile, the E-line joins nasal tip to chin; lip-to-line distances therefore depend on both nose and chin.

Ratios, ranges & competing claims

1 : 1.6 — One preferred upper-to-lower ratio

A 2024 study of Caucasian male and female face images favored a 1:1.6 upper-to-lower lip ratio, with differences by observer ethnicity.

Study: Specific face images and rater groups; not a universal male target. Influence of ethnicity on aesthetic preferences for lip characteristics in Caucasian male and female faces

1 : 1 — A contrasting Chinese study

Among 303 Chinese observers, equal upper/lower vermilion proportions were preferred for both male and female stimuli.

Study: Based on modified images of one young man and one young woman; cannot represent all faces or all Chinese preferences. The Ideal Chinese Lip: Impact of Lip Contours and Proportions

Reference-dependent — Lip projection and the E-line

A male-silhouette experiment found lower attractiveness ratings at large lip retrusions and protrusions relative to the nose-tip–chin line.

Study: The same lips can have a different E-line distance if the nose or chin changes. The experiment does not diagnose lip position in an individual. Quantitative investigation of the esthetic impact of lip prominence in relation to the esthetic line

Practical takeaway

A lower lip as full as, or fuller than, the upper is a useful comparison.

The studies below favor different balances within that description. Choose the relevant population and face context before treating either ratio as the reference.

What changes the answer

Lip outline, absolute fullness, mouth width, and facial size change the effect of a height ratio. For projection, the E-line also moves with the nose and chin; it is not a lip-only judgment.

Connected facial features

Explore the interactive atlas and compare this feature with both fixed reference views.