From Angelina Jolie to Megan Fox, many celebrities are known for their luscious lips.
But what exactly does the perfect pout look like?
A new study has revealed the answer – and it’s bad news for fans of lip fillers.
Scientists from the American University of Beirut showed 200 people AI-generated pictures of a woman, whose lips had been adjusted in various ways.
An analysis of their preferences revealed that the perfect pout features an upper-to-lower lip ratio (U/L) of between 0.618:1 and 1:1.
Meanwhile, the most highly rated lips had an upper lip height of 25 per cent of hemi-lip width.
According to the researchers, this suggests that overinflation of lips is regarded as ‘unaesthetic and unattractive.’
‘Though social media have an influence on perception of beauty, data provided by the survey confirm that golden standards of aesthetics remain constant and that exaggerated requests of some patients may not be attributed solely to social media influence but probably to social media in combination with additional personal predisposing factors,’ the researchers said.
Which lips do you think are most attactive? According to scientists, the answer here is image C, which features an upper lip height of 25 per cent of hemi-lip width
Which lips do you think are most attactive? According to scientists, the answer here is image B, which features an upper-to-lower lip ratio (U/L) of between 0.618:1 and 1:1
While cosmetic procedures like Botox and lip fillers were once seen as taboo, they’re becoming increasingly popular around the world.
In fact, a poll carried out by VICE UK found that over half of Brits now see these procedures as comparable to getting a haircut or a manicure.
However, until now, how, or if, this surge in popularity has affected beauty standards has remained unclear.
‘Many patients at present bring with them pictures of celebrities and demonstrate the interest of not only becoming beautiful but also looking similar to the “Hollywood star” prototypes, expecting outcomes that are out of proportion with established standards of beauty,’ the researchers explained in their study, published in Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open.
‘Unfortunately, overtreated patients and overzealous practitioners are becoming very common.’
To get to the bottom of it, the researchers used AI to create a picture of a white female face, whose lips had been adjusted for both U/L lip ratios and fullness.
A total of 200 participants were then asked to rate the lips from the most to the least aesthetic and attractive.
In the first set of images, which had been adjusted for fullness, lips were rated most highly when there was an an upper lip height of 25 per cent of hemi-lip width.
Stars like Angelina Jolie (pictured), Anne Hathaway, and Scarlett Johansson are known for their full, yet balanced lips
Anne Hathaway has full, yet balanced lips – something that is highly desirable, according to the study
In the first set of images (left), which had been adjusted for fullness, lips were rated most highly when there was an an upper lip height of 25 per cent of hemi-lip width. In the second set of images (right), which had been adjusted for U/L lip ratio, the lips with a U/L of between 0.618:1 and 1:1 were rated as most attractive
In the second set of images, meanwhile, which had been adjusted for U/L lip ratio, the lips with a U/L of between 0.618:1 and 1:1 were rated as most attractive.
This will come as good news for stars like Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, and Scarlett Johansson, who are known for their full, yet balanced lips.
In contrast, the overfilled lips were rated as the least attractive.
This may disappoint stars with plumped-up lips, including Charlotte Crosby, Tulisa, and Lisa Rinna.
The researchers hope the findings will encourage people considering lip fillers to opt for more natural looks.
‘Because full lips have historically been a major component of overall attractiveness and a youthful appearance, lip augmentation with soft tissue fillers has become one of the most popular and commonly performed minimally invasive procedures,’ the team concluded.
‘Despite variable lip shape preferences based on ethnicity, country of residence, and profession, and regardless of the influence of other facial features, an “ideal lip” is characterized by lower and upper lip balance of subtle proportion bringing out the best frame for smile.
‘Ideally, the objective of lip augmentation is to create smooth lips with adequate volume and natural appearance and not to overaugment.’
