News
Faces‘Looksmaxxing’ Promises Better Looks—but It Can Put Teen Boys at RiskBeardsAhead of Grey Cup game, Elks explain why coach’s change in facial hair symbolizes commitment to teamFaces'Looksmaxxing' among social media trends raising concerns with school counselors, medical professionalsBeardsZohran Mamdani has the most famous mustache in politics — for nowFacesThis one beauty standard is holding women back - why won't we let it go?Faces‘AI Face’ is Creating Dystopian Beauty StandardsFaces15 Low-Maintenance Medium-Length Haircuts That Are Easy to StyleBeardsWexford rugby team smash €10,000 target in ‘Movember’ days after beard shaveFacesModel Paulina Porizkova asks us to imagine a world where 'older beauty' is admired and respectedEyewearQueen of shades: 5 of the coolest eyewear moments from Blackpink’s JennieFaces‘Looksmaxxing’ Promises Better Looks—but It Can Put Teen Boys at RiskBeardsAhead of Grey Cup game, Elks explain why coach’s change in facial hair symbolizes commitment to teamFaces'Looksmaxxing' among social media trends raising concerns with school counselors, medical professionalsBeardsZohran Mamdani has the most famous mustache in politics — for nowFacesThis one beauty standard is holding women back - why won't we let it go?Faces‘AI Face’ is Creating Dystopian Beauty StandardsFaces15 Low-Maintenance Medium-Length Haircuts That Are Easy to StyleBeardsWexford rugby team smash €10,000 target in ‘Movember’ days after beard shaveFacesModel Paulina Porizkova asks us to imagine a world where 'older beauty' is admired and respectedEyewearQueen of shades: 5 of the coolest eyewear moments from Blackpink’s Jennie
EveryFaceShape

Inherited features

Shapes and features people are born with. 41 face guides on EveryFaceShape so far.

Inherited features are the shapes and traits people are born with: face shape, eye colour, the eyelid crease or epicanthic fold, dimples, freckles, a widow's peak, a cleft chin, the Cupid's bow. They come from many genes acting together, along with growth and chance, and most do not follow the simple dominant and recessive rules once taught in schools. They vary within every population.

Many genes, not one

School textbooks long used dimples, cleft chins and widow's peaks as examples of single-gene traits. Studies show their inheritance is more complex: children of two dimpled parents may have none, and dimples can come and go with age. Eye colour involves many genes, with OCA2 and HERC2 playing large roles. Freckling is linked strongly to MC1R.

Features, not labels

Inherited features are found across many peoples. The epicanthic fold, for instance, is common in East and Central Asia, the Americas and parts of Africa, and in babies everywhere. Linking any feature to ethnicity, character or worth is not science. EveryFaceShape describes features simply as features, with how the sources say they are inherited.

Famous inherited features face guides

DimpleOften called dominant; inheritance is irregularFrecklesLinked to MC1R gene variantsWidow's peakOnce taught as a single-gene traitEpicanthic foldCommon in babies everywhereEye colorShaped by many genesCupid's bowFormed before birth

Further reading

KindFace shapeEyesNoseLipsBrowsJaw and cheeksHairlineSkinBeardMoustacheFrameAdornmentMakeupMarking
SuitsOval facesRound facesSquare facesHeart-shaped facesDiamond facesOblong facesTriangle facesMost faces
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest first
WorldFreckles Small clusters of concentrated melanin on the skin.Skin · Most faces WorldIris The coloured ring in the eye that controls light entry.Eyes · Most faces WorldBeauty mark A dark facial mark, natural or applied, worn for adornment.Skin · Most faces WorldLimbal ring A dark band encircling the outer edge of the irisEyes WorldSclera The tough outer coat that creates the pale background of the eyeball.Eyes · Most faces Canthus WorldCanthus The inner and outer corners where the eyelids meet at the eye.Eyes WorldAngle of the mandible The bony corner where the jaw's vertical and horizontal sections meet.Jaw and cheeks Mental protuberance WorldMental protuberance Bony ridge at the front of the lower jaw that forms the chinJaw and cheeks · Most faces WorldBlushing The involuntary reddening of the face caused by emotional stress.Skin WorldNasion A natural dip in the bone structure between the eyes and the top of the nose.Nose WorldEpicanthic fold A vertical skin fold at the inner corner of the eye.Eyes · Most faces WorldAquiline nose A human nose with a prominent bridge that curves or bends slightly.Nose WorldChin The forward-pointing lower section of the jawbone below the mouth.Jaw and cheeks Triangular face WorldTriangular face A face shape where the lower half narrows to a point, resembling an inverted triangle.Face shape WorldNasolabial fold Skin folds running from the nose to the mouth corners.Face shape WorldWidow's peak A V-shaped point in the centre of the forehead hairline.Hairline · Most faces WorldZygomatic bone The paired irregular bone forming the cheek and part of the eye socket.Face shape · Most faces WorldWhite roll The white line bordering the top of the upper lip.Lips WorldMonolids An upper eyelid form without a visible crease, common in East Asian populations.Eyes WorldNostril The two openings of the nose that allow air to enter and leave the body.Nose · Most faces Malar region WorldMalar region The triangular cheekbone area of the human face.Jaw and cheeks WorldEyebrow Short terminal hairs above the eye that protect the socket and aid facial expression.Brows WorldEyelash Hairs lining the eyelid edges that protect the eye and frame the gaze.Eyes · Most faces WorldForehead The area of the head above the eyes and below the hairline.Hairline WorldEye color The natural variation in human iris hue driven by melanin and light scattering.Eyes · Most faces WorldPhiltrum A vertical groove in the upper lip found in humans and many mammals.Eyes · Most faces WorldFacial symmetry The balance of features on the left and right sides of a human face.Skin WorldDimple A small natural indentation in the flesh, most notably on the cheek.Skin · Most faces WorldLip Soft, movable tissue forming the visible opening of the mouth in humans and many animals.Lips WorldBrow ridge The bony crest above the eye sockets that supports facial structure and protects the eyes.Brows WorldCupid's bow The double curve of the upper lip resembling an ancient bow.Lips WorldUnibrow A single eyebrow formed by hair meeting above the nose bridge.Brows · Most faces WorldVermilion border The sharp line where lip colour meets facial skin.Lips · Most faces WorldBeard Facial hair on the jaw, chin, cheeks and neck of adult males.Beard Snub nose WorldSnub nose A small, round nose with an upturned tip.Nose Button nose 🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreButton nose A small, rounded nose with an upturned tip.Nose · Most faces Thin lips WorldThin lips A lip shape with less volume and definition.Lips · Most faces Full lips WorldFull lips A lip shape with equal volume on top and bottom.Lips · Most faces Wide-set eyes WorldWide-set eyes An eye spacing where the gap between the eyes exceeds one eyeball width.Eyes Upturned nose WorldUpturned nose A small nose with a tip that slopes slightly upward.Nose Greek nose WorldGreek nose A nose shape defined by a straight bridge and narrow nostrils.Nose

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: the face guide of the day, new pages on EveryFaceShape, and the conferences and anniversaries of the week ahead.