Inherited features
Shapes and features people are born with. 53 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
Further reading
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
WorldSclera
The tough outer coat that creates the pale background of the eyeball.Eyes · Most faces
WorldMental protuberance
Bony ridge at the front of the lower jaw that forms the chinJaw and cheeks · Most faces
WorldFreckles
Small clusters of concentrated melanin on the skin.Skin · Most faces
WorldEpicanthic fold
A vertical skin fold at the inner corner of the eye.Eyes · Most faces
WorldEyelash
Hairs lining the eyelid edges that protect the eye and frame the gaze.Eyes · Most faces
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
WorldDimple
A small natural indentation in the flesh, most notably on the cheek.Skin · Most faces
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
WorldNostril
The two openings of the nose that allow air to enter and leave the body.Nose · Most faces
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
WorldDownturned eyes
An eye shape where the outer corners angle downward toward the temples.Eyes · Most faces
WorldFull lips
A lip shape with equal volume on top and bottom.Lips · Most faces
🇮🇱 Israel and 2 moreButton nose
A small, rounded nose with an upturned tip.Nose · Most faces
WorldThin lips
A lip shape with less volume and definition.Lips · Most faces
WorldAlmond eyes
Oval eyes with tapered corners and a natural lift.Eyes · Most faces
WorldHooded eyes
An eye shape where excess skin from the brow bone folds over the eyelid crease.Eyes · Most faces
WorldOblong face shape
A face shape that is longer than it is wide with angular features.Face shape · Most faces
WorldCleft chin
A natural indentation in the centre of the chin.Jaw and cheeks · Most faces
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Epicanthic fold: Sarang, Public domain, source
- Beauty mark: Ian Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Sclera: Jo Naylor, CC BY 2.0, source
- Iris: Rossche, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Freckles: Loyna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Eyelash: Rapidreflex, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Eye color: LeuschteLampe, Public domain, source
- Philtrum: Rick Kimpel, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Dimple: C. Szeto, CC BY 2.0, source
- Cupid's bow: Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Widow's peak: Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Zygomatic bone: Anatomography, CC BY-SA 2.1 jp, source
- White roll: Original: Genusfotografen (Tomas Gunnarsson) Modified: Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nostril: Kuebi = Armin Kübelbeck, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Unibrow: Z11o22, CC BY-SA 3.0, source