00Facial thirds
Facial thirds test: how even are your middle and lower thirds?
Take or upload one front-facing selfie. We split your face into thirds at your brows and the base of your nose, compare the middle third with the lower third, and draw every line on your photo.
Full notice: what we measure, who gets it, how long we keep it
Your photo is analyzed on your device and is not uploaded.
- 1Tick two boxes to agree to how we measure your face
- 2Take or upload one front-facing selfie
- 3See your thirds drawn on your photo
Example: the facial thirds lines on a face
01What are facial thirds?
The rule of facial thirds comes from drawing guides and facial surgery textbooks. It splits the face into three equal heights: hairline to brows (the upper third), brows to the base of the nose (the middle third), and the base of the nose to the chin (the lower third). It is a teaching reference for proportion, not a proven standard of beauty: plenty of attractive faces don't follow it.
02How the facial thirds test measures
Your browser finds 478 points on your face. We take the midpoint of your brow peaks, the base of your nose where it meets the upper lip, and the bottom of your chin, and measure the heights between them along your face, square to the line through your outer eye corners, so a slightly tilted photo reads the same. Your result is the middle third divided by the lower third: 1.00 means they are equal.
03Why the upper third is only an estimate
The upper third starts at the hairline, and a face model can't find hairlines reliably: fringes, hair colour and receding lines all get in the way. The top of our face mesh sits on the forehead below the hairline, so we show the upper third greyed out as an estimate and compare the middle and lower thirds, as other facial thirds calculators do.
04What's a typical facial thirds result?
In 102 front-facing photos of adults we measured the same way, the middle third divided by the lower third had a median of 1.01, and the middle 80% of faces fell between 0.87 and 1.15. Within 5% of 1 : 1 we call your thirds even. A longer middle or lower third is common and isn't a flaw.
05How to take the photo
- 01Face the camera with the phone at eye level. Tilting your chin up or down changes the heights, so photos with a clear tilt are sent back for a retake.
- 02Keep your mouth closed and relaxed: an open mouth or a smile changes the lower third.
- 03Pull your hair off your forehead and brows.
- 04Hold the phone at arm's length; very close photos stretch the middle of the face.
06The limits of a facial thirds test
One photo is one angle: camera distance and lens change the heights a little, so try a second photo if a result surprises you. Your thirds don't go into an attractiveness score here, and we don't say whether a result is good or bad. Your photo and the points found on it never leave your browser.
07Facial thirds questions
01How does the facial thirds test work?
Take one straight-on selfie with a relaxed, closed mouth. Your browser finds points on your face, measures from your brow peaks to the base of your nose and from there to your chin, and divides the first height by the second. The lines are drawn on your photo so you can check them.
02What are ideal facial thirds?
Drawing guides use three equal thirds, so a middle-to-lower ratio of 1.00. Real faces vary: in our reference photos most read between 0.87 and 1.15. Equal thirds are a teaching rule, not proof of attractiveness.
03How do you calculate facial thirds?
Mark the hairline, the brows, the base of the nose and the bottom of the chin, measure the three heights between them, and divide each by the total. Because a photo can't find the hairline reliably, compare the middle third (brows to nose base) with the lower third (nose base to chin).
04What does a longer lower third mean?
Only that the distance from the base of your nose to your chin is longer than from your brows to your nose. It's common, and a smile, an open mouth or a raised chin all make it read longer, so use a relaxed, straight-on photo.
05Is my photo uploaded?
No. The test runs entirely in your browser and never uploads your photo or the points found on your face.
08Related free tools
- Facial proportions calculatorfWHR, midface ratio, eye spacing and four more facial proportions from one selfie, each drawn on your photo next to the range real faces fall in.
- Golden ratio face calculatorThree facial ratios from one selfie, each compared with phi (1.618) and drawn on your photo so you can check the maths.
- Attractiveness testA free score out of 10 from one selfie, with the measurements behind it. Your photo stays in your browser.