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Cited by 8Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorFace Recognition and PerceptionConsumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior

Makeup increases attractiveness in male faces

Open access
Batres, Carlota, Robinson, Hannah·2022·PLOS ONE
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0275662PMC PMC9632771
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Abstract

Makeup is commonly attributed with increasing attractiveness in female faces, but this effect has not been investigated in male faces. We therefore sought to examine whether the positive effect of makeup on attractiveness can be extended to male faces. Twenty men were photographed facing forward, under constant camera and lighting conditions, with neutral expressions, and closed mouths. Each man was photographed twice: once without any cosmetics applied and another time with subtle cosmetics applied by a professional makeup artist. Two hundred participants then rated those 40 images on attractiveness. The male faces were rated as higher in attractiveness when presented wearing makeup, compared to when presented not wearing makeup. This was true for both male and female raters, and whether analyzing the data using a by-participant or a by-face analysis. These results provide the first empirical evidence that makeup increases attractiveness in male faces. Following work on female faces, future research should examine the effect of makeup on several other traits in male faces. The market for male cosmetics products is growing and evolving and this study serves as an initial step in understanding the effect of makeup on the perceptions of male faces.

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Research works printed but not linked: 24

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Batres, C., & Robinson, H.
Affiliations
Franklin & Marshall College (US)
Corresponding author
Batres, Carlota
ORCID
Batres, Carlota
Venue
PLOS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Published
2022-11-03
Volume
17
Issue
11
Pages
e0275662
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0275662
PMC
PMC9632771
OpenAlex
W4308045288
Cited by
8
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2024: 6
FWCI
1.38
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Franklin & Marshall College Open Access Publishing Fund
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior
Keywords
makeup, facial attractiveness, male faces, cosmetics, face perception
MeSH terms
Beauty, Cosmetics, Face, Female, Humans, Male

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