In Search of the Most Attractive Lip Proportions and Lip Volume: An Eye Tracking- and Survey-Based Investigation

Background: Despite various aesthetic trends, the ideal lip proportion and lip volume remains elusive. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the aesthetic perception of various lip shapes to identify the most attractive lips. Methods: Fifty-nine White study participants with a mean age of 32.73 +/- 9.4 years were asked to assess lips of various proportions and of various volumes. Gaze assessment and aesthetic rating of the same set of modified lip images were performed. Results: The results revealed that the lip proportion that was rated to be most attractive was the 1:1.6 ratio (upper-to-lower lip, 4.21 of a possible 5). This lip proportion, however, was not the first one to be viewed on initial image display (1.20 sec) and had the shortest duration of a stable eye fixation within the 6-second image display interval (2.18 of 6 seconds). The lip volume that received the highest aesthetic rating was the 100 percent volume (original lip size), with 4.56 of a possible 5. This lip volume, however, had the third longest interval between initial image exposure and the first stable eye fixation (0.81 second) and had the shortest duration of stable eye fixations during the 6 seconds of image display (2.22 of 6 seconds). Conclusion: The results presented could be potentially reflective of the internal cognitive processes during the involuntary and voluntary assessment of lip attractiveness.