Free · runs on your device
Philtrum and chin ratio
How your lower third splits between philtrum and chin, measured from one front-facing photo and compared with the proportion artists conventionally cite.
CostFree
TimeUnder 1 min
SignupNone
DataStays on device
478-point landmark map
Step 1 of 2 · your photo
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Face the camera straight on, hair off the face, even light, no tilt.
How it works
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Camera or upload — either works.
Mapped in your browser
478 landmarks, entirely on your device.
Your measured result
Numbers and lines drawn on your photo.
On-device · never uploaded
478 landmarks
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The science
What your philtrum-to-chin ratio means
01
This tool measures the philtrum, the groove from the base of the nose to the upper lip, against the distance from the lower lip to the bottom of the chin. Artistic canon puts the philtrum at about a third of the lower face and the chin at two thirds, a ratio near 0.5. Between about 0.4 and 0.65 reads balanced. Above roughly 0.7 the philtrum reads long, which is the feature people notice as a long upper lip.
02
A long philtrum is common, it lengthens further with age as the upper lip loses volume, and it is one of the few measurements here with a real, well-established cosmetic procedure attached: a lip lift, which shortens it by removing a strip of skin under the nose. That is surgery, with a scar under the nose that is usually well hidden but is permanent.
03
Below the range the philtrum reads short and the chin long, which usually means the chin is the feature to look at rather than the lip. Nothing non-surgical changes philtrum length. What you can change is the balance of the lower third with beard shape, lip color and how the chin is framed, which is what the face-shape and lip tools on this site are for.
FAQ
Common questions
What is an ideal philtrum length?+
No medical ideal exists. The artistic convention is roughly one part philtrum to two parts chin, a ratio near 0.5. Roughly 0.4 to 0.65 reads balanced; above about 0.7 the upper lip reads visibly long.
Can you shorten your philtrum naturally?+
No. It is bone and soft tissue and does not respond to exercises or massage. A lip lift is the only procedure that meaningfully shortens it, and it is a permanent surgical change.
Does philtrum length change with age?+
Yes, it lengthens slowly over decades as the upper lip loses volume. A ratio that reads balanced at 25 can read long at 55.
Does this need a side photo?+
No. Front-facing, head level, mouth relaxed. Smiling shortens the philtrum and makes the reading wrong.