This is the most attractive type of facial hair, according to science | The Gentleman's Journal | Gentleman's Journal (2024)

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This is the most attractive type of facial hair, according to science | The Gentleman's Journal | Gentleman's Journal? ›

Stubble was deemed most attractive overall and received higher ratings for flings and short-term relationships than full beards.

Indeed, augmented attraction to facial hair is sometimes the case, with a study on the female perception of men with beards revealing that women rated heavy stubble as the most attractive, ahead of full beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces.

From an evolutionary perspective, beards can indicate good health and strong genetics, as they are directly tied to hormonal health in men. This could trigger subconscious biological cues related to mate selection, leading to a perceived increase in attractiveness.

The full beard style is hugely popular right now, featuring a full moustache joining into a medium-to-long length beard. Of course, keeping it well-groomed is a must in order to avoid a ragged, unkempt look.

According to a 2013 Australian study, the most attractive beard length is "heavy stubble," which comes after about 10 days of growth. Fascinatingly, heavy beards, light stubble, and clean shaven were all equally less attractive than heavy stubble. The science says that each length of beard sends a different signal.

Long hair was considered most attractive, and medium-length hair styles that may have appeared unkempt to observers were considered least healthy.

Oval: Your face is often longer than wide, with the forehead standing out as the largest area of your face. According to Papanikolas, this form is typically regarded as the most attractive facial shape.

Stubble was deemed most attractive overall and received higher ratings for flings and short-term relationships than full beards. Full beards were attractive to women searching for long-term relationships.

Science of Beards

Beards are an active sign of testosterone in the body, which the brain of others then associates with the potential for increased aggression. The study that came up with this hypothesis used photographs of bearded and non-bearded men for their experiment.

The researchers also went on to explain that “men may prefer having facial hair to deter their enemies and display greater masculinity or a higher social position.” In fact, several findings have suggested that men care more about their facial hair than women do.

What is the hottest beard style? ›

What are the most attractive beard styles? According to statistics, the stubble beard style is considered by women to be the most attractive of them all. On the contrary, the mustache and the goatee beard style are considered to be the less attractive beard styles.

Rule #5: Make it work (appropriate).

A good rule of thumb is to make sure neck hair ends above the Adam's apple and with the cheek line, it doesn't go any higher than the bottom of the nose.

It's a time of rediscovery for forlorn beard and mustache styles. But maybe, more importantly, men are rediscovering the freedom to look and dress in ways that make them feel more confident. Suffice to say—beards aren't going anywhere in 2024.

Women prefer facial hair to be thick, which is why they tend to find this style most attractive. The study also found that although women saw men with heavy stubble to be less ready to settle down than their full bearded counterparts, they also rated them as the most attractive overall.

After judging a number of pictures featuring men with varying degrees of facial hair, the vast majority of women found full-bearded men to be the top dogs in the mix. Women saw men with full beards to be the most healthy, and the best suited to parenting.

Your mid-20s to 30s are often considered the golden years for beard growth. As a matter of fact, most men don't hit peak beard growth until their early to mid thirties. This is when testosterone, the hormone primarily responsible for facial hair growth, peaks.

The easiest way to get a 5 o'clock shadow-style beard is to simply let your hair grow for a few hours – or a couple of days if your facial hair doesn't grow quite that quickly. Use our All Purpose Styler as your 5 o'clock shadow trimmer to keep it neatly shaped for a smart look.

To break things down even further, the same study showed men with full beards to be the most masculine, aggressive, and socially mature, while light stubble was preferred for both short and long-term partners. In other words, anyone who wore some type of facial hair was found to be more attractive in general.

As you can see from this graph, levels of perceived attractiveness are significantly higher with facial hair than without facial hair. In addition to just physical attraction, women perceived men with longer facial hair as having a higher ability to maintain longer relationships and be more masculine overall.

The majority of women preferred clean-shaven male faces (43.84%), followed by heavy stubble (26.03%) and light stubble (16.44%).