Face Shape Detector

How the face shape detector works

Stylists find a face shape with a tape measure: four numbers across and down the face, then a few rules of thumb. This face shape detector does the same thing from a photo, in four steps, entirely inside your browser.

1. Find the face. Google’s MediaPipe Face Landmarker locates your face and places 478 landmarks on it, from the jaw outline to the corners of the eyes.
2. Find the hairline. The landmark model stops at the upper forehead, so a second, small model separates hair from skin. Walking up from the brow, the first hair pixels mark your hairline. If hair covers your forehead, the detector estimates the hairline from your facial thirds instead and tells you so.
3. Measure. It measures forehead width at the hair edge, cheekbone width at the widest point near the ears, jaw width at the corners of the jaw, and face length from hairline to chin. It also measures how sharp the jaw corner is. All widths are measured in a frame aligned with your face, so a slight head tilt does not distort them.
4. Compare. The ratios are compared with the typical proportions of each shape. You get the closest shape, a percentage for all seven shapes, and the measurements that led there.

The lines drawn on your photo are the actual measurements used. If a line looks wrong, for example because hair hides your jaw, retake the photo; the result will only be as good as what the camera can see.

What is my face shape? How to read your result

The large label is the shape your proportions match most closely. Next to it you will see a confidence score, and below it a bar for every shape.

• 70% or more – clear match. Your proportions sit well inside one shape. Use that shape’s guide.
• 50–70% – leans one way. One shape is ahead but a second one is close. Read both guides and keep the advice they share.
• Under 50% – close call. Your face sits on the border between two shapes. That is common and it is not an error: faces are continuous, the seven names are not.

The measurement table translates the ratios into plain words. Face length divided by cheekbone width tells you whether your face reads short, balanced or long. Forehead and jaw widths relative to the cheekbones tell you where your face is widest. The jaw corner value tells you whether your jaw is angular or softly curved, which is what separates square from round, and oblong from oval.

The 7 face shapes

Most face shape systems use the same seven names. Click any shape for a full guide with haircuts, glasses and makeup.

Tips for an accurate face shape reading

The detector measures what it sees, so the photo matters more than anything else.

• Face the camera straight on. Turning your head even 15 degrees makes one side of the face look narrower. The detector checks your head angle and warns you.
• Pull your hair back. Hair over the temples hides your forehead width and bangs hide your hairline, which changes the face length.
• Close your mouth and relax. An open mouth adds length; a wide smile widens the lower face.
• Take off your glasses. Frames sit right on top of the cheekbone line.
• Use even light. A hard shadow along one side hides the jawline.
• Keep the camera at eye level and at arm’s length or more. A close, low phone camera exaggerates the chin and jaw.

Prefer to measure by hand? Use the face shape calculator with four tape-measure numbers, or follow the step-by-step guide on how to determine your face shape with a mirror.

Why your face shape matters

Knowing your face shape is a shortcut for style decisions. It tells you which haircuts, glasses and beard styles will balance your proportions before you spend money finding out by trial and error. The advice follows three simple ideas:

• Add length where the face is short. Round and square faces benefit from height at the crown and vertical lines.
• Add width where the face is narrow. Oblong faces suit volume at the sides; heart and diamond faces suit fullness at the jaw and chin.
• Soften strong corners, sharpen soft curves. Square jaws suit round frames and layers; round faces suit angular frames.

These are guidelines, not rules. If you love a style that “should not” suit your face shape, wear it.

How accurate is a face shape detector?

The measurements themselves are repeatable: the same photo always produces the same numbers and the same result. What is less exact is the naming. Face shape categories have no sharp borders, and stylists often disagree on borderline faces. That is why this detector shows a percentage for every shape instead of a single verdict, and why it shows you the measurements, so you can judge for yourself.

Accuracy drops with turned heads, hair covering the forehead or jaw, heavy filters, very low resolution and strong expressions. The detector checks for the most common of these and tells you when a retake would help.

Private by design

The face model files are downloaded to your browser the first time you use the tool, and all analysis runs on your device using WebGL or WebAssembly. Your photo and camera frames are never uploaded, stored or used to identify you. Closing the tab clears everything. See the privacy policy for details.