Objective: To compare the facial characteristics of two different groups of attractive women with those of reference women.

Materials and methods: The three-dimensional coordinates of 50 facial landmarks were collected in 71 healthy reference women (18-30 years old) and in 24 coetaneous "attractive" women selected during two different beauty competitions; soft tissue facial angles, distances, areas, and volumes were computed and compared using analysis of variance.

Results: When compared with reference women, both groups of attractive women shared several similar facial characteristics: relatively large forehead (P < .001), reduced mandible (P = .008), and rounded face (reduced surface-to-volume ratio, P = .002). They had a more acute soft tissue profile, an increased upper facial width (P < .001) and middle facial depth, larger mouth, and more voluminous lips (P = .005) than reference women.

Conclusions: Both groups of attractive women had several facial characteristics suggesting babyness. Nonetheless, each group of women was characterized by a different development of these features. Esthetic reference values can be a useful tool for clinicians, but should always consider the characteristics of individual faces.