Nasomental angle
The relationship between your nose and chin in profile (nose bridge to tip to chin).
Why it matters
It captures nose-to-chin balance — a strong cue for an attractive, proportionate profile.
The nose-to-chin line
The nasomental angle ties the nose to the chin. It is read along the bridge of the nose, down to the nose tip, and then on to the chin (the pogonion, the most forward point of the chin in profile). The angle formed at the tip, between the line of the nasal bridge and the line running down to the chin, is the nasomental angle.
In effect it is a single number for how the two most projecting features of the profile relate to one another. Powell & Humphreys (1984) placed this angle at the centre of their profile analysis, because so much of a balanced side view comes down to the nose and chin being in proportion.
Why the pairing matters
A profile can be thrown off less by the nose alone or the chin alone than by the relationship between them. A large nose with a small chin and a modest nose with a strong chin can produce very different nasomental angles, and the eye reads the imbalance rather than either feature on its own.
The convention this tool reports is that a nose and chin in proportion read as a harmonious profile; the off reading is most often a small or set-back chin paired with a prominent nose. That is a description of balance, not a ranking of people.
The band and its caveats
The band here treats about 120 to 132 degrees as balanced, with a modeled average near 126. Powell & Humphreys (1984) and Naini (2011) back this range.
Honesty notes: this is a convention from profile-analysis frameworks, not an objective standard, and it varies with the underlying jaw relationship and with ethnicity. The tool also flags that profile mesh accuracy is limited, so treat the value as indicative, and remember it moves if either the nose or chin estimate is off.
Reading your value, and what can change it
Because the angle is a relationship, a value outside the band points you to the pair rather than to a single culprit, and it is often the chin, not the nose, that drives it. Read it as a prompt to look at balance, not as a flaw in one feature.
Both the nose and the chin are bone and cartilage, so the underlying angle is fixed. Presentation levers are limited to honest profile photography and posture, which affect how the chin reads. Non-surgically, chin filler can build up a small chin to rebalance it against the nose for a number of months. Surgically, rhinoplasty, genioplasty (chin reshaping) or a chin implant can change either end of the relationship permanently. These are listed factually, as options, with any decision belonging to the person and a qualified clinician.
Typical range
~120-132°
Angle from the nasal bridge to the nose tip to the chin (pogonion). A balanced nose-to-chin relationship sits in this range. From the profile photo.
What your reading means
- Typical
- Your nose and chin are well balanced in profile.
- Less common
- Your nose-chin balance is close to the preferred range.
- Distinctive
- Your nose and chin are out of balance (often a small chin or large nose).
How we measured it
From your side photo, the angle at the nose tip between the nasal bridge and a line to the chin.
The evidence
Profile mesh accuracy is limited; treat as indicative.
References
- Powell, N., & Humphreys, B. (1984). Proportions of the Aesthetic Face. New York: Thieme-Stratton.
- Naini, F. B. (2011). Facial Aesthetics: Concepts and Clinical Diagnosis. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.