New AI- and AR-Based Research Method Unveils How Perceptions of Men's Facial Impressions Differ across Countries and Generations

　FineToday Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President and CEO: Tetsuo Komori) has conducted research on male facial impressions across multiple countries and generations, leveraging a newly developed method that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) technologies to visualize the latent perception of faces in an individual. The findings revealed that depending on the test subject's age group and nationality, approaches to shaping men's facial impression vary. These differences highlight the need for tailored strategies to achieve the desired look across diverse contexts.
　The findings of this study were presented at the 27th Annual Meeting of Japan Society of Kansei Engineering (September 17 to 19, 2025, Tokyo, Japan) and the 30th JFACE Annual Conference (November 1 to 2, 2025, Tokyo, Japan).

■Background
　Because of the ubiquitousness of social media today, anyone can instantaneously access beauty trends and information worldwide, leading to the diversity of self-expression and values concerning beauty. Although there was a preconceived notion until recently that "beauty" was a domain exclusive to women, that notion has altered so much so that the number of skincare and makeup products for men has increased rapidly, and it is expected that the male cosmetics market will expand further.
　While the interest in beauty continues to grow among men, studies on male impression have been relatively few compared to that of women. Therefore, how the approach to forming an impression differs across age groups and nationalities has not been researched sufficiently.
　To address these challenges, we have introduced an innovative method leveraging a proprietary simulation tool developed with the AI and AR technologies of Perfect Corp. (Minato-ku, Tokyo). This tool enables users to intuitively adjust facial features and instantly visualize their desired impression. Using this approach, we explored differences in the facial impressions men aspire to--and the strategies for achieving them--across generations and countries.

■Research details
[Experiment 1] Approaches to Transforming Impressions of Others' Faces - A Generational Analysis
Subject:
65 Japanese men and women, aged 20 to 49

Method:
Subjects were shown three random face photos of men aged between 20 and 49. They were instructed to use the simulation tool to freely adjust the shape, size, and position of the eyes, pupils, nose, mouth, and eyebrows of each face to create an "handsome" version and "approachable" version of those faces.

Results:
When instructed to create an "handsome" face, subjects in their 40s chose thick, sharply angled eyebrows, whereas subjects in their 20s and 30s tended to bring the eyebrows closer to each other and narrowed the distance between the eyebrows and eyes, bringing the facial parts closer to the center of the face. When instructed to create an "approachable" face, the trend was to make the eyes rounder and give the eyebrows a gentler slope as the age group got older. Further, the color of the pupils for "handsome" and "approachable" faces differed.
These findings reveal that transformations related to the eyes, such as the shape of the eyes and eyebrows, as well as the color of the pupils, influence the impression a face gives to other people.

Figure 1: AI-generated image of a man's face, altered using the simulation tool by reflecting the transformation

characteristics of "handsome" features according to each generation.

Subjects in their 20s and 30s did not remarkably change the size of facial parts, but rather brought them closer together.

In contrast, subjects in their 40s enlarged the eyes and gave the eyebrows a steeper angle.

[Experiment 2] Approaches to Transforming One's Own Face toward the Ideal - A Cross-Country Analysis
Subject:
122 Japanese men and 32 Vietnamese men, aged 20 to 59

Method:
Subjects used the simulation tool to modify their own photos, freely altering the shape, size, and position of their eyes, pupils, nose, mouth, and eyebrows to create the "ideal" version of their face.

Results:
When instructed to create the "ideal" face, Japanese men significantly narrowed their noses, brought the eyes and eyebrows closer to each other, and made the color of their eyebrows brown. On the other hand, Vietnamese men tended to make their eyes droopier.

Figure 2: AI-generated image of a man's face,

significantly altered using the simulation tool by reflecting the transformation characteristics of subjects from each country.

Differences in narrowness of nose, eye angle, and distance between eyes and eyebrows were observed between Japanese and Vietnamese subjects.

　 　The research findings revealed that the facial impression men aspire to--and the approaches they take to achieve them--vary according to generation and nationality. This indicates that psychological factors such as how one wants to be perceived and how one wants to present oneself, along with aesthetic preferences shaped by social and cultural backgrounds like lifestyle and trends, play a significant role in the transformation approaches with respect to desired facial impressions.

■Future prospects
　Based on our Purpose (our reason for existence) to "enrich the lives of everyone today and for generations to come, one fine day at a time," we have developed products with aesthetics as their foundation. Particularly for men, we have had groundbreaking offerings, including "uno," "Ag DEO 24," and others that bring out the unique charm of each man. By deepening our understanding of diverse values across generations and cultures, as well as employing insights from the above research, we will strive to provide products and services that support each person's ideal self.

＜Related Articles＞
Newly Developed Facial Impression Evaluation Method Utilizing AI and AR Technologies:
https://www.finetoday.com/en/news/newsrelease/2025121701/

＜Links＞
Official website：https://www.finetoday.com/en/

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