Makeup and attractiveness research matters because appearance choices are often shaped by what people think other people want. The main study behind this claim suggests that women may sometimes use more makeup than men actually find most attractive. But later research also shows that cosmetics can increase attractiveness in some settings, so the real message is more nuanced than a simple “natural is always best.”
Makeup attractiveness study found a preference gap
The 2014 study measured perceived ideal makeup
In the central study, Alex L. Jones, Robin S. S. Kramer, and Robert Ward asked observers to adjust the amount of cosmetics on women’s faces to make them look most attractive for themselves, for what women in general would prefer, and for what men in general would prefer. The paper was first published online on 22 April 2014 in PubMed’s record of the study.
Men and women agreed on a lower level than expected
The main result was that men and women broadly agreed on a lower amount of cosmetics than many participants expected men to prefer. Women especially overestimated how much makeup men would find most attractive, according to the paper’s main result summary.
This is about misperception, not a universal rule
The strongest conclusion from the paper is a gap in social perception. It does not prove that all men everywhere prefer a natural face, and it does not show that makeup is unattractive overall. It shows that people can be wrong about what other people find appealing.
Makeup and attractiveness research is more complex
Makeup often raises attractiveness ratings
A later 2016 PLOS One paper found that professionally applied cosmetics increased perceived attractiveness, although the effect of a person’s underlying facial identity was still larger than the effect of cosmetics. In plain language, makeup can help, but it does not override the face itself.
Professional makeup and daily makeup are not the same
That same 2016 PLOS One study stressed an important point: professional application produced a larger attractiveness boost than self-applied cosmetics. So clean laboratory-style before and after images may not reflect ordinary daily makeup use.
Some newer work found heavier self-applied makeup scored higher
A 2021 Frontiers in Psychology study found that self-applied heavy makeup was rated more attractive than self-applied light makeup in that sample. The same study also found higher perceived sociosexuality, meaning observers were more likely to read heavier makeup as signaling openness to casual sex. That is a perception, not proof of the wearer’s actual intentions.
Natural look attractiveness is partly an interpretation
The study did not directly test health or authenticity
It is plausible to interpret a preference for less visible makeup in terms of trust, health, or authenticity. But the 2014 paper did not directly measure those mechanisms. That means those ideas should be treated as interpretation, not as a demonstrated finding from the study itself.
Social stereotypes can shape beauty choices
The authors suggested that people may overlook what is actually judged most attractive because of stereotyped ideals and mistaken beliefs about what others prefer. That is a safer interpretation than claiming a fixed male preference rule.
Attraction is not the same as trust or long-term preference
A face judged “most attractive” in a short visual task is not the same as being seen as trustworthy, healthy, authentic, or ideal for a long-term partner. Different studies measure different outcomes, and media retellings can flatten those differences.
Men prefer less makeup is too simple as a headline
A better summary is that women may overestimate male preferences
The most accurate plain-language takeaway is this: women in the 2014 study appeared to overestimate how much makeup men would find most attractive. That is stronger and more faithful to the evidence than saying men simply prefer women with little or no makeup.
Context matters: self-expression, setting, and purpose
People wear makeup for many reasons besides attracting men, including self-expression, confidence, style, work norms, and social identity. The science on attractiveness ratings should not be turned into a rule for how women “should” look. A Guardian commentary on the viral headline made the same point: media summaries often simplify what the study actually showed.
Related Gromeus context on attraction
This result fits other attraction findings on Gromeus, including the post on whether men are less attracted to intelligent women, which also shows that stated preferences and real-life reactions do not always match. Social judgments based on looks can also matter beyond dating, as discussed in the article on why attractive individuals earn higher wages.
Limitations and quality of evidence
Evidence type
The main paper is an experimental psychology study using manipulated face images and attractiveness judgments. That is stronger than opinion writing, but it is still a lab-style perception study, not real-world dating behavior.
Sample and ecological limits
The paper used controlled images and judgments from a limited participant pool. That makes it useful for isolating perception, but it may not capture how attraction works across cultures, ages, or ordinary social interaction.
Funding and conflicts
The 2016 PLOS One paper reported no specific funding. I could not confirm a funding statement for the 2014 study from the accessible materials used here, so that point should remain unknown based on available sources.
Sources and related information
PubMed – Miscalibrations in judgements of attractiveness with cosmetics – 2014
This is the core source for the article’s main takeaway: women appeared to overestimate how much makeup men would find most attractive. It supports a perception-gap conclusion, not a universal rule that men always prefer no makeup.
PLOS One – Facial Cosmetics and Attractiveness: Comparing the Effect Sizes of Professionally-Applied Cosmetics and Identity – 2016
This paper supports the claim that professionally applied cosmetics increased perceived attractiveness, while also showing that facial identity still mattered more than cosmetics. It adds nuance to the idea that less makeup is always more attractive.
Frontiers in Psychology – Who’s Behind the Makeup? The Effects of Varying Levels of Cosmetics Application on Perceptions of Facial Attractiveness, Competence, and Sociosexuality – 2021
This study supports the claim that self-applied heavy makeup was rated more attractive than self-applied light makeup in one sample. It also supports the article’s caution that attractiveness ratings can come with additional social judgments.
ABC News Australia – Studies show that men like women who wear less makeup – 2016
This article is a careful secondary summary showing that the original study was mainly about a gap between assumed and observed preferences. It is not the main evidence, but it reflects the safer interpretation of the paper.
The Guardian – Men like women to wear less makeup? No, they don’t – 2016
This commentary supports the caution that the viral headline simplified the research too much. It is useful as critique of media framing, not as primary evidence about attractiveness itself.
