Men prefer less makeup than many women think. A study by Alex L. Jones, Robin S. S. Kramer, and Robert Ward found that women overestimate how much makeup men find most attractive, while men and women broadly agreed on a lower amount.
Makeup attractiveness study found a preference gap
Observers set the ideal amount of makeup
In the central study, observers adjusted 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.
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.
Women expected men to want more makeup than men chose
The gap lies between what women believe men want and what men actually judge most attractive. The authors suggested that people may overlook what is really judged most attractive because of stereotyped ideals and mistaken beliefs about what others prefer.
What later makeup research found
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.
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. It did not directly measure trust, health, or authenticity.
Sample and ecological limits
The paper used controlled images and judgments from a limited participant pool. That makes it useful for isolating perception.
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.
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.
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.
