Makeup applied to facial features increases perceived skin evenness

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Perception Science
• Cosmetic Science

Background:

• Facial cosmetics significantly influence person perception, affecting judgments of attractiveness and competence.
• Apparent skin evenness is a key aspect of facial appearance influenced by makeup application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether makeup enhances perceived skin evenness by altering facial features rather than the skin itself.
• To determine if cosmetic products applied solely to facial features can create an illusion of more homogeneous skin.

Main Methods:

• Two studies were conducted where participants rated the perceived skin evenness of faces.
• Faces were presented in two conditions: no makeup and makeup applied exclusively to facial features (digital manipulation and professional application).
• Physical skin homogeneity was kept constant across conditions, with no makeup applied directly to the skin.

Main Results:

• Faces with makeup applied to features were consistently rated as having more even-appearing skin compared to faces without makeup.
• This effect occurred despite identical physical skin homogeneity in both conditions.

Conclusions:

• Cosmetics can make facial skin appear more even primarily due to alterations in adjacent facial features.
• Findings suggest that contrast effects with facial features play a role in the perception of skin evenness, potentially through contrast gain control mechanisms.