Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The perception of facial attractiveness (PFA) varies between cultures. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the PFA in Saudi culture and compare it with the golden proportions (GP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 500 survey papers were formulated using the frontal views of different photographs with high beauty scores selected from the universal benchmark dataset. The selected photographs were modified. The different perception questions were formulated, followed by subjective and objective soft tissue analyses of the selected frontal photographs. RESULTS: A total of 488 participants reported differing opinions on the most important element that determines facial beauty. Male participants scored the eyes, whereas female participants scored the lips; this difference was statistically significant (p value < 0.009). The photograph with the highest score (86%) had an asymmetrical face of more than 4 mm, which was statistically significant between the Saudi participants who lived abroad and those who were not expatriates (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: The participants had higher scores for short facial morphology. The facial analysis proportions reported percentage differences from the GP (1.618). These findings could provide guidelines for clinicians for improving facial aesthetics. Thus, further studies using a local database of the local population should be conducted. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12663-025-02477-5.