Are these the most beautiful faces in the world?

Scientists have used e-fits to create portraits of the most beautiful man and woman in the world, according to people in the UK. Photo / Samsung

Scientists have mapped the features of the world's most beautiful men and women - and Natalie Portman and David Gandy are the closest real-life examples.

Natalie Portman and David Gandy. Photo / Getty

The pictures are the result of a study led by Kent University's Dr Chris Solomon and were created with the help of a computer programme normally used to draw up e-fits of wanted criminals.

Software used by experts during the two-month project took into account factors such as the thickness of lips, nose length and width, and hairline.

Dr Solomon, a world expert in facial mapping, asked people to put together a composite of the perfect face with the help of the EFIT-V PhotoFit software used by British police.

Results were then judged by another 100 people who rated them for attractiveness, allowing researchers to create these composite pictures showing the archetypal faces of male and female beauty.

Dr Soloman said the study, commissioned by Samsung to mark the launch of its new Galaxy S6 phone, revealed "some interesting results about what Brits consider to be the epitome of beauty".

He said: "It's important to note that these are the idealised faces according to those living in the UK, so a study in Asia or Africa for example would no doubt have different results."

As part of the research, model David Gandy and actress Natalie Portman came top of a survey of the most attractive celebrities.

The academic said the study also threw up some differences between men's and women's perceptions of ideal beauty.

"For the male face of beauty, women drew a more feminine face than men - women rate a softer jaw-line, slimmer face, fuller lips and clean-shaven look as the most attractive, compared to the more masculine appearance that is considered the most attractive by men," Dr Soloman said.

"Interestingly, for the female face of beauty women rated a sexier appearance as the most beautiful than their male counterparts - women perceived fuller lips, a slimmer face, larger eyes and higher cheekbones as the most beautiful, more so than the male population."

- Daily Mail