FORMA FEATURE / CHIN & JAWChin Projection: Profile Ratios, Measurements, and Evidence
The forward-most point of the soft-tissue chin is pogonion. Chin projection is distinct from the position of the entire lower jaw and the alignment of the teeth. This page separates published measurements from interpretation, preference experiments, and community speculation.
What chin projection means
In natural head position, compare pogonion with a true vertical through subnasale. A lower-lip vertical is another reference; these are not identical lines.
Facial measurements only become comparable when the view, head position, soft-tissue landmarks, and endpoint definitions are held constant. A number copied from a profile photograph is not interchangeable with a value measured from a clinical scan or a front-facing portrait.
Official measurements, ratios & competing claims
On or just behind A subnasale vertical reference
A controlled profile study supported chin placement on or just behind a vertical through subnasale in an otherwise balanced soft-tissue profile.
Study: The rest of the profile was held close to its chosen baseline. The result cannot diagnose mandibular recession or determine a surgical movement. Assessing the influence of chin prominence on perceived attractiveness
A second reference The lower lip changes the judgment
Another study proposed a chin on or just behind the lower-lip vertical.
Study: Changing the reference point changes the measurement. Interpret nose, lips, and chin together rather than adding separate “ideal” targets. Analysing chin prominence in relation to the lower lip
Practical takeaway
On or just behind the reference vertical is a useful starting point.
Choose either the subnasale or lower-lip reference used by the study, keep natural head position, and judge the nose–lip–chin profile together.
What changes the answer
Lip projection changes the lower-lip reference; upper-jaw position changes the subnasale reference. Chin height and nose prominence alter visual balance even when the measured horizontal distance stays the same.
Use these ranges to ask a better question about proportion—not to grade a face or choose a procedure by number alone. A qualified clinician still needs to examine function, tissue, skeletal structure, and your goals in person.
Connected facial features
Read or start chin projection discussions · Explore the interactive atlas