Canthal tilt is the angle of a line drawn from the inner corner of your eye to the outer corner, compared with a level line. A higher outer corner gives a positive tilt, level corners a neutral tilt, and a lower outer corner a negative tilt. Measure yours below, or see all your proportions with our golden ratio face test.
What canthal tilt means
Each eye has two corners, called canthi. The medial canthus is the inner corner, next to the nose. The lateral canthus is the outer corner, toward the temple. Canthal tilt is simply the slope between them.
- Positive tilt. The outer corner sits higher than the inner corner. This is the most common pattern. Our guide to positive canthal tilt covers it in detail.
- Neutral tilt. The corners sit at about the same height.
- Negative tilt. The outer corner sits lower than the inner corner. Our guide to negative canthal tilt explains what it means.
Canthal tilt became a talking point on social media, where it is often linked to looks like hunter eyes and fox eyes. Clinicians have used the angle for much longer, when describing the shape of the eye area.
Measure your canthal tilt
Add a straight on selfie and the tool finds your eye corners, corrects for any tilt of your head, and shows the angle of each eye. It runs entirely in your browser, and your photo never leaves your device.
Measure your canthal tilt
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For the truest reading, hold the phone at eye level, look straight into the camera and keep a relaxed face. A smile or a squint pulls the outer corners up and adds a degree or two.
How to measure canthal tilt by hand
You can also estimate it from a photo with a ruler.
- Take a straight on photo at eye level with your head level. Check that your pupils line up horizontally.
- On the photo, mark the inner corner and the outer corner of one eye, where the upper and lower lids meet.
- Draw a line between the two marks, and a level line through the inner corner.
- Measure the angle between the two lines with a protractor app. Repeat for the other eye and average the two.
The hard part is the head. If your head is even slightly tilted, one eye reads too high and the other too low. That is why the tool above measures the slope of your whole face first and corrects for it.
What is a normal canthal tilt
Most eyes tilt slightly upward. We measured 201 straight on faces from public photo sets that cover many backgrounds and ages, using the same method as the tool on this page.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Average tilt | About 3 degrees upward |
| Middle 80 percent of faces | About half a degree to 5 degrees upward |
| Faces with a downward tilt | A small minority |
Published estimates vary with the method and the group of people measured, and studies have found that average tilt differs between groups of people and between women and men. Every value in the normal range is normal. There is no single correct angle.
What sets your canthal tilt
The outer corner of each eye is anchored to the bone of the eye socket by a small band of tissue. Where that anchor sits, and the shape of the bones around the eye, set the tilt. Both come mostly from genes, which is why tilt often runs in families.
Tilt also changes a little over time.
- Age. The anchoring tissue loosens over the years, so the outer corner can drop slightly and the tilt moves toward neutral.
- Expression. Smiling lifts the cheeks and the outer corners, and frowning can lower them.
- Swelling. Puffiness from sleep, allergies or salt can change how the corners sit for a few hours.
A note on health. Tilt on its own is not a health sign. If one eye starts to look different from the other, or the lower lid begins to pull away from the eye, show it to an eye doctor.
Can you change your canthal tilt
The bones and tissue that set the tilt cannot be changed with exercises, massage or by holding your face a certain way. Some online trends promote tape or procedures to lift the outer corner, and we do not recommend them. Makeup is the safe way to play with the look.
- Lift. A short wing angled up toward the tail of the brow makes the outer corner read higher.
- Level. Liner that follows the lash line without a wing shows your natural tilt.
- Soften. Shadow blended slightly down at the outer corner gives a softer, more open look.
Canthal tilt and named eye shapes
Many named eye looks are partly about tilt. This table shows how they usually line up.
| Eye look | Typical tilt | Other traits |
|---|---|---|
| Fox eyes | Strongly positive | Narrow, lifted brows |
| Siren eyes | Positive | Long, smoky liner |
| Hunter eyes | Slightly positive | Deep set, low brow |
| Almond eyes | Neutral to slightly positive | Long, tapered corners |
| Doe eyes | Neutral to slightly negative | Round and open |
| Prey eyes | Neutral to negative | White below the iris |
These are loose descriptions rather than strict categories, and most real eyes mix traits from several rows.
Common mistakes when measuring
- A tilted head. If your head leans, one eye reads higher and the other lower. Check that your pupils sit level.
- Smiling or squinting. Both lift the outer corners. Use a relaxed, neutral face.
- Makeup. Winged liner and outer lashes make the corner look higher. Measure bare eyes.
- The wrong corners. The inner corner is where the upper and lower lids meet near the nose, not the pink tissue inside it.
- Close up photos. Wide angle phone lenses distort features near the edge of the frame. Hold the phone an arm length away.
Canthal tilt in children and teens
Eye shape changes as the face grows, so tilt in children and teens can shift over the years. FacePalm Lab is for people aged 13 and over, and its tools are only for photos of yourself or of people who agree.
Does canthal tilt matter for attractiveness
Online rankings often treat a strong positive tilt as ideal. The research does not back that up. Studies of facial attractiveness point to symmetry and closeness to the average of many faces, and a slight upward tilt is simply the average. Strongly lifted, level and downturned eyes are all found in faces that people admire.
Our tools never call any tilt good or bad. They show your angle and the range we see in real faces, with a reminder that geometry says nothing about your worth.