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The SoftMaxx AI Field Guide

Research-backed essays on face analysis, softmaxxing, and the science of looking better.

Featured essay

What is softmaxxing? The complete 2026 guide

The definitive primer: how softmaxxing differs from looksmaxxing, why it matters, and the 11 areas to focus on first.

Peptides

Peptides, graded by the evidence

Evidence-graded peptide pages: what each peptide has been studied for, in whom, and how strong that evidence is, with citations and no vendors. Plus a reconstitution and units calculator that does the math on your own numbers.

Free tools

Free face tools, in your browser

Measure one thing from one straight-on photo, free and with nothing uploaded: your canthal tilt in degrees, or your upper, middle and lower facial thirds.

Comparison

Umax vs LooksMax AI: both leaders stopped shipping in 2024

Nearly 94,000 ratings between them, both sitting on builds from 2024 — plus the third app people keep mistaking for one of them.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

QOVES vs Umax: human review vs mass-market scanner

The expensive option against the popular one — and the weekly-price arithmetic that flips which is which.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

Umax alternatives: 5 options by what you actually need

Sorted by why you’re leaving — price, trust in the score, or noticing the app hasn’t shipped since 2024.

8 min read Read article
Comparison

Face Harmony vs Umax: 2.3 stars vs 4.6

Three unrelated apps share the Face Harmony name. Which one this is, and how it actually compares.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

The best face analysis app for women: an honest field guide

Every women-facing app we checked has zero ratings. So this judges the options instead of inventing a ranking.

8 min read Read article
Comparison

QOVES vs FaceIQ: human review vs instant app

$150-a-year reports that take weeks vs a $6.69-a-month scanner — and the thing most comparisons miss: there are several products named FaceIQ.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

QOVES alternatives: 5 options by what you actually need

The right alternative depends on why you’re leaving — speed, price, or the human expert. Sorted by job, not affiliate payout.

7 min read Read article
Concepts

The PSL rating scale, explained honestly

The forum origins, the 0–8 scale where 4 is the true average, and how to translate a PSL number without the brutality theater.

7 min read Read article
Guide

Rate my face: every way to get an honest rating

Friends flatter, forums deflate, free AI inflates. Every rating route with its bias named — so your number means something.

7 min read Read article
App review

QOVES review: is the $150 human-reviewed report worth it?

What the membership includes, the 28-day human-review turnaround, who it’s right for — and when an instant measurement tool fits better.

8 min read Read article
App review

Umax review: what the PSL scores and weekly tiers really mean

4.6 stars from 51K ratings, four different weekly prices, and the one thing the app never publishes: what any score is measured from.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

Free AI face analysis: what 6 free tools actually measure

Fotor, Vidnoz, Facewow and friends vs a measurement layer — and the three questions that expose any face score’s basis in seconds.

8 min read Read article
Routine

How to look better: an evidence-based 30-day guide

Skip the bro-science. Here's what actually moves the needle in 30 days, ranked by impact.

12 min read Read article
Foundational

Looksmaxxing vs softmaxxing: what's the difference?

Both aim at the same outcome. They disagree about the methods, the audience, and the ethics. Here's the honest breakdown.

8 min read Read article
Anatomy

The 11 facial metrics that determine attractiveness

What the peer-reviewed research actually says, mapped to the 11 categories SoftMaxx AI measures.

13 min read Read article
Compare

AI face analysis apps compared: QOVES, FaceIQ, SoftMaxx AI, and the rest

We tested every face-analysis app worth comparing. Here's where each one wins and where it falls apart.

13 min read Read article
Anatomy

Canthal tilt explained: what it is, how to measure it

Positive, neutral, negative. What the canthal tilt actually does to your face, and whether you can change it.

10 min read Read article
Anatomy

Hunter eyes: the science, examples, and how to assess yours

The most-searched concept in the entire looksmaxxing space. Real anthropometry, real examples, no mysticism.

11 min read Read article
Anatomy

Gonial angle and jawline: a measurement guide

How orthodontists actually measure it, the ranges that read as masculine or feminine, and what mewing does (and doesn't do).

11 min read Read article
Anatomy

Mouthbreathing and facial structure: what changes, what doesn't

The reversible changes, the developmental window, and what the research actually proves.

12 min read Read article
Routine

The 30-day softmaxxing routine: AM, PM, weekly

A protocol designed so you can run it without thinking about it. Photo-tested, deadline-driven, evidence-backed.

11 min read Read article
Anatomy

How to mew properly, step by step

A resting posture, not an exercise. Finding the full-tongue position with the "sing NG" method, and the five mistakes that make people quit.

8 min read Read article
Evidence

Mewing before and after: what those photos really show

Head tilt, lens, lighting, body fat, time of day. Six variables that move a jawline more than any posture habit — and how to photograph yourself honestly.

9 min read Read article
Safety

Hard mewing: side effects and why force backfires

Tooth movement, jaw joint strain, gum recession. Why pressing harder has a mechanism for harm and none for benefit.

7 min read Read article
Anatomy

How to get hunter eyes: what is actually changeable

Four of the five defining traits are bone. Here is the honest shortlist of what you can change, and what the non-surgical options really do.

8 min read Read article
Anatomy

Hunter eyes vs prey eyes: the five traits

Two ends of one spectrum, not two categories. Trait by trait, and why the binary framing causes more distress than it is worth.

8 min read Read article
Measurement

Negative canthal tilt: causes and what helps

Most people who think they have it measured it from a phone held above eye level. How to measure properly, and what genuinely changes it.

8 min read Read article
App review

Face Harmony by Clavicular: an honest review

What Apple’s own listing says — 2.2 stars from 91 ratings — the weekly tier that costs $519 a year, and how to judge any face-scoring app.

8 min read Read article
Anatomy

Does mewing actually work? Evidence, technique, and what changes

The honest split: real influence on growing teens, no credible adult bone change, and the modest gains that are actually on the table.

9 min read Read article
Foundational

Am I attractive? How accurately people judge their own faces, how much raters agree, and what the numbers actually look like

Am I attractive? Get a measured answer: the free SoftMaxx AI scan scores your face 0–10 from 478 landmarks in about a minute. Why self-ratings mislead.

9 min read Read article
Anatomy

Facial symmetry and attractiveness: what actually matters

Why symmetry matters modestly, why perfect symmetry looks wrong, what makes a face asymmetrical, and what you can change.

9 min read Read article
Foundational

The golden ratio face: myth, math, and what really matters

Why phi (1.618) is largely pseudoscience for faces, which proportions have real support, and where to spend your attention instead.

9 min read Read article
Anatomy

Facial thirds and fifths: the proportion map of a balanced face

The neoclassical canons that surgeons use, how to measure your own thirds and fifths from a front photo, and what deviations mean.

9 min read Read article
Anatomy

Orbital vector: positive, neutral and negative explained

Orbital vector is the front-to-back relation between your eye and the bone beneath it. What positive, neutral and negative mean, and how it is measured.

7 min read Read article
Evidence

What is the average face rating? Real statistics from AI scans

The average SoftMaxx AI face rating from real scans: the mean, the median and the spread on one dated snapshot, with a score-band table and the sample’s limits.

7 min read Read article
App review

Mogged app: what it is, what it costs, and which mogging apps are free

Mogged (iOS) is a men's glow-up tracker with an AI face scan, from $3.99 a week; the PSL Mogged is now Handsome AI. SoftMaxx AI scans your face free.

8 min read Read article
Comparison

QOVES price: $150 a year, the add-ons, the refund rules and what is free

QOVES costs $150 a year for one facial analysis. Optional add-ons: express $80, surgical $180, hairstyles $25 (up to $435). Refund rules and what is free.

6 min read Read article
Anatomy

Buccal fat pad: anatomy, normal size, how it changes with age, and what removal does

The buccal fat pad is a deep cheek fat lobe, about 9–10 mL per side. Removal takes ~2–3 mL for a ~2% lower-face change, and no review has long-term follow-up.

8 min read Read article
Measurement

Facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) and bizygomatic width: the measurement, the claim, and the replications

fWHR is cheekbone width ÷ upper-face height. The average is about 2.2 (17,607 adults, lip-to-eyelid); men and women barely differ; the aggression link is weak.

8 min read Read article
Anatomy

Philtrum length: normal range, how it changes with age, and what it does not tell you

The philtrum runs from nose base to upper lip: about 14–16 mm in young adults, 1–2 mm longer in men, ~5 mm longer across adult life. What it means.

7 min read Read article
Anatomy

Hunter eyes in women: the traits on a female face, how eye-area anatomy differs by sex, and what the research actually supports

Hunter eyes in women: positive canthal tilt, low brow, little upper lid, almond opening. Sex averages run both ways: women’s brows sit ~2.5 mm higher.

8 min read Read article
App review

QOVES before and after: projections, real results, and how to tell them apart

QOVES before-and-after images are projections morphed from your own photos, not photos of results. What r/QOVESStudio buyers report as real change.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

QOVES discount code: none is published, and the honest ways to pay less

No QOVES discount code is published: the checkout showed one $150/year price and no promotion on 14 Sep 2026. Four legitimate ways to pay less.

6 min read Read article
App review

QOVES Studio: the YouTube channel, the company behind it, and its founders

QOVES Studio is the YouTube channel (1.04M subscribers); QOVES (Qoves Inc.) is the London consultancy behind it, founded 2019, selling a $150/year analysis.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

QOVES vs ChatGPT: can a prompt replace a facial analysis?

QOVES's own study: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Grok rated faces 4.41–5.21 out of 7; people averaged 3.02. A usable prompt, and what it cannot measure.

7 min read Read article
App review

FaceIQ Labs pricing: what Basic and Pro cost, what is free, and how refunds work

FaceIQ Labs costs $24.99 a month (Basic) or $49.99 (Pro), $119.88–$239.88 a year, plus a limited free tier. Refunds: 14 days, unused, first time only.

6 min read Read article
App review

Is FaceIQ Labs legit? What can be checked, and what cannot

Is FaceIQ Labs legit? Yes: a Delaware company with real terms and refunds, 3.0/5 from 18 Trustpilot reviews, $24.99–$49.99 a month. SoftMaxx AI scans free.

7 min read Read article
Evidence

Do attractive people earn more? The beauty premium, with the numbers

Yes, modestly: about a 5–10% earnings penalty for below-average looks and a slightly smaller premium for above-average looks. What the research shows.

7 min read Read article
Evidence

Glow-up apps: what a good one measures, for men and women

A glow up is mostly sleep, skin, grooming and expression, each backed by published evidence. What a glow-up app should measure, and how to judge one.

7 min read Read article
Evidence

How to get more matches on dating apps: what the data actually shows

In a Tinder field experiment, going from one photo to three took a male profile from 44 to 238 matches in four hours. The measured levers, with sources.

8 min read Read article
Measurement

Face shape detector: how your face shape is decided, and what it is good for

Face shape is a styling label set by four proportions: face length vs width, and forehead, cheekbone and jaw widths. The six shapes, free tools, and the limits.

6 min read Read article
App review

How to cancel Umax: the exact steps on iPhone and Android

Umax bills via Apple or Google. iPhone: Settings › your name › Subscriptions › Umax › Cancel. Android: Play Store › Subscriptions. Deleting the app won’t do it.

5 min read Read article
App review

Umax pricing: every tier Apple lists, what each costs per year, and why Android is cheaper

Umax lists Weekly Premium at $3.99, $4.99, $6.99 and $9.99 and Monthly at $9.99–$24.99 on the US App Store, re-read 25 Sep 2026: $207.48–$519.48 a year weekly.

6 min read Read article
Comparison

FaceIQ Labs alternatives: what is actually free, what is cheaper, and who each one suits

Is FaceIQ Labs free? No — $24.99–$49.99 a month for the full report. Free instead: the SoftMaxx AI scan, with its full report $9.99 once, no subscription.

7 min read Read article
Comparison

FaceIQ Labs promo code: none is public, and the real ways to pay less

No public FaceIQ Labs promo code (public site checked 29 Sep 2026). The real discount is yearly billing: Basic is $119.88 a year vs $299.88 paid monthly.

5 min read Read article