Body fat % for facial aesthetics — what's the sweet spot?

This is a question I've been thinking about a lot since I started training: is there a body fat % where you get maximum facial aesthetic benefit without the trade-offs of being too lean?

From what I've read and observed: for most men, the facial aesthetics sweet spot is roughly 10-15% body fat. Here's why:

Below 15%: facial fat starts to reduce meaningfully. The buccal fat pad diminishes, cheeks become less full, bone structure becomes more visible. The jaw angle appears sharper, the cheekbones pop, under-eye hollowness emerges. Most people look "better" facially at 12-13% than at 18-20%.

Below 10%: you're getting into competition-prep territory. At very low body fat the face can start to look gaunt rather than defined — temples hollow, eyes look sunken, the face loses the healthy volume that reads as youthful. It's a fine line.

For women, the range is different because healthy body fat ranges are higher. Facial aesthetics in women tend to peak somewhere between 18-22%.

The practical advice: if you're over 18% body fat and you're unhappy with your jaw/cheekbone definition, try cutting to 13-15% before making any judgements about your underlying structure. Many people who think they need jaw implants or other facial procedures would be satisfied with what they have at a lower body fat.

Agreed. Also worth mentioning that the distribution of facial fat is genetic — some people carry fat in their cheeks and lose it early in a cut, others hold onto facial fat even at quite low overall body fat. If you're noticing your stomach is lean but your face is still round, you might just need to push to a lower overall percentage to get facial leanness.

The buccal fat point is interesting because buccal fat pad removal has become trendy as a surgical option. If you're considering it, I'd strongly recommend being lean for at least a year first. Buccal fat naturally decreases with age anyway, and people who remove it at 22 often find their face looks overly hollow at 35. Being lean naturally removes significant facial fat without surgical permanence.

Is it possible to target facial fat reduction specifically, or does it purely come off as a function of overall body composition?

Spot reduction is a myth. You can't target where fat comes off. Overall caloric deficit and patience are the only tools. Some people do find that chewing more increases masseter definition which creates the illusion of less facial fat due to a more defined jaw area, but the actual fat loss is systemic.