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Do a man's looks matter to women? Beauty has always been typically associated with women, but according to a survey of some 10,000 respondents from 12 nations, male beauty is important.

The findings of the "What do women really really want" survey conducted by Synovate last October show that about 30% of women rate their partner's looks as being very important.

The survey revealed some surprising facts about how both men and women perceive male beauty. It also reflected various notions of what defines a good-looking man.

The respondents were from Malaysia, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France Greece, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom and United States.

Some 21% if Malaysian men think self-confidence in a man makes him good-looking, while other criteria include dressing well(20%) as well as good hygiene and frsh breath(17%).

According to the survey, 78% of Malaysian men do not consider themselves good-looking(izzit?). In contrast, 81% of Greek men consider themselves sexy, with Russians following closely at 80%.

Malaysian women, however, rate local men as better looking than those from other countries.

7 out of 10 men said their main motive in looking good was for themselves. Globally, the most used beauty aid by men is deodorant, but interestingly, Malaysian men were second to China, at 52%, to be the least number in the 12 nations to use a deodorant.

The 3 beauty aids most commonly used by Malaysian men are facial wash(57%), hair products(55%) and whitening toothpaste(54%).

The findings also showed that 67% of Malaysians, both men and women, think a man's appearance gets better with age.

Malaysian women think the best looking men can be found in:

• Malaysia (39%)
• UK (1%)
• Italy(2%)
• USA (5%)
  
• India (5%)
  
• South Korea (5%)
• Japan (2%)
  
• Others (14%)
  
• None (4%)
  
• Don't know/Declined to answer (21%)

An absolute requirement before a man can be described as good-looking:

• Carries himself with confidence (23%)
• Good hygiene, fresh breath (26%)
• Dresses well (16%)
• Works out/look fit/defined muscles (11%)
• A tough, macho or manly look (7%)
• Clear skin (7%)
• A great smile (3%)