World Smile Day®: Beauty in Every Smile

This World Smile Day®, Smile Train is celebrating smiles of all kinds by bringing together a collection of unfiltered and unique smiles.

Following on from our Guinness World Record attempt to capture 20,000 smiles, 'Beauty in Every Smile’ is a campaign that aims to break down stigmas associated with facial differences, whilst championing confidence and positivity in the diversity of smiles.

By teaming up with leading photographer Fanny Beckman – who champions equality in her work – we are making a statement that every smile is unique and there's beauty in every smile.
 Be sure to visit Smile Train UK's Beauty in Every Smile pop-up exhibition at Riverside Slice, Southbank. Located next to Bernie Spain Gardens and Queen’s Stone, 10 powerful images will be on display from 11am Thursday 5 October until 5pm on Saturday 7th October

Beauty in Every Smile

The people behind these smiles are often stigmatised or discriminated against because of their cleft or have seen this happen to their loved ones. That’s why Smile Train are championing smile. 

One in 700

babies are born with a cleft

39%

of the UK public don’t know what a cleft is

15%

people in the UK are unsure how to act around people with a facial difference

33%

of people with a facial difference in the UK have been discriminated against

53%

of people in the UK are yet to fully love their smile

Beauty in Every Smile Speakers

Alii Robinson smiles to camera

Alii Robinson

"Everyone is different. Everyone should feel beautiful, cherished, and confident in their own unique way."

Christian Hadjipateras

Christian Hadjipateras

"We should all be proud of our smiles. And for us in the cleft community, we thank all those incredible surgeons around the world for making them possible."

Elouan Biwole smiling

Elouan Biwole

"A smile is not about showing perfect full lips and straight white teeth as adverts portray. Every smile tells a unique story."

Heidi Salt

Heidi Salt

"Celebrating unique smiles is important; not everyone will look the same and that’s fine. It’s about who you are, and no smile should ever define that."

Isobel smiles to camera

Isobel Cameron

"No one should feel afraid to be at their most happy state."

Dr Kiran Rahim smiling

Dr Kiran Rahim

"As I grew older, I met other people with clefts and facial differences, and their confidence and beauty has rubbed off on me. I wear that with pride. I am a product of a million hugs, smiles, and wiped tears."

Matilda Lansdown smiles to camera

Matilda Lansdown

"My cleft is my superpower. I wear it with pride and hope I can inspire and educate others, be the person I needed when I was growing up."

Nishchala Chitradurga

Nishchala Chitradurga

"I’ve faced negative experiences, but they’ve ultimately contributed to my personal  growth. I now appreciate the beauty in being different and embrace my smile. I’m proud of the person I’ve become, cleft and all. I don’t let it hold me back from attending social events or enjoying life to the fullest."

Olivia Whitbread smiling with her brother Adam

Olivia Whitbread

"Everybody is different and that’s what makes each person special — if everybody looked the same, it would be boring! Finding the beauty in yourself and other people is the best feeling a person can feel."

Stacey and Dylan Bone

Stacey and Dylan Bone

"I feel confident about my smile now and I am proud of the journey I have been on to get to this stage."

People with clefts in the UK can get treatment for free through the NHS. But thousands of families around the world simply cannot afford the lifesaving care their children need. You can help save a life today.