Men may be happy to know they can ditch the razor and the gym, if a recent global survey of females is accurate.

A quarter of women surveyed like their partners to be bearded, while less than a tenth want a clean shaven lover.

Gym junkies could be kicked to the curb, with just 12.5 per cent of women saying their perfect lover is muscular, preferring instead a tall, elegantly dressed man with “smouldering eyes”.

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The survey was conducted in 22 countries, including South America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

But it was conducted by a website that encourages extra-marital affairs, Victoria Milan, so take the results with a grain of salt.

More than two thirds of women surveyed valued a sense of humour, but only 6.8 per cent liked impulsive characteristics.

Women also thought intelligent, mature and reliable people were not as desirable as kind, romantic or empathic.

Nearly four-fifths of women rate fun as the best characteristic in a lover, while less than two thirds of men elevate that characteristic.

Nearly two-thirds of men and women have kindness as the top criteria in a partner.

Unsurprisingly, 67.4 per cent of men said looks were the most important, 29 per cent said personality was more important and three per cent were undecided.

The survey showed that just 3.9 per cent of men want a mature partner.

Among women, personality was more important in 62.4 per cent of respondents and 34.2 per cent rated appearance highly.