noun
nasolabial fold; smile line; laugh line
Refers to the lines that run from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth. Common in beauty and skincare contexts. The medical term is 鼻唇溝 (びしんこう).
See also: 鼻唇溝
最近、ほうれい線が気になってきた。
Lately, I've become concerned about my smile lines.
ほうれい線を目立たなくする化粧品が人気だ。
Cosmetics that make nasolabial folds less noticeable are popular.
Medical/anatomical term for the same feature; ほうれい線 is the everyday word.
The origin of ほうれい is uncertain. The kanji spellings 法令, 豊麗, and 豊齢 are ateji (phonetic equivalents) and do not reflect the meaning. The word is commonly written with 線 (line).