Superficial charm (or insincere charm or glib charm) is the tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick and verbally facile.

The phrase often appears in lists of attributes of psychopathic personalities, such as in Hervey M. Cleckley's The Mask of Sanity, and Robert D. Hare's Hare Psychopathy Checklist.

Associated expressions are "charm offensive", "turning on the charm" and "superficial smile".

Early history

Classical rhetoric had early singled out the critical category of the superficial charmer, whose merit was purely verbal, without underlying substance.

In the nineteenth century, George Eliot explored the darker side of the Victorian feminine ideal, concluding bleakly that there was little worse than the narrow minded kind of femininity sheltering behind an artificial charm of manner.

Psychopathic charm

Contemporary interest in superficial charm goes back to Hervey M. Cleckley's classic study (1941) of the sociopath: since his work it has become widely accepted that the sociopath/psychopath was characterised by superficial charm and a disregard for other people's feelings. According to Hare, "Psychopathic charm is not in the least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything."