Soft biometrics is not a unique trait in itself, but it is valuable in enhancing the performance of unique traits used in biometric recognition systems. In this paper, we perform a comparative analysis of soft biometric traits and fusion schemes for improving face recognition systems. Specifically, we present an analysis of the performance of such systems as a function of the fusion strategy used and the soft biometric feature employed. We outline the strengths and weaknesses of the biometric feature employed in fused face and soft biometric systems. The analysis presented in this work is significantly important and different from existing works as the performance profiles of a wider variety of soft biometric traits are compared over major metrics of permanence, ease of collection and distinctiveness.