This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Bertha Isabel Crombet, PhD. Bertha Isabel Crombet earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University in 2018. In 2024, she graduated with her PhD in the same field, with a minor in Latinx Studies from Florida State University. She's been a college professor for almost a decade, teaching courses in English, Literature, and Writing. She's also been published across multiple genres and literary platforms. A lifelong lover of learning, she now writes for wikiHow with the hope of imparting knowledge to others.
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If you’re reading this, it’s likely that you have brown eyes. That’s because brown eyes are estimated to make up 70-80% of the population, with blue eyes being a close second at 8%. However, brown is just a spectrum, and there are tons of beautiful shades in between, like chestnut, honey, and black-brown. If you’ve got brown eyes, stick around to learn more about what causes them, all the varying shades, and more. We even received some expert tips from makeup artists Alicia D'Angelo and Charina Redugerio on how to make those peepers pop!
Types of Brown Eyes
- Honey Brown: Light brown that appears golden in light.
- Cognac Brown: Light brown with rusty red undertones.
- Chestnut Brown: Medium brown with reddish hue.
- Russet Brown: Darker brown with orange undertones.
- Chocolate Brown: Dark brown with a chocolatey shade.
- Black-Brown: Dark brown eyes that appear almost black.
Steps
Shades of Brown Eyes
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Honey Honey is a light brown color that may appear golden or amber in the light. Honey-colored eyes are thought of as attractive and mysterious and contain less melanin than their darker brown variants. They are also less common than darker brown eyes and vary across regions, with lighter brown eyes being more prevalent in northern parts of Europe. Southern Europe leans darker on the brown eye spectrum.
- Honey brown eyes can appear to change color depending on lighting conditions.
- This color can range from a very light golden honey to a dimensional and intense caramel honey.[1]
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2Cognac Cognac is another light brown color, as showcased in its shimmery appearance. Cognac is named after the brandy, which is slightly darker than honey and has rusty red undertones. Cognac eyes could also be mistaken for amber eyes.
- The color cognac is warm, subtle, and multi-dimensional.
- It mimics the lush and luxurious tones of autumn, with hints of fiery red and orange like the changing leaves.[2]
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3Chestnut This is a lovely shade of medium brown. Chestnut is a romantic reddish hue that resembles chestnuts, as advertised. The color chestnut can also be used to describe other things like horses and hair. This shade of brown is deeper and darker than honey and cognac, with higher concentrations of melanin.[3]
- Chestnut eyes fall right down the middle of the brown color spectrum, resulting in a rich yet unique shade.
- Maroon is a color similar to chestnut, which is derived from the French word for “brown.”
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4Russet Russet brown is a darker version of chestnut, with more orange undertones. It’s viewed by many as a beautiful autumnal shade, the color of fox fur, and often worn by Mary, Queen of Scots. The word “russet” is likely to derive from the French “rouset” or “reddish” and is multilayered with undertones of orange and purple.[4]
- The word can also be used to describe something rustic or a coarse texture, leading to the well-known russet potato.
- Terra-cotta is a similar color, named after the brown clay used to make ceramics.
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5Chocolate This shade is one of the darkest of the brown eyes, appearing like two deep pools of the gooey melted stuff. Chocolate brown eyes boast a profound, delicious, and almost edible shade of brown. This dark variation of brown eyes contain some of the highest levels of melanin, surpassed only by black-brown eyes.[5]
- This deep shade is comforting and can make those with chocolate brown eyes appear more attractive, trustworthy, and empathetic.
- You can think of chocolate brown eyes as referring specifically to milk chocolate, reflected in its rich but creamy tone.
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6Black-brown The darkest pair of peepers on the list, black-brown eyes contain the most melanin and are akin to dark chocolate. These kinds of eyes are most protected from the sun and can be found in the hottest climates, like Africa and Asia. The difference between the color of the pupil and the color of the iris is nearly indistinguishable in black-brown eyes, making them appear very mysterious, alluring, and exotic.[6]
- According to the color wheel, orange and black can be mixed to make brown, which is a good way to describe this dark variant.
- Dogs, rabbits, and elephants tend to have dark brown-black eyes.[7]
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.rolf-spectacles.com/honey-brown-eyes/
- ↑ https://www.canva.com/colors/color-meanings/cognac/
- ↑ https://htmlcolorcodes.com/colors/chestnut/
- ↑ https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2020/10/20/russet-the-color-of-peasants-fox-fur-and-penance/
- ↑ https://www.littlegreene.us/chocolate-colourc
- ↑ https://micheleclamp.com/what-colors-make-brown/
- ↑ https://www.rabbitholehay.com/blogs/rabbit-hole-hay-blog/why-do-rabbits-have-different-colored-eyes
- ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21576-eye-colors
- ↑ https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/eye-color-hazel.htm
- ↑ https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-care/eye-anatomy/amber-eyes/
- ↑ https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/why-are-brown-eyes-most-common
- ↑ https://www.news-medical.net/health/Genetics-of-Eye-Color.aspx
- ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8956647/
- ↑ https://www.lorealparisusa.com/beauty-magazine/makeup/eye-makeup/makeup-for-brown-eyes
- ↑ https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/gallery/how-to-do-a-smokey-eye
- ↑ https://www.maybelline.com/makeup-tips/eye/best-colored-mascara-for-your-eye-color
- ↑ https://www.hair.com/best-hair-color-brown-eyes.html
- ↑ https://eyecandys.com/collections/brown-contact-lenses
- ↑ https://www.science.org/content/article/dont-it-make-your-brown-eyes-blue
- ↑ https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0053285
- ↑ https://www.color-meanings.com/what-does-your-eye-color-say-about-you/
- ↑ https://inside.upmc.com/can-eye-color-predict-pain-tolerance/
- ↑ https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/study-finds-link-between-red-hair-pain-threshold