Eyes are often one of the first things we notice about someone. Whether they’re bright blue, light brown, striking green, or somewhere in between, eye color can leave an impression.
But what’s the most attractive eye color? It can be tricky to measure since it’s often subjective. However, a couple of surveys can help us get an idea of the eye colors people generally find most attractive.
Let’s go through the survey results, opinions from Reddit users, and a few other factors that go into eye attractiveness.
The Most Attractive Eye Color: Survey Results
A 2019 survey by All About Vision asked about 66,000 people: What is the most attractive eye color?
Green eyes were the winner overall at 20.3%. This does make sense, since they’re one of the rarest eye colors in the world. Only about 2% of people worldwide have green eyes! The novelty helps make this eye color even more alluring.
In an interview with Mind Body Green, clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, Ph.D., delved further into why we find rare eye colors so attractive. “It makes sense that the rarer colors tend to be more captivating,” she said. “Rooted in primitive survival mechanisms, the human mind—and the human eye—tends to notice that which is different and unique.”
Light blue was voted second at 16.9%, and hazel came in third at 16.0%. Interestingly, amethyst, which isn’t a natural eye color, got just under 7% of the vote.
The full results were:
- Green: 20.3%
- Light Blue: 16.9%
- Hazel: 16.0%
- Dark Blue: 15.2%
- Gray: 10.9%
- Honey: 7.9%
- Amethyst: 6.9%
- Brown: 5.9%
This survey didn’t differentiate by gender; however, an experiment by Lenstore did.
The Dating App Experiment
A 2021 experiment from Lenstore examined the most attractive eye color in women and men. To get the results for this experiment, Lenstore created profiles on three dating apps.
They played it smart and kept all the information on each profile the same. The only thing they changed was the eye color of the person in the profile.
The most attractive eye color in women: The experiment results
For women, the winner was Hazel at 20.19%. This isn’t surprising; hazel is another rare eye color, adding to its allure.
Here are the full results:
- Hazel: 20.19%
- Purple: 19.88%
- Black: 17.70%
- Blue: 17.39%
- Brown: 13.35%
- Green: 11.49%
Purple also scored very high in this experiment. While natural purple eyes are extremely rare, you can get them with colored contacts. We’ll discuss colored contacts more later in the article.
The most attractive eye color in men: The experiment results
Now, let’s look at the men’s results from the Lenstore study. Firstly, blue eyes came out on top at 27.27%. Interestingly, this was followed by brown, which is one of the most common eye colors in the world. It shows that men and women have different preferences when it comes to eye color.
Here’s the full list of results:
- Blue: 27.27%
- Brown: 21.97%
- Green: 16.76%
- Hazel: 15.03%
- Black: 10.98%
- Purple: 8.09%
Real User Responses
There are also plenty of opinions on Reddit about eye color. Quite a few popular threads ask about the most attractive eye color. In one thread, the OP, Fit-Recognition, asked:
“What is the most attractive eye color?
What is the eye color that most people find attractive? I have green eyes and people say it’s the most attractive eye color.”
The first response was “Hazel eyes,” which matches what the survey results say:
“Hazel eyes.”
Blue eyes were another popular answer, with one Redditor saying:
“Knew someone who had shiny blue eyes, and anytime I looked at them my brain just short-circuited.”
Another Redditor echoed the OP and said green eyes:
“Green, by a mile.”
Another thread also began with the OP asking, “What’s the most attractive eye colour?”
A few Redditors said brown eyes in this thread:
“Almost no one will say brown, however I’m a sucker for brown puppy dog eyes.”
Hazel is another popular choice:
“Hazel. My friend has hazel eyes and I get lost in them everytime I look at her. They’re so beautiful it’s honestly distracting.”
As you can see, the answers are varied! It just goes to show that different eye colors are attractive to different people. The saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” holds true.
Other Eye Color Attractiveness Factors
Limbal Rings
Along with eye color, other factors go into making eyes ‘attractive.’ One of those factors is your limbal ring.
The limbal ring is the dark ring that separates the iris (the colored part of your eye) from the sclera (the white part). This ring is generally darker when you’re younger, and it fades over time. It’s also typically easier to see on lighter-colored eyes due to the contrast between them.
One study, Put a (Limbal) Ring on It: Women Perceive Men’s Limbal Rings as a Health Cue in Short-Term Mating Domains in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, looked further into limbal rings and attractiveness.
The study showed that limbal rings act as an indicator of good health, which is one reason why they’re considered attractive in both men and women.
Bright Sclera
Studies have also shown that bright, white sclerae are considered attractive. It’s another sign of health, vitality, and youth. All traits that many find attractive, without even realizing it.
Eye Color and Personality
Along with attractiveness, there have been some fascinating studies on how eye color affects how our personalities are perceived.
One study, titled Trustworthy-Looking Face Meets Brown Eyes, found that people with brown eyes were considered more trustworthy. But the interesting thing is, it actually isn’t about the eye color. Rather, people with brown eyes often have softer, rounder faces, which makes them appear more innocent and trustworthy.
Another study found that people with blue eyes can be more ‘competitive.’
Of course, though, everyone is unique, and these traits certainly don’t apply to everyone with these eye colors!
Changing Your Eye Color
Want to try out a different eye color? Nowadays, that can be achieved with colored contacts!
There are contacts available in a wide variety of colors. Just remember that colored contacts are medical devices, and in the U.S., you’ll need a prescription to buy them. This is the case even if you’re getting non-prescription contacts.
AIR OPTIX COLORS by Alcon is a good choice for colored contacts. They’re monthly contact lenses, and they offer 12 colors, including many shades that scored highly on the attractive eye color survey. This includes amethyst, which can give you purple eyes.
The full list of colors is:
- Blue
- Brilliant Blue
- True Sapphire
- Turquoise
- Gray
- Sterling Gray
- Gemstone Green
- Green
- Pure Hazel
- Honey
- Brown
- Amethyst
EZContacts customer Amanda L. tried out the amethyst contacts, and she loved them:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“Fast and I love my eyes!!!”
If you’re looking for a daily contact option, Dailies Colors is a good choice. They have four color options, all of which scored highly on the survey: Mystic Hazel, Mystic Blue, Mystic Green, and Mystic Gray.
Enhancing Your Eyes With Glasses
Do you wear glasses? You can also make your eyes pop by choosing eyeglasses that work well with your eye color.
You can choose colors that either contrast or complement your eye color; both options can make your eyes stand out. Here are some options to consider.
Brown Eyes
For brown eyes, tortoiseshell and gold frames can both be good choices. They’ll bring out the warmth in your eyes.
To add contrast, select green or navy frames as they can provide more depth.
Blue Eyes
Blue frames, from gray-ish blue to dark navy, can complement your eyes and enhance the cool tones.
For contrast, try orange frames; they’ll make your eyes pop. Within the orange spectrum, anything from light caramel to rich brown can work well for this.
Green Eyes
To complement your green eyes, look to earthy tones, such as brown, dark green, or tortoiseshell. These shades can make those gold flecks in your eyes even more noticeable.
Purple and magenta are both great choices for contrast. They’ll make your eyes look even more vivid.
Hazel Eyes
Earthy-toned green frames complement hazel eyes perfectly. They can bring out the green undertones that make your eyes sparkle.
For a striking look, burgundy or deep plum can provide contrast.
Gray Eyes
Want to complement your gray eyes? Silver or gunmetal frames are a good choice and provide a sleek look.
You could also try edgy black or navy-blue frames. They’ll offer contrast to your steely-colored eyes.
TL;DR
What is the most attractive eye color? It’s not a straightforward question to answer since attractiveness is often subjective. However, survey and experiment results can give us an overall idea.
- One survey found that green, hazel, and light blue eyes were most attractive. This makes sense, as they’re rarer eye colors.
- An experiment done on dating apps found that hazel was the most attractive eye color in women. For men, the most attractive eye color was blue.
- On Reddit, many people answered the question about eye attractiveness differently. Many chose hazel, green, and blue.
- There are also other factors that go into eye attractiveness, such as limbal rings and a bright sclera. Some studies have also linked personality traits to eye color.
- If you’re curious about trying out a new eye color, you can use colored contacts, such as AIR OPTIX COLORS or Dailies Colors.
- You can also strategically pick glasses that complement or contrast well with your eye color to make them stand out more.
