A multi-tonal category, commonly described as a mix of brown, green and gold, often with a darker ring around the outer iris and lighter, more varied colour toward the centre.
brown-leaning
One illustrative point within the hazel range — hazel eyes typically show more than one visible tone.
green-leaning
A second illustrative point within the hazel range.
Genuinely mixed — commonly both warm (brown/gold) and cooler (green) tones in the same iris.
How much of the iris reads as brown versus green versus gold varies by individual, by lighting, and by which part of the iris an observer focuses on.
Frequently described as shifting between more green, more brown or more gold depending on the light and surrounding colours.
One of the categories most affected by white balance — the same eyes can photograph as green in one shot and brown in another.
Reliable estimates for hazel eyes specifically are hard to compare across sources, because studies differ in whether they treat hazel as its own category or merge it with light brown, amber or green.
Hazel is frequently merged with light brown, amber or green depending on the classification system, making cross-study comparison unreliable. No global figure is stated here for this reason.
Styling ideas below are optional and editorial — never rules, and never a claim that one colour choice is objectively correct for anyone.
Confidence: medium. Geographic scope: Reported across many regions; definitions vary enough that cross-study comparison is difficult.