Glassmorphism: A Practical Guide for Developers

Glassmorphism is one of those design trends that looks incredible when done right — and terrible when done wrong. Here's how to implement it properly.

The Core Properties

Glassmorphism relies on three CSS properties working together:

.glass {

background: oklch(1 0 0 / 5%);

backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(1.4);

-webkit-backdrop-filter: blur(12px) saturate(1.4); /* Safari */

border: 1px solid oklch(1 0 0 / 10%);

}

Critical Pitfall: Overflow Hidden

The most common mistake: placing a glass element inside a container with `overflow: hidden`. This clips the backdrop-filter rendering, causing the blur to apply to the clipped region only.

**Solution:** Never set `overflow: hidden` on a parent of a glass element. Use `overflow: clip` for layout clipping without affecting backdrop-filter.

Performance Considerations

`backdrop-filter` triggers GPU compositing, which means:

- Blur values above 20px can cause visible frame drops on mobile

- Animating backdrop-filter is expensive — animate opacity or transform instead

- Limit glass elements per viewport — 3-4 is usually the sweet spot

Dark Mode Glass

On dark backgrounds, glass elements need more opacity to be visible:

/* Light background */

.glass-light { background: oklch(1 0 0 / 5%); }

/* Dark background */

.glass-dark { background: oklch(1 0 0 / 8%); }

Browser Support

`backdrop-filter` has near-universal support in 2026, but always include the `-webkit-` prefix for Safari compatibility. Check Can I Use for the latest data.