Glossy Aqua Button: CSS Button Style & Animation

Glossy Aqua Button

A skeuomorphic, candy-like pill with a glass highlight across its top half. On hover light wells up from the bottom and throbs slowly, like the default button in early Mac OS X.

Also known as: web 2.0 glossy button, skeuomorphic button css, aqua button.

Color Base size 18px Dark background Hold hover state

HTML

<button class="btn-glossy-aqua"><span class="btn-glossy-aqua-label">Download</span></button>

CSS

.btn-glossy-aqua {
  --c: var(--btn-color, #3b82f6);
  display: inline-flex;
  align-items: center;
  justify-content: center;
  gap: 0.5em;
  font: 600 var(--btn-size, 18px)/1.2 system-ui, sans-serif;
  cursor: pointer;
  position: relative;
  isolation: isolate;
  padding: 0.8em 2.3em;
  border: 1px solid color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 55%, #000);
  border-radius: 2em;
  background: linear-gradient(color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 65%, #fff), var(--c) 50%, color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 82%, #000) 50%, color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 85%, #fff));
  color: #fff;
  text-shadow: 0 -1px 0 color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 50%, #000);
  box-shadow: 0 0.15em 0.35em rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3), inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5);
  transition: box-shadow 0.3s ease;}
.btn-glossy-aqua::before {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  top: 1px;
  left: 0.8em;
  right: 0.8em;
  height: 48%;
  border-radius: 2em 2em 1em 1em / 1.2em 1.2em 0.5em 0.5em;
  background: linear-gradient(rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.85), rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.12));
  opacity: 0.85;
  pointer-events: none;
  transition: opacity 0.3s ease;
}
.btn-glossy-aqua::after {
  content: "";
  position: absolute;
  inset: 0;
  z-index: -1;
  border-radius: inherit;
  background: radial-gradient(ellipse 60% 75% at 50% 100%, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7), transparent 70%);
  opacity: 0;
  transition: opacity 0.4s ease;
}
.btn-glossy-aqua-label { position: relative; }
.btn-glossy-aqua:is(:hover, :focus-visible) {
  box-shadow: 0 0.3em 0.8em color-mix(in srgb, var(--c) 50%, transparent), inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6);
}
.btn-glossy-aqua:is(:hover, :focus-visible)::before { opacity: 1; }
.btn-glossy-aqua:is(:hover, :focus-visible)::after {
  opacity: 1;
  animation: btn-glossy-aqua-throb 1.6s ease-in-out 0.4s infinite;
}
@keyframes btn-glossy-aqua-throb {
  50% { opacity: 0.35; }
}

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  .btn-glossy-aqua, .btn-glossy-aqua *, .btn-glossy-aqua::before, .btn-glossy-aqua::after, .btn-glossy-aqua *::before, .btn-glossy-aqua *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    animation-iteration-count: 1 !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

Customizing this snippet

Color: set --btn-color on the element or a parent. Currently previewing #3b82f6.
Base size: set --btn-size. Every other dimension is in em, so the whole thing scales together. Currently previewing 18px.
Speed: change the duration on the transition or animation shorthand. Staggered delays are relative, so they keep their rhythm.
Reduced motion: the rule at the end of the CSS turns the motion off for people who asked their OS for less of it. Keep it.

Glossy Aqua Button

HTML

CSS

Customizing this snippet

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