Smoke Loader
Soft puffs of smoke curl up from a glowing ember, swelling and fading as they drift side to side, like incense. Each puff is a blurred radial gradient on a staggered delay, so the plume never breaks.
Also known as: smoke animation css, rising smoke effect, incense smoke loader.
HTML
<div class="ldr-smoke" role="status" aria-label="Loading"> <span style="--i: 0"></span><span style="--i: 1"></span><span style="--i: 2"></span><span style="--i: 3"></span> <span style="--i: 4"></span><span style="--i: 5"></span><span style="--i: 6"></span><span style="--i: 7"></span> </div>
CSS
.ldr-smoke {
--s: var(--ldr-size, 48px);
--c: var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6);
position: relative;
width: calc(var(--s) * 0.9);
height: calc(var(--s) * 1.2);
}
.ldr-smoke::before {
content: "";
position: absolute;
bottom: 0;
left: 50%;
width: calc(var(--s) * 0.1);
height: calc(var(--s) * 0.1);
margin-left: calc(var(--s) * -0.05);
border-radius: 50%;
background: var(--c);
box-shadow: 0 0 calc(var(--s) / 6) color-mix(in srgb, var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6) 70%, transparent);
}
.ldr-smoke span {
position: absolute;
bottom: calc(var(--s) * 0.02);
left: 50%;
width: calc(var(--s) * 0.44);
height: calc(var(--s) * 0.44);
margin-left: calc(var(--s) * -0.22);
border-radius: 50%;
background: radial-gradient(closest-side, color-mix(in srgb, var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6) 75%, transparent), color-mix(in srgb, var(--ldr-color, #3b82f6) 35%, transparent) 60%, transparent);
filter: blur(calc(var(--s) / 28));
opacity: 0;
animation: ldr-smoke-rise 3.2s ease-in-out infinite;
animation-delay: calc(var(--i) * -0.4s);
}
@keyframes ldr-smoke-rise {
0% { transform: translate(0, 0) scale(0.2); opacity: 0; }
10% { opacity: 1; }
35% { transform: translate(calc(var(--s) * 0.1), calc(var(--s) * -0.26)) scale(0.55); }
65% { transform: translate(calc(var(--s) * -0.1), calc(var(--s) * -0.54)) scale(0.95); opacity: 0.75; }
100% { transform: translate(calc(var(--s) * 0.06), calc(var(--s) * -0.8)) scale(1.4); opacity: 0; }
}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
.ldr-smoke, .ldr-smoke *, .ldr-smoke::before, .ldr-smoke::after, .ldr-smoke *::before, .ldr-smoke *::after {
animation-duration: 3s;
}
}Customizing this loader
- Color: set
--ldr-coloron the element or a parent. Currently previewing#3b82f6. - Size: set
--ldr-size. Every dimension in the snippet is derived from it. Currently previewing64px. - Speed: change the duration on the
animationshorthand. Delays on the children are relative, so they keep their rhythm. - Accessibility: the root carries
role="status"and anaria-labelso screen readers announce the wait. The reduced-motion rule at the end slows the animation for users who asked for less motion.