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Salesforce Lightning Design System 2 (Beta) and Salesforce Cosmos Theme

Publish Date: Apr 4, 2025
Description

Overview

Salesforce Lightning Design System 2 (SLDS 2) is the latest design system for Salesforce products built on the Lightning platform. It combines the new Salesforce Cosmos theme with an enhanced design architecture and updated tools. The design system is a free offering and provides customization options for developers, admins, designers, and partners. SLDS 2 allows users to create branded experiences and configure them with reusable UI components, guidelines, and tools.  

In the 256 release, Themes and Branding allows users to create custom themes that represent their brand using an enriched color palette and new color accents using clicks only.

Salesforce Cosmos is the first theme available in Salesforce Lightning Design System 2 (SLDS 2 beta). Cosmos, which was released in Winter '25 and used to be called Enhanced Lightning User Interface (UI), is a new, easy to use design. It has circular patterns, easy-to-understand icons, new colors, and better typography.


For full background see:

 

When Will Salesforce Implement These Changes?

Salesforce Cosmos theme is GA for certain products/editions, while SLDS 2 and its supporting features (T&B, Densification, SLDS 2 Architecture) is Beta for all products/editions.

Detailed info on Salesforce Cosmos/SLDS 2 Availability by Salesforce Product and Feature can be found here. 


When available, customers can opt in and turn on the Salesforce Cosmos theme and SLDS 2 by activating Salesforce Cosmos thru Themes & Branding.

Resolution

Potential Issues

Despite best efforts to ensure SLDS 2 readiness, we expect some bugs will arise from custom style overrides conflicting with the new design system.  Customers may note visual errors.


The visual error could result from a few different use cases.  Sample common scenarios are outlined below:


Scenario 1:  A new or existing org is using the Salesforce Cosmos theme in a product where the new theme is GA. It's possible that an add-on, or another particular experience is not yet uplifted to the new theme. 

Solution:  If the visual errors for the product that is not SLDS 2 compatible are significant, turn off SLDS 2.


Scenario 2: An existing org is using the Salesforce Cosmos theme/SLDS 2 beta and notes a visual error that is a result of custom style overrides.

Solution:   Review the https://www.lightningdesignsystem.com.  Specifically, review Transition to SLDS 2 section and Developer section to help with understanding where components might be broken.


Scenario 3:. An existing org is using the Salesforce Cosmos theme in a cloud that is not yet uplifted: eg Marketing Cloud. 

Solution: turn off SLDS 2. until the cloud is supported.



When Support is Required

 

FOR ALL ISSUES - Deactivating SLDS 2 will fix bugs immediately.

Additional Resources

FAQs

  1. Difference between Salesforce Cosmos Theme and SLDS 2?

Salesforce Cosmos Theme: This is a new visual design for Salesforce.  It changes how things look with new colors, icons, and layouts.  It's being rolled out, and is available in some Salesforce orgs.

SLDS 2: This is the underlying feature.  It's a bigger change that includes the Cosmos theme, plus new tools, ways to customize, and behind-the-scenes improvements. SLDS 2 is still in testing (beta), even if the Cosmos theme itself is released (GA).

The Cosmos theme is the new look, and SLDS 2 is the new design system that includes that theme and a lot more. Customers may have the new theme (Cosmos) even if the new design system (SLDS 2) isn't fully available in the org. 

  1.  How does SLDS 2 differ from SLDS 1?

SLDS 2 introduces a decoupled CSS architecture, allowing for greater customization without being tied to predefined design choices. This version enhances branding capabilities, provides a modern default theme called Salesforce Cosmos, and lays the foundation for future features like dark mode and AI-driven experiences.

  1. Availability by product and edition: 

Check the availability table to determine if a specific product and edition have the Salesforce Cosmos Theme GA or if it's in Beta. SLDS 2 features are generally Beta across all products/editions.



Resources

Trailblazer Community Resources

Additional Documentation: 

Blogs:

More Resources:

Knowledge Article Number

004633525

 
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