Clear cases are a great way to add some extra protection to your iPhone or Android phone without covering up its color and design. However, one problem with some clear cases is they take on a yellow hue over time. Why is that?
Clear phone cases don’t actually turn yellow over time, they get more yellow. All clear cases have a natural yellow tint to them. The case makers usually add a small amount of blue dye to offset the yellow, making it appear more crystal clear.
The materials play a big role in this as well. Not all clear cases get as yellow over time. Hard, inflexible clear cases don’t suffer from this nearly as much. It’s the cheap, soft, flexible TPU cases that get the yellowest.
This natural aging process is called “material degradation.” There are several different environmental factors that contribute to it.
There are two main offenders that accelerate the aging process of clear phone case materials. The first is ultraviolet light, which you mostly encounter from the sun.
Ultraviolet light is a type of radiation. Over time, it breaks down the various chemical bonds that hold together the long polymer molecule chains that make up the case. This creates many shorter chains, which accentuates the natural yellow color.
Heat also accelerates this process. Heat from the sun and—more likely—heat from your hand. Speaking of hands, your skin is the second offender. More accurately, the natural oils on your skin.
All of the natural oils, sweat, and grease that everyone has on their hands can build up over time. Nothing is truly perfectly clear, so it all adds to the natural yellowing. Even cases that aren’t clear can slightly change in color due to this.
Post time: Oct-18-2022