diff --git a/frontend/app/package.json b/frontend/app/package.json
index 1c691242b0..5ff2bc4cbf 100644
--- a/frontend/app/package.json
+++ b/frontend/app/package.json
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@
         "@open-ic/open-storage-agent": "^0.1.6",
         "@sveltejs/svelte-virtual-list": "^3.0.1",
         "drange": "^2.0.1",
-        "emoji-picker-element": "^1.11.2",
+        "emoji-picker-element": "git+https://github.com/hpeebles/emoji-picker-element.git#716e3a30a87e7f7e471f90bebe1af93d90d866ff",
         "idb": "^6.1.5",
         "identicon.js": "^2.3.3",
         "intl-tel-input": "^17.0.16",
diff --git a/frontend/app/src/components/home/Markdown.svelte b/frontend/app/src/components/home/Markdown.svelte
index 1e64166357..58abf9b558 100644
--- a/frontend/app/src/components/home/Markdown.svelte
+++ b/frontend/app/src/components/home/Markdown.svelte
@@ -15,17 +15,13 @@
     export let suppressLinks: boolean = false;
 
     let sanitized = "unsafe";
-    let singleEmoji = false;
 
+    $: singleEmoji = isSingleEmoji(text);
     $: userStore = client.userStore;
     $: options = {
         breaks: !oneLine,
     };
 
-    $: {
-        isSingleEmoji(text).then((b) => singleEmoji = b);
-    }
-
     function replaceUserIds(text: string): string {
         return text.replace(/@UserId\(([\d\w-]+)\)/g, (match, p1) => {
             const u = $userStore[p1];
diff --git a/frontend/app/src/utils/emojis.ts b/frontend/app/src/utils/emojis.ts
index 91d5909264..03974b57ff 100644
--- a/frontend/app/src/utils/emojis.ts
+++ b/frontend/app/src/utils/emojis.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,26 @@
 import { Database } from "emoji-picker-element";
 
+const emojiSet = new Set<string>();
+let initializing = false;
+
 export const emojiDatabase = new Database();
 
-export async function isSingleEmoji(text: string): Promise<boolean> {
-    return text.length > 0 && (await emojiDatabase.getEmojiByUnicodeOrName(text)) !== null;
+export function isSingleEmoji(text: string): boolean {
+    initEmojiSet();
+    return emojiSet.has(text);
 }
+
+function initEmojiSet() {
+    if (emojiSet.size > 0 || initializing) return;
+    initializing = true;
+
+    emojiDatabase
+        .getAllNativeEmojis()
+        .then((emojis) => emojis.forEach((e) => {
+            emojiSet.add(e.unicode);
+            e.skins?.forEach((s) => emojiSet.add(s.unicode));
+        }))
+        .finally(() => initializing = false);
+}
+
+initEmojiSet();
diff --git a/frontend/package-lock.json b/frontend/package-lock.json
index 76d0be3fb0..f4ae0670b9 100644
--- a/frontend/package-lock.json
+++ b/frontend/package-lock.json
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         "@open-ic/open-storage-agent": "^0.1.6",
         "@sveltejs/svelte-virtual-list": "^3.0.1",
         "drange": "^2.0.1",
-        "emoji-picker-element": "^1.11.2",
+        "emoji-picker-element": "git+https://github.com/hpeebles/emoji-picker-element.git#716e3a30a87e7f7e471f90bebe1af93d90d866ff",
         "idb": "^6.1.5",
         "identicon.js": "^2.3.3",
         "intl-tel-input": "^17.0.16",
@@ -6859,6 +6859,8 @@
     },
     "node_modules/emoji-picker-element": {
       "version": "1.13.0",
+      "resolved": "git+ssh://git@github.com/hpeebles/emoji-picker-element.git#716e3a30a87e7f7e471f90bebe1af93d90d866ff",
+      "integrity": "sha512-/DJeFgR2s578Sxw9OniADMqGIEfAPNgqWiA9m4GalLwz1HrVtJPw9sRzJtbX59hyF3TL0jaiiBuNO5VmlJzeYA==",
       "license": "Apache-2.0"
     },
     "node_modules/emoji-regex": {
@@ -20911,7 +20913,9 @@
       "version": "0.10.2"
     },
     "emoji-picker-element": {
-      "version": "1.13.0"
+      "version": "git+ssh://git@github.com/hpeebles/emoji-picker-element.git#716e3a30a87e7f7e471f90bebe1af93d90d866ff",
+      "integrity": "sha512-/DJeFgR2s578Sxw9OniADMqGIEfAPNgqWiA9m4GalLwz1HrVtJPw9sRzJtbX59hyF3TL0jaiiBuNO5VmlJzeYA==",
+      "from": "emoji-picker-element@git+https://github.com/hpeebles/emoji-picker-element.git#716e3a30a87e7f7e471f90bebe1af93d90d866ff"
     },
     "emoji-regex": {
       "version": "8.0.0"
@@ -24365,7 +24369,7 @@
         "dompurify": "^2.3.10",
         "dotenv": "^10.0.0",
         "drange": "^2.0.1",
-        "emoji-picker-element": "^1.11.2",
+        "emoji-picker-element": "git+https://github.com/hpeebles/emoji-picker-element.git#716e3a30a87e7f7e471f90bebe1af93d90d866ff",
         "eslint": "^7.32.0",
         "eslint-config-prettier": "^8.5.0",
         "eslint-plugin-prettier": "^3.4.1",