diff --git a/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp b/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp
index 57088dd2b..dfcc79ec0 100644
--- a/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp
+++ b/include/mapnik/text/harfbuzz_shaper.hpp
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ static void shape_text(text_line & line,
                 {
                     c.push_back({face, glyphs[i], positions[i]});
                 }
-                if (c.front().glyph.codepoint == 0)
+                else if (c.front().glyph.codepoint == 0)
                 {
                     c.front() = { face, glyphs[i], positions[i] };
                 }