diff --git a/@commitlint/parse/package.json b/@commitlint/parse/package.json
index 4123d88c53..d590314b6b 100644
--- a/@commitlint/parse/package.json
+++ b/@commitlint/parse/package.json
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "conventional-changelog-angular": "^1.3.3",
-    "conventional-commits-parser": "^2.1.0"
+    "conventional-commits-parser": "^2.1.0",
+    "lodash": "^4.17.11"
   }
 }
diff --git a/@commitlint/parse/src/index.js b/@commitlint/parse/src/index.js
index 0c71d40e2f..363e81a382 100644
--- a/@commitlint/parse/src/index.js
+++ b/@commitlint/parse/src/index.js
@@ -1,15 +1,12 @@
 import {sync} from 'conventional-commits-parser';
 import defaultChangelogOpts from 'conventional-changelog-angular';
+import {merge} from 'lodash';
 
 export default parse;
 
 async function parse(message, parser = sync, parserOpts) {
-	if (!parserOpts || Object.keys(parserOpts || {}).length === 0) {
-		const changelogOpts = await defaultChangelogOpts;
-		parserOpts = changelogOpts.parserOpts;
-	}
-
-	const parsed = parser(message, parserOpts);
+	const defaultOpts = (await defaultChangelogOpts).parserOpts;
+	const parsed = parser(message, merge({}, defaultOpts, parserOpts));
 	parsed.raw = message;
 	return parsed;
 }
diff --git a/@commitlint/parse/src/index.test.js b/@commitlint/parse/src/index.test.js
index 78d7aa7d73..80b26a542a 100644
--- a/@commitlint/parse/src/index.test.js
+++ b/@commitlint/parse/src/index.test.js
@@ -164,3 +164,28 @@ test('parses custom references', async t => {
 		repository: null
 	});
 });
+
+test('uses permissive default regex without parser opts', async t => {
+	const message = 'chore(component,demo): bump';
+	const actual = await parse(message);
+
+	t.is(actual.scope, 'component,demo');
+});
+
+test('uses permissive default regex with other parser opts', async t => {
+	const message = 'chore(component,demo): bump';
+	const actual = await parse(message, undefined, {commentChar: '#'});
+
+	t.is(actual.scope, 'component,demo');
+});
+
+test('uses restrictive default regex in passed parser opts', async t => {
+	const message = 'chore(component,demo): bump';
+	const actual = await parse(message, undefined, {
+		headerPattern: /^(\w*)(?:\(([a-z]*)\))?: (.*)$/
+	});
+
+	t.is(actual.subject, null);
+	t.is(actual.message, undefined);
+	t.is(actual.scope, null);
+});
diff --git a/yarn.lock b/yarn.lock
index 83c695a60b..203f3496b9 100644
--- a/yarn.lock
+++ b/yarn.lock
@@ -5995,7 +5995,7 @@ lodash.zip@^4.2.0:
   version "4.2.0"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/lodash.zip/-/lodash.zip-4.2.0.tgz#ec6662e4896408ed4ab6c542a3990b72cc080020"
 
-lodash@4.17.11, lodash@^4.0.0, lodash@^4.17.10:
+lodash@4.17.11, lodash@^4.0.0, lodash@^4.17.10, lodash@^4.17.11:
   version "4.17.11"
   resolved "https://registry.npmjs.org/lodash/-/lodash-4.17.11.tgz#b39ea6229ef607ecd89e2c8df12536891cac9b8d"
   integrity sha512-cQKh8igo5QUhZ7lg38DYWAxMvjSAKG0A8wGSVimP07SIUEK2UO+arSRKbRZWtelMtN5V0Hkwh5ryOto/SshYIg==