diff --git a/components/normalizer/src/lib.rs b/components/normalizer/src/lib.rs
index c95a5a786bb..96bd65c93f7 100644
--- a/components/normalizer/src/lib.rs
+++ b/components/normalizer/src/lib.rs
@@ -179,7 +179,19 @@ const SPECIAL_NON_STARTER_DECOMPOSITION_MARKER_U16: u16 = 2;
 
 /// Marker that a complex decomposition isn't round-trippable
 /// under re-composition.
-const NON_ROUND_TRIP_MARKER: u16 = 1;
+///
+/// TODO: When taking a data format break, swap this and
+/// `BACKWARD_COMBINING_STARTER_DECOMPOSITION_MARKER` around
+/// to make backward-combiningness use the same bit in all
+/// cases.
+const NON_ROUND_TRIP_MARKER: u16 = 0b1;
+
+/// Marker that a complex decomposition starts with a starter
+/// that can combine backwards.
+const BACKWARD_COMBINING_STARTER_DECOMPOSITION_MARKER: u16 = 0b10;
+
+/// Values above this are treated as a BMP character.
+const HIGHEST_MARKER: u16 = NON_ROUND_TRIP_MARKER | BACKWARD_COMBINING_STARTER_DECOMPOSITION_MARKER;
 
 /// Checks if a trie value carries a (non-zero) canonical
 /// combining class.
@@ -398,6 +410,7 @@ impl CharacterAndTrieValue {
     pub fn can_combine_backwards(&self) -> bool {
         decomposition_starts_with_non_starter(self.trie_val)
             || self.trie_val == BACKWARD_COMBINING_STARTER_MARKER
+            || (((self.trie_val as u16) & !1) == BACKWARD_COMBINING_STARTER_DECOMPOSITION_MARKER && (self.trie_val >> 16) != 0) // Combine with the previous condition when taking a data format break
             || in_inclusive_range32(self.trie_val, 0x1161, 0x11C2)
     }
     #[inline(always)]
@@ -426,7 +439,7 @@ impl CharacterAndTrieValue {
         if lead == 0 {
             return true;
         }
-        if lead == NON_ROUND_TRIP_MARKER {
+        if lead <= HIGHEST_MARKER {
             return false;
         }
         if (trail_or_complex & 0x7F) == 0x3C
@@ -830,14 +843,14 @@ where
                 } else {
                     let trail_or_complex = (decomposition >> 16) as u16;
                     let lead = decomposition as u16;
-                    if lead > NON_ROUND_TRIP_MARKER && trail_or_complex != 0 {
+                    if lead > HIGHEST_MARKER && trail_or_complex != 0 {
                         // Decomposition into two BMP characters: starter and non-starter
                         let starter = char_from_u16(lead);
                         let combining = char_from_u16(trail_or_complex);
                         self.buffer
                             .push(CharacterAndClass::new_with_placeholder(combining));
                         (starter, 0)
-                    } else if lead > NON_ROUND_TRIP_MARKER {
+                    } else if trail_or_complex == 0 {
                         if lead != FDFA_MARKER {
                             debug_assert_ne!(
                                 lead, SPECIAL_NON_STARTER_DECOMPOSITION_MARKER_U16,
diff --git a/components/normalizer/src/properties.rs b/components/normalizer/src/properties.rs
index 58878ae5486..88c06ddf0e2 100644
--- a/components/normalizer/src/properties.rs
+++ b/components/normalizer/src/properties.rs
@@ -396,17 +396,7 @@ impl CanonicalDecompositionBorrowed<'_> {
             let offset24 = offset - tables.scalars16.len();
             if let Some(first_c) = tables.scalars24.get(offset24) {
                 if len == 1 {
-                    if c != first_c {
-                        return Decomposed::Singleton(first_c);
-                    } else {
-                        // Singleton representation used to avoid
-                        // NFC passthrough of characters that combine
-                        // with starters that can occur as the first
-                        // character of an expansion decomposition.
-                        // See section 5 of
-                        // https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2024/24009-utc178-properties-recs.pdf
-                        return Decomposed::Default;
-                    }
+                    return Decomposed::Singleton(first_c);
                 }
                 if let Some(second_c) = tables.scalars24.get(offset24 + 1) {
                     return Decomposed::Expansion(first_c, second_c);