diff --git a/components/selectors/tree.rs b/components/selectors/tree.rs
index 7d6c1bed967..fa150def0d6 100644
--- a/components/selectors/tree.rs
+++ b/components/selectors/tree.rs
@@ -92,29 +92,10 @@ pub trait Element: Sized + Clone + Debug {
         context: &mut MatchingContext<Self::Impl>,
     ) -> bool;
 
-    /// Sets selector flags, which indicate what kinds of selectors may have
-    /// matched on this element and therefore what kind of work may need to
-    /// be performed when DOM state changes.
-    ///
-    /// You probably don't want to use this directly and want to use
-    /// apply_selector_flags, since that sets flags on the parent as needed.
-    fn set_selector_flags(&self, flags: ElementSelectorFlags);
-
-    fn apply_selector_flags(&self, flags: ElementSelectorFlags) {
-        // Handle flags that apply to the element.
-        let self_flags = flags.for_self();
-        if !self_flags.is_empty() {
-            self.set_selector_flags(self_flags);
-        }
-
-        // Handle flags that apply to the parent.
-        let parent_flags = flags.for_parent();
-        if !parent_flags.is_empty() {
-            if let Some(p) = self.parent_element() {
-                p.set_selector_flags(parent_flags);
-            }
-        }
-    }
+    /// Sets selector flags on the elemnt itself or the parent, depending on the
+    /// flags, which indicate what kind of work may need to be performed when
+    /// DOM state changes.
+    fn apply_selector_flags(&self, flags: ElementSelectorFlags);
 
     /// Whether this element is a `link`.
     fn is_link(&self) -> bool;
diff --git a/components/style/gecko/wrapper.rs b/components/style/gecko/wrapper.rs
index 0e914bc1ff5..8d4fb224639 100644
--- a/components/style/gecko/wrapper.rs
+++ b/components/style/gecko/wrapper.rs
@@ -268,6 +268,11 @@ impl<'ln> GeckoNode<'ln> {
         GeckoNode(&content._base)
     }
 
+    #[inline]
+    fn set_flags(&self, flags: u32) {
+        self.flags_atomic().fetch_or(flags, Ordering::Relaxed);
+    }
+
     #[inline]
     fn flags_atomic(&self) -> &AtomicU32 {
         use std::cell::Cell;
@@ -672,9 +677,7 @@ impl<'le> GeckoElement<'le> {
 
     #[inline]
     fn set_flags(&self, flags: u32) {
-        self.as_node()
-            .flags_atomic()
-            .fetch_or(flags, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.as_node().set_flags(flags);
     }
 
     #[inline]
@@ -1866,9 +1869,22 @@ impl<'le> ::selectors::Element for GeckoElement<'le> {
         None
     }
 
-    fn set_selector_flags(&self, flags: ElementSelectorFlags) {
-        debug_assert!(!flags.is_empty());
-        self.set_flags(selector_flags_to_node_flags(flags));
+    fn apply_selector_flags(&self, flags: ElementSelectorFlags) {
+        // Handle flags that apply to the element.
+        let self_flags = flags.for_self();
+        if !self_flags.is_empty() {
+            self.set_flags(selector_flags_to_node_flags(flags))
+        }
+
+        // Handle flags that apply to the parent.
+        let parent_flags = flags.for_parent();
+        if !parent_flags.is_empty() {
+            if let Some(p) = self.as_node().parent_node() {
+                if p.is_element() || p.is_shadow_root() {
+                    p.set_flags(selector_flags_to_node_flags(parent_flags));
+                }
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     fn attr_matches(
diff --git a/components/style/invalidation/element/element_wrapper.rs b/components/style/invalidation/element/element_wrapper.rs
index 4530c249c23..8c25153d1a8 100644
--- a/components/style/invalidation/element/element_wrapper.rs
+++ b/components/style/invalidation/element/element_wrapper.rs
@@ -238,7 +238,7 @@ where
         }
     }
 
-    fn set_selector_flags(&self, _flags: ElementSelectorFlags) {
+    fn apply_selector_flags(&self, _flags: ElementSelectorFlags) {
         debug_assert!(false, "Shouldn't need selector flags for invalidation");
     }