diff --git a/Content.Server/Chat/Systems/ChatSystem.cs b/Content.Server/Chat/Systems/ChatSystem.cs
index a582bfe80b0..8e4509d7115 100644
--- a/Content.Server/Chat/Systems/ChatSystem.cs
+++ b/Content.Server/Chat/Systems/ChatSystem.cs
@@ -756,6 +756,8 @@ private string SanitizeInGameICMessage(EntityUid source, string message, out str
         var newMessage = message.Trim();
         newMessage = SanitizeMessageReplaceWords(newMessage);
 
+        _sanitizer.TrySanitizeOutSmilies(newMessage, source, out newMessage, out emoteStr); // Frontier: moved up from bottom of function
+
         if (capitalize)
             newMessage = SanitizeMessageCapital(newMessage);
         if (capitalizeTheWordI)
@@ -763,8 +765,6 @@ private string SanitizeInGameICMessage(EntityUid source, string message, out str
         if (punctuate)
             newMessage = SanitizeMessagePeriod(newMessage);
 
-        _sanitizer.TrySanitizeOutSmilies(newMessage, source, out newMessage, out emoteStr);
-
         return newMessage;
     }