diff --git a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.core/src/com/oracle/svm/core/SubstrateOptions.java b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.core/src/com/oracle/svm/core/SubstrateOptions.java
index 44042d9c692c..3c7bcd48486d 100644
--- a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.core/src/com/oracle/svm/core/SubstrateOptions.java
+++ b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.core/src/com/oracle/svm/core/SubstrateOptions.java
@@ -1441,8 +1441,8 @@ public enum ReportingMode {
     public static final HostedOptionKey<AccumulatingLocatableMultiOptionValue.Strings> Preserve = new HostedOptionKey<>(AccumulatingLocatableMultiOptionValue.Strings.build());
 
     @Option(help = "Ignore classes or packages (comma separated) from the ones included with '-H:Preserve'. This can be used to workaround potential issues related to '-H:Preserve'.", type = OptionType.Debug) //
-    public static final HostedOptionKey<AccumulatingLocatableMultiOptionValue.Strings> IgnorePreserveForClasses = new HostedOptionKey<>(AccumulatingLocatableMultiOptionValue.Strings.build());
-
+    public static final HostedOptionKey<AccumulatingLocatableMultiOptionValue.Strings> IgnorePreserveForClasses = new HostedOptionKey<>(
+                    AccumulatingLocatableMultiOptionValue.Strings.buildWithCommaDelimiter());
     @Option(help = "Force include include all public types and methods that can be reached using normal Java access rules.")//
     public static final HostedOptionKey<Boolean> UseBaseLayerInclusionPolicy = new HostedOptionKey<>(false);
 
diff --git a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/image/PreserveOptionsSupport.java b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/image/PreserveOptionsSupport.java
index 6795e1f14a64..6b2387c42881 100644
--- a/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/image/PreserveOptionsSupport.java
+++ b/substratevm/src/com.oracle.svm.hosted/src/com/oracle/svm/hosted/image/PreserveOptionsSupport.java
@@ -227,7 +227,9 @@ public static void registerPreservedClasses(NativeImageClassLoaderSupport classL
         });
 
         for (String className : classLoaderSupport.getClassNamesToPreserve()) {
-            reflection.registerClassLookup(always, className);
+            if (!classesOrPackagesToIgnore.contains(className)) {
+                reflection.registerClassLookup(always, className);
+            }
         }
     }
 }