diff --git a/modules/@angular/platform-browser/src/security/html_sanitizer.ts b/modules/@angular/platform-browser/src/security/html_sanitizer.ts
index 28b4bf0b0e..7b7908c043 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/platform-browser/src/security/html_sanitizer.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/platform-browser/src/security/html_sanitizer.ts
@@ -231,11 +231,11 @@ function stripCustomNsAttrs(el: any) {
  * Sanitizes the given unsafe, untrusted HTML fragment, and returns HTML text that is safe to add to
  * the DOM in a browser environment.
  */
-export function sanitizeHtml(unsafeHtml: string): string {
+export function sanitizeHtml(unsafeHtmlInput: string): string {
   try {
-    let containerEl = getInertElement();
+    const containerEl = getInertElement();
     // Make sure unsafeHtml is actually a string (TypeScript types are not enforced at runtime).
-    unsafeHtml = unsafeHtml ? String(unsafeHtml) : '';
+    let unsafeHtml = unsafeHtmlInput ? String(unsafeHtmlInput) : '';
 
     // mXSS protection. Repeatedly parse the document to make sure it stabilizes, so that a browser
     // trying to auto-correct incorrect HTML cannot cause formerly inert HTML to become dangerous.
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ export function sanitizeHtml(unsafeHtml: string): string {
       DOM.removeChild(parent, child);
     }
 
-    if (isDevMode() && safeHtml !== unsafeHtml) {
+    if (isDevMode() && safeHtml !== unsafeHtmlInput) {
       DOM.log('WARNING: sanitizing HTML stripped some content.');
     }
 
diff --git a/modules/@angular/platform-browser/test/security/html_sanitizer_spec.ts b/modules/@angular/platform-browser/test/security/html_sanitizer_spec.ts
index 3b86ceb0a2..944496633e 100644
--- a/modules/@angular/platform-browser/test/security/html_sanitizer_spec.ts
+++ b/modules/@angular/platform-browser/test/security/html_sanitizer_spec.ts
@@ -51,6 +51,10 @@ export function main() {
       t.expect(sanitizeHtml('<?pi nodes?>no.')).toEqual('no.');
       t.expect(logMsgs.join('\n')).toMatch(/sanitizing HTML stripped some content/);
     });
+    t.it('supports sanitizing escaped entities', () => {
+      t.expect(sanitizeHtml('&#128640;')).toEqual('&#128640;');
+      t.expect(logMsgs).toEqual([]);
+    });
     t.it('escapes entities', () => {
       t.expect(sanitizeHtml('<p>Hello &lt; World</p>')).toEqual('<p>Hello &lt; World</p>');
       t.expect(sanitizeHtml('<p>Hello < World</p>')).toEqual('<p>Hello &lt; World</p>');