diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/schema.json b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/schema.json
index dba0d9a48953..df51a24a980a 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/schema.json
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/schema.json
@@ -162,6 +162,11 @@
                       "type": "boolean",
                       "description": "Extract and inline critical CSS definitions to improve first paint time.",
                       "default": true
+                    },
+                    "removeSpecialComments": {
+                      "type": "boolean",
+                      "description": "Remove comments in global CSS that contains '@license' or '@preserve' or that starts with '//!' or '/*!'.",
+                      "default": true
                     }
                   },
                   "additionalProperties": false
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/inline-critical_spec.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/optimization-inline-critical_spec.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/inline-critical_spec.ts
rename to packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/optimization-inline-critical_spec.ts
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/optimization-remove-special-comments_spec.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/optimization-remove-special-comments_spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..9a8ede16af23
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/builders/application/tests/options/optimization-remove-special-comments_spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright Google LLC All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ * Use of this source code is governed by an MIT-style license that can be
+ * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.io/license
+ */
+
+import { buildApplication } from '../../index';
+import { APPLICATION_BUILDER_INFO, BASE_OPTIONS, describeBuilder } from '../setup';
+
+describeBuilder(buildApplication, APPLICATION_BUILDER_INFO, (harness) => {
+  describe('Behavior: "removeSpecialComments"', () => {
+    beforeEach(async () => {
+      await harness.writeFile(
+        'src/styles.css',
+        `
+          /* normal-comment */
+          /*! important-comment */
+          div { flex: 1 }
+        `,
+      );
+    });
+
+    it(`should retain special comments when 'removeSpecialComments' is set to 'false'`, async () => {
+      harness.useTarget('build', {
+        ...BASE_OPTIONS,
+        extractLicenses: true,
+        styles: ['src/styles.css'],
+        optimization: {
+          styles: {
+            removeSpecialComments: false,
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      const { result } = await harness.executeOnce();
+      expect(result?.success).toBeTrue();
+
+      harness
+        .expectFile('dist/browser/styles.css')
+        .content.toMatch(/\/\*! important-comment \*\/[\s\S]*div{flex:1}/);
+    });
+
+    it(`should not retain special comments when 'removeSpecialComments' is set to 'true'`, async () => {
+      harness.useTarget('build', {
+        ...BASE_OPTIONS,
+        extractLicenses: true,
+        styles: ['src/styles.css'],
+        optimization: {
+          styles: {
+            removeSpecialComments: true,
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      const { result } = await harness.executeOnce();
+      expect(result?.success).toBeTrue();
+
+      harness.expectFile('dist/browser/styles.css').content.not.toContain('important-comment');
+    });
+
+    it(`should not retain special comments when 'removeSpecialComments' is not set`, async () => {
+      harness.useTarget('build', {
+        ...BASE_OPTIONS,
+        extractLicenses: true,
+        styles: ['src/styles.css'],
+        optimization: {
+          styles: {},
+        },
+      });
+
+      const { result } = await harness.executeOnce();
+      expect(result?.success).toBeTrue();
+
+      harness.expectFile('dist/browser/styles.css').content.not.toContain('important-comment');
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/tools/esbuild/global-styles.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/tools/esbuild/global-styles.ts
index e326bddbde8d..640e6bcd05fc 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/tools/esbuild/global-styles.ts
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/tools/esbuild/global-styles.ts
@@ -65,7 +65,13 @@ export function createGlobalStylesBundleOptions(
       },
       loadCache,
     );
-    buildOptions.legalComments = options.extractLicenses ? 'none' : 'eof';
+
+    // Keep special CSS comments `/*! comment */` in place when `removeSpecialComments` is disabled.
+    // These comments are special for a number of CSS tools such as Critters and PurgeCSS.
+    buildOptions.legalComments = optimizationOptions.styles?.removeSpecialComments
+      ? 'none'
+      : 'inline';
+
     buildOptions.entryPoints = entryPoints;
 
     buildOptions.plugins.unshift(
diff --git a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/utils/normalize-optimization.ts b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/utils/normalize-optimization.ts
index 9bbf455b86f5..2458a3669a6c 100644
--- a/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/utils/normalize-optimization.ts
+++ b/packages/angular_devkit/build_angular/src/utils/normalize-optimization.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import {
   OptimizationClass,
   OptimizationUnion,
   StylesClass,
-} from '../builders/browser/schema';
+} from '../builders/application/schema';
 
 export type NormalizedOptimizationOptions = Required<
   Omit<OptimizationClass, 'fonts' | 'styles'>
@@ -24,14 +24,17 @@ export function normalizeOptimization(
   optimization: OptimizationUnion = true,
 ): NormalizedOptimizationOptions {
   if (typeof optimization === 'object') {
+    const styleOptimization = !!optimization.styles;
+
     return {
       scripts: !!optimization.scripts,
       styles:
         typeof optimization.styles === 'object'
           ? optimization.styles
           : {
-              minify: !!optimization.styles,
-              inlineCritical: !!optimization.styles,
+              minify: styleOptimization,
+              removeSpecialComments: styleOptimization,
+              inlineCritical: styleOptimization,
             },
       fonts:
         typeof optimization.fonts === 'object'
@@ -47,6 +50,7 @@ export function normalizeOptimization(
     styles: {
       minify: optimization,
       inlineCritical: optimization,
+      removeSpecialComments: optimization,
     },
     fonts: {
       inline: optimization,