diff --git a/scripts/build-data.js b/scripts/build-data.js
index 6ce7cf708..92c75a44d 100644
--- a/scripts/build-data.js
+++ b/scripts/build-data.js
@@ -32,10 +32,6 @@ emojiData.forEach((datum) => {
   datum.name || (datum.name = datum.short_name.replace(/\-/g, ' '))
   datum.name = inflection.titleize(datum.name || '')
 
-  if (datum.variations && datum.variations.length) {
-    datum.unified = datum.variations.shift()
-  }
-
   if (datum.category == 'Flags') {
     datum.name = datum.name.replace(/\s(\w+)$/, (letters) => letters.toUpperCase())
   }
diff --git a/src/utils/index.js b/src/utils/index.js
index f65a68efd..e00c47dab 100644
--- a/src/utils/index.js
+++ b/src/utils/index.js
@@ -75,6 +75,10 @@ function getData(emoji, skin, set) {
         variationKey = `${emojiData.unified}-${skinKey}`,
         variationData = emojiData.skin_variations[variationKey]
 
+    if (!variationData.variations && emojiData.variations) {
+      delete emojiData.variations
+    }
+
     if (variationData[`has_img_${set}`]) {
       emojiData.skin_tone = skin
 
@@ -85,6 +89,11 @@ function getData(emoji, skin, set) {
     }
   }
 
+  if (emojiData.variations && emojiData.variations.length) {
+    emojiData = JSON.parse(JSON.stringify(emojiData))
+    emojiData.unified = emojiData.variations.shift()
+  }
+
   return emojiData
 }