diff --git a/include/linux/memcontrol.h b/include/linux/memcontrol.h
index c691b1ac95f8..4b975111b536 100644
--- a/include/linux/memcontrol.h
+++ b/include/linux/memcontrol.h
@@ -360,12 +360,15 @@ static inline bool mem_cgroup_disabled(void)
 	return !cgroup_subsys_enabled(memory_cgrp_subsys);
 }
 
-static inline unsigned long mem_cgroup_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
-						  struct mem_cgroup *memcg,
-						  bool in_low_reclaim)
+static inline void mem_cgroup_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
+					 struct mem_cgroup *memcg,
+					 unsigned long *min,
+					 unsigned long *low)
 {
+	*min = *low = 0;
+
 	if (mem_cgroup_disabled())
-		return 0;
+		return;
 
 	/*
 	 * There is no reclaim protection applied to a targeted reclaim.
@@ -401,13 +404,10 @@ static inline unsigned long mem_cgroup_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
 	 *
 	 */
 	if (root == memcg)
-		return 0;
+		return;
 
-	if (in_low_reclaim)
-		return READ_ONCE(memcg->memory.emin);
-
-	return max(READ_ONCE(memcg->memory.emin),
-		   READ_ONCE(memcg->memory.elow));
+	*min = READ_ONCE(memcg->memory.emin);
+	*low = READ_ONCE(memcg->memory.elow);
 }
 
 void mem_cgroup_calculate_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
@@ -966,11 +966,12 @@ static inline void memcg_memory_event_mm(struct mm_struct *mm,
 {
 }
 
-static inline unsigned long mem_cgroup_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
-						  struct mem_cgroup *memcg,
-						  bool in_low_reclaim)
+static inline void mem_cgroup_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
+					 struct mem_cgroup *memcg,
+					 unsigned long *min,
+					 unsigned long *low)
 {
-	return 0;
+	*min = *low = 0;
 }
 
 static inline void mem_cgroup_calculate_protection(struct mem_cgroup *root,
diff --git a/mm/vmscan.c b/mm/vmscan.c
index 8dc25caa57e0..0fcb27404d67 100644
--- a/mm/vmscan.c
+++ b/mm/vmscan.c
@@ -105,9 +105,12 @@ struct scan_control {
 	unsigned int may_swap:1;
 
 	/*
-	 * Cgroups are not reclaimed below their configured memory.low,
-	 * unless we threaten to OOM. If any cgroups are skipped due to
-	 * memory.low and nothing was reclaimed, go back for memory.low.
+	 * Cgroup memory below memory.low is protected as long as we
+	 * don't threaten to OOM. If any cgroup is reclaimed at
+	 * reduced force or passed over entirely due to its memory.low
+	 * setting (memcg_low_skipped), and nothing is reclaimed as a
+	 * result, then go back for one more cycle that reclaims the protected
+	 * memory (memcg_low_reclaim) to avert OOM.
 	 */
 	unsigned int memcg_low_reclaim:1;
 	unsigned int memcg_low_skipped:1;
@@ -2350,15 +2353,14 @@ static void get_scan_count(struct lruvec *lruvec, struct scan_control *sc,
 	for_each_evictable_lru(lru) {
 		int file = is_file_lru(lru);
 		unsigned long lruvec_size;
+		unsigned long low, min;
 		unsigned long scan;
-		unsigned long protection;
 
 		lruvec_size = lruvec_lru_size(lruvec, lru, sc->reclaim_idx);
-		protection = mem_cgroup_protection(sc->target_mem_cgroup,
-						   memcg,
-						   sc->memcg_low_reclaim);
+		mem_cgroup_protection(sc->target_mem_cgroup, memcg,
+				      &min, &low);
 
-		if (protection) {
+		if (min || low) {
 			/*
 			 * Scale a cgroup's reclaim pressure by proportioning
 			 * its current usage to its memory.low or memory.min
@@ -2389,6 +2391,15 @@ static void get_scan_count(struct lruvec *lruvec, struct scan_control *sc,
 			 * hard protection.
 			 */
 			unsigned long cgroup_size = mem_cgroup_size(memcg);
+			unsigned long protection;
+
+			/* memory.low scaling, make sure we retry before OOM */
+			if (!sc->memcg_low_reclaim && low > min) {
+				protection = low;
+				sc->memcg_low_skipped = 1;
+			} else {
+				protection = min;
+			}
 
 			/* Avoid TOCTOU with earlier protection check */
 			cgroup_size = max(cgroup_size, protection);