diff --git a/src/cairo-misc.c b/src/cairo-misc.c
index 59cf76fc9..582206ffd 100644
--- a/src/cairo-misc.c
+++ b/src/cairo-misc.c
@@ -798,26 +798,18 @@ _cairo_get_locale_decimal_point (void)
 
 #if defined (HAVE_NEWLOCALE) && defined (HAVE_STRTOD_L)
 
+static cairo_atomic_once_t C_locale_once;
 static locale_t C_locale;
 
 static locale_t
 get_C_locale (void)
 {
-    locale_t C;
-
-retry:
-    C = (locale_t) _cairo_atomic_ptr_get ((cairo_atomic_intptr_t *) &C_locale);
-
-    if (unlikely (!C)) {
-        C = newlocale (LC_ALL_MASK, "C", NULL);
-
-        if (!_cairo_atomic_ptr_cmpxchg ((cairo_atomic_intptr_t *) &C_locale, NULL, C)) {
-            freelocale (C_locale);
-            goto retry;
-        }
+    if (_cairo_atomic_init_once_enter (&C_locale_once)) {
+        C_locale = newlocale (LC_ALL_MASK, "C", NULL);
+        _cairo_atomic_init_once_leave (&C_locale_once);
     }
 
-    return C;
+    return C_locale;
 }
 
 double