diff --git a/ts/components/basic/I18n.tsx b/ts/components/basic/I18n.tsx
index 022ba1737..14f9109c5 100644
--- a/ts/components/basic/I18n.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/basic/I18n.tsx
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import React from 'react';
 import type {
   GetMessageArgs,
   I18nProps,
@@ -6,10 +5,16 @@ import type {
   LocalizerToken,
 } from '../../types/Localizer';
 
-import { useSelector } from 'react-redux';
+import { Fragment } from 'react';
 import styled from 'styled-components';
-import { isDarkTheme } from '../../state/selectors/theme';
+import { useIsDarkTheme } from '../../state/selectors/theme';
 import { SessionHtmlRenderer } from './SessionHTMLRenderer';
+import {
+  type CustomTag,
+  CustomTagProps,
+  SessionCustomTagRenderer,
+  supportedCustomTags,
+} from './SessionCustomTagRenderer';
 
 /** An array of supported html tags to render if found in a string */
 const supportedFormattingTags = ['b', 'i', 'u', 's', 'br', 'span'];
@@ -20,25 +25,22 @@ const formattingTagRegex = new RegExp(
   'g'
 );
 
-const supportedCustomTags = ['emoji'];
+const customTagRegex = new RegExp(`<(${supportedCustomTags.join('|')})/>`, 'g');
 
-const customTagRegex = new RegExp(
-  `<(?:${supportedFormattingTags.join('|')})>.*?</(?:${supportedCustomTags.join('|')})>`,
-  'g'
-);
-
-const StyledHtmlRenderer = styled.span<{ darkMode: boolean }>`
+const StyledHtmlRenderer = styled.span<{ isDarkTheme: boolean }>`
   span {
-    color: ${props => (props.darkMode ? 'var(--primary-color)' : 'var(--text-primary-color)')};
+    color: ${props => (props.isDarkTheme ? 'var(--primary-color)' : 'var(--text-primary-color)')};
   }
 `;
 
 /**
  * Retrieve a localized message string, substituting dynamic parts where necessary and formatting it as HTML if necessary.
  *
- * @param token - The token identifying the message to retrieve and an optional record of substitution variables and their replacement values.
- * @param args - An optional record of substitution variables and their replacement values. This is required if the string has dynamic parts.
- * @param as - An optional HTML tag to render the component as. Defaults to a fragment, unless the string contains html tags. In that case, it will render as HTML in a div tag.
+ * @param props.token - The token identifying the message to retrieve and an optional record of substitution variables and their replacement values.
+ * @param props.args - An optional record of substitution variables and their replacement values. This is required if the string has dynamic parts.
+ * @param props.as - An optional HTML tag to render the component as. Defaults to a fragment, unless the string contains html tags. In that case, it will render as HTML in a div tag.
+ * @param props.startTagProps - An optional object of props to pass to the start tag.
+ * @param props.endTagProps - An optional object of props to pass to the end tag.
  *
  * @returns The localized message string with substitutions and formatting applied.
  *
@@ -50,7 +52,8 @@ const StyledHtmlRenderer = styled.span<{ darkMode: boolean }>`
  * ```
  */
 export const I18n = <T extends LocalizerToken>(props: I18nProps<T>) => {
-  const darkMode = useSelector(isDarkTheme);
+  const isDarkTheme = useIsDarkTheme();
+
   const i18nArgs = 'args' in props ? props.args : undefined;
 
   const i18nString = window.i18n<T, LocalizerDictionary[T]>(
@@ -58,18 +61,59 @@ export const I18n = <T extends LocalizerToken>(props: I18nProps<T>) => {
   );
 
   const containsFormattingTag = i18nString.match(formattingTagRegex);
-  const containsCustomTag = i18nString.match(customTagRegex);
 
-  /** If the string contains a relevant formatting tag, render it as HTML */
-  if (containsFormattingTag || containsCustomTag) {
-    return (
-      <StyledHtmlRenderer darkMode={darkMode}>
-        <SessionHtmlRenderer tag={props.as} html={i18nString} />
-      </StyledHtmlRenderer>
-    );
-  }
+  let startTag: CustomTag | null = null;
+  let endTag: CustomTag | null = null;
 
-  const Comp = props.as ?? React.Fragment;
+  /**
+   * @param match - The entire match, including the custom tag.
+   * @param group - The custom tag, without the angle brackets.
+   * @param index - The index of the match in the string.
+   */
+  i18nString.replace(customTagRegex, (match: string, group: CustomTag, index: number) => {
+    if (index === 0) {
+      startTag = group;
+    } else if (index === i18nString.length - match.length) {
+      endTag = group;
+    } else {
+      /**
+       * If the match is not at the start or end of the string, throw an error.
+       * NOTE: This should never happen as this rule is enforced when the dictionary is generated.
+       */
+      throw new Error(
+        `Custom tag ${group} (${match}) is not at the start or end (i=${index}) of the string: ${i18nString}`
+      );
+    }
 
-  return <Comp>{i18nString}</Comp>;
+    return '';
+  });
+
+  const content = containsFormattingTag ? (
+    /** If the string contains a relevant formatting tag, render it as HTML */
+    <StyledHtmlRenderer isDarkTheme={isDarkTheme}>
+      <SessionHtmlRenderer tag={props.as} html={i18nString} />
+    </StyledHtmlRenderer>
+  ) : (
+    i18nString
+  );
+
+  const Comp = props.as ?? Fragment;
+
+  return (
+    <Comp>
+      {startTag ? (
+        <SessionCustomTagRenderer
+          tag={startTag}
+          tagProps={props.startTagProps as CustomTagProps<typeof startTag>}
+        />
+      ) : null}
+      {content}
+      {endTag ? (
+        <SessionCustomTagRenderer
+          tag={endTag}
+          tagProps={props.endTagProps as CustomTagProps<typeof endTag>}
+        />
+      ) : null}
+    </Comp>
+  );
 };
diff --git a/ts/components/basic/SessionCustomTagRenderer.tsx b/ts/components/basic/SessionCustomTagRenderer.tsx
index 10704e06e..7ae662a6d 100644
--- a/ts/components/basic/SessionCustomTagRenderer.tsx
+++ b/ts/components/basic/SessionCustomTagRenderer.tsx
@@ -1,30 +1,40 @@
-import React from 'react';
-import { nativeEmojiData } from '../../util/emoji';
 import styled from 'styled-components';
+import { nativeEmojiData } from '../../util/emoji';
 
 const StyledEmoji = styled.span`
   font-size: 36px;
   margin-left: 8px;
 `;
 
+export const supportedCustomTags = ['emoji'] as const;
+
+export type CustomTag = (typeof supportedCustomTags)[number];
+
+/**
+ * A dictionary of custom tags and their rendering functions.
+ */
 export const customTag = {
   emoji: ({ emoji }: { emoji: string }) => (
     <StyledEmoji role={'img'} aria-label={nativeEmojiData?.ariaLabels?.[emoji]}>
       {emoji}
     </StyledEmoji>
   ),
-};
+} as const;
+
+export type CustomTagProps<Tag extends CustomTag> = Parameters<(typeof customTag)[Tag]>[0];
 
-export const SessionCustomTag = <Tag extends keyof typeof customTag>({
+/**
+ * Render a custom tag with its props.
+ *
+ * @param tag - The custom tag to render.
+ * @param tagProps - The props to pass to the custom tag.
+ */
+export const SessionCustomTagRenderer = <Tag extends CustomTag>({
   tag,
-  props,
+  tagProps,
 }: {
   tag: Tag;
-  props: Parameters<(typeof customTag)[Tag]>[0];
+  tagProps: CustomTagProps<Tag>;
 }) => {
-  return customTag[tag](props);
-};
-
-export const SessionCustomTagRenderer = ({ str }: { str: string }) => {
-  const splitString = str.split();
+  return customTag[tag](tagProps);
 };
diff --git a/ts/types/Localizer.ts b/ts/types/Localizer.ts
index 66f96f667..12f0f9562 100644
--- a/ts/types/Localizer.ts
+++ b/ts/types/Localizer.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import type { ElementType } from 'react';
 import type { Dictionary } from '../localization/locales';
 import { LOCALE_DEFAULTS } from '../session/constants';
+import { CustomTag, CustomTagProps } from '../components/basic/SessionCustomTagRenderer';
 
 /** A localization dictionary key */
 type Token = keyof Dictionary;
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ type DynamicArgs<LocalizedString extends string> =
     ? PluralVar | DynamicArgs<PluralOne> | DynamicArgs<PluralOther>
     : /** If a string segment has follows the variable form parse its variable name and recursively
        * check for more dynamic args */
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars -- We dont care about _Pre TODO: see if we can remove this infer
       LocalizedString extends `${infer _Pre}{${infer Var}}${infer Rest}`
       ? Var | DynamicArgs<Rest>
       : never;
@@ -42,7 +44,13 @@ export type GetMessageArgs<T extends Token> = T extends Token
   : never;
 
 /** Basic props for all calls of the I18n component */
-type I18nBaseProps<T extends Token> = { token: T; as?: ElementType };
+type I18nBaseProps<T extends Token> = {
+  token: T;
+  as?: ElementType;
+  // TODO: investigate making these required when required and not required when not required
+  startTagProps?: CustomStartTagProps<T>;
+  endTagProps?: CustomEndTagProps<T>;
+};
 
 /** The props for the localization component */
 export type I18nProps<T extends Token> = T extends Token
@@ -53,6 +61,46 @@ export type I18nProps<T extends Token> = T extends Token
       : I18nBaseProps<T> & { args: ArgsRecordExcludingDefaults<T> }
   : never;
 
+/** The props for custom tags at the start of an i18n strings */
+export type CustomStartTagProps<T extends Token> = T extends Token
+  ? Dictionary[T] extends `<${infer Tag}/>${string}`
+    ? Tag extends CustomTag
+      ? CustomTagProps<Tag>
+      : never
+    : never
+  : never;
+
+/**
+ * This is used to find the end tag. TypeScript navigates from outwards to inwards when doing magic
+ * with strings. This means we need a recursive type to find the actual end tag.
+ *
+ * @example For the string `{name} reacted with <emoji/>`
+ * The first iteration will find `Tag` as `emoji` because it grabs the first `<` and the last `/>`
+ * Because it doesn't contain a `<` it will return the Tag.
+ *
+ * @example For the string `You, {name} & <span>1 other</span> reacted with <emoji/>`
+ * The first iteration will find `Tag` as `span>1 other</span> reacted with <emoji` because it
+ * grabs the first `<` and the last `/>, so we then check if Tag contains a `<`:
+ * - If it doesn't then we have found it;
+ * - If it does then we need to run it through the same process again to search deeper.
+ */
+type CustomEndTag<LocalizedString extends string> =
+  LocalizedString extends `${string}<${infer Tag}/>${string}` ? FindCustomTag<Tag> : never;
+
+type FindCustomTag<S extends string> = S extends CustomTag
+  ? S
+  : S extends `${string}<${infer Tag}`
+    ? Tag extends CustomTag
+      ? Tag
+      : FindCustomTag<Tag>
+    : never;
+
+/** The props for custom tags at the end of an i18n strings */
+type CustomEndTagProps<T extends Token> =
+  CustomEndTag<Dictionary[T]> extends CustomTag
+    ? CustomTagProps<CustomEndTag<Dictionary[T]>>
+    : never;
+
 /** The dictionary of localized strings */
 export type LocalizerDictionary = Dictionary;