diff -u b/core/includes/common.inc b/core/includes/common.inc
--- b/core/includes/common.inc
+++ b/core/includes/common.inc
@@ -3019,6 +3019,17 @@
  * @see drupal_add_css()
  */
 function drupal_get_css($css = NULL, $skip_alter = FALSE) {
+  $css = _drupal_get_css($css, $skip_alter);
+  // Render the HTML needed to load the CSS.
+  $styles = array(
+    '#type' => 'styles',
+    '#items' => $css,
+  );
+
+  return drupal_render($styles);
+}
+
+function _drupal_get_css($css = NULL, $skip_alter = FALSE) {
   if (!isset($css)) {
     $css = drupal_add_css();
   }
@@ -3031,18 +3042,6 @@
   // Sort CSS items, so that they appear in the correct order.
   uasort($css, 'drupal_sort_css_js');
 
-  // Provide the page with information about the individual CSS files used,
-  // information not otherwise available when CSS aggregation is enabled. The
-  // setting is attached later in this function, but is set here, so that CSS
-  // files removed below are still considered "used" and prevented from being
-  // added in a later AJAX request.
-  // Skip if no files were added to the page or jQuery.extend() will overwrite
-  // the Drupal.settings.ajaxPageState.css object with an empty array.
-  if (!empty($css)) {
-    // Cast the array to an object to be on the safe side even if not empty.
-    $setting['ajaxPageState']['css'] = (object) array_fill_keys(array_keys($css), 1);
-  }
-
   // Remove the overridden CSS files. Later CSS files override former ones.
   $previous_item = array();
   foreach ($css as $key => $item) {
@@ -3057,16 +3056,7 @@
     }
   }
 
-  // Render the HTML needed to load the CSS.
-  $styles = array(
-    '#type' => 'styles',
-    '#items' => $css,
-  );
-  if (!empty($setting)) {
-    $styles['#attached']['js'][] = array('type' => 'setting', 'data' => $setting);
-  }
-
-  return drupal_render($styles);
+  return $css;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -4221,14 +4211,6 @@
     return '';
   }
 
-  // Decide if we need to output something.
-  // If only ['ajaxPageState']['css'] exists assume nothing is added.
-  if (isset($javascript['settings']) && count($javascript) == 1 && count($javascript['settings']['data']) == 1) {
-    if (isset($javascript['settings']['data'][0]['ajaxPageState']['css']) && count($javascript['settings']['data'][0]['ajaxPageState']) == 1) {
-      return '';
-    }
-  }
-
   // Register all required libraries.
   $libraries_added = &drupal_static(__FUNCTION__, FALSE);
   if (!$libraries_added) {
@@ -4305,6 +4287,19 @@
     }
     unset($setting['ajaxPageState']['js']['settings']);
 
+    // Provide the page with information about the individual CSS files used,
+    // information not otherwise available when CSS aggregation is enabled. The
+    // setting is attached later in this function, but is set here, so that CSS
+    // files removed below are still considered "used" and prevented from being
+    // added in a later AJAX request.
+    // Skip if no files were added to the page or jQuery.extend() will overwrite
+    // the Drupal.settings.ajaxPageState.css object with an empty array.
+    $css = _drupal_get_css(NULL, $skip_alter);
+    if (!empty($css)) {
+      // Cast the array to an object to be on the safe side even if not empty.
+      $setting['ajaxPageState']['css'] = (object) array_fill_keys(array_keys($css), 1);
+    }
+
     $items['settings']['data'][] = $setting;
     $items['settings']['data'] = drupal_array_merge_deep_array($items['settings']['data']);
   }