diff --git a/polkadot/Cargo.toml b/polkadot/Cargo.toml
index aa8d633c5c045..74f821e112c79 100644
--- a/polkadot/Cargo.toml
+++ b/polkadot/Cargo.toml
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ runtime-metrics = ["polkadot-cli/runtime-metrics"]
 pyroscope = ["polkadot-cli/pyroscope"]
 jemalloc-allocator = [
 	"dep:tikv-jemallocator",
+	"polkadot-cli/jemalloc-allocator",
 	"polkadot-node-core-pvf-prepare-worker/jemalloc-allocator",
 	"polkadot-node-core-pvf/jemalloc-allocator",
 	"polkadot-overseer/jemalloc-allocator",
diff --git a/polkadot/cli/Cargo.toml b/polkadot/cli/Cargo.toml
index 9389d7eae8579..98b8d5743f445 100644
--- a/polkadot/cli/Cargo.toml
+++ b/polkadot/cli/Cargo.toml
@@ -82,3 +82,4 @@ runtime-metrics = [
 	"polkadot-node-metrics/runtime-metrics",
 	"polkadot-service/runtime-metrics",
 ]
+jemalloc-allocator = ["sc-service?/jemalloc-allocator"]
diff --git a/prdoc/pr_10590.prdoc b/prdoc/pr_10590.prdoc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..492024933a305
--- /dev/null
+++ b/prdoc/pr_10590.prdoc
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+title: 'sc-client-db: Make `jemalloc` optional'
+doc:
+- audience: Node Dev
+  description: |-
+    This changes `sc-client-db` to not always enable `jemalloc` by default for rocksdb. Instead it is now controlled by `jemalloc-allocator` feature. This is now also forwarded up to `polkadot` via `polkadot-cli` and `sc-service`. There we ultimately decide if `jemalloc` should be enabled or not.
+crates:
+- name: polkadot
+  bump: minor
+- name: polkadot-cli
+  bump: minor
+- name: sc-client-db
+  bump: minor
+- name: sc-service
+  bump: minor
diff --git a/substrate/client/db/Cargo.toml b/substrate/client/db/Cargo.toml
index 2a8e2a78e11a1..8d898ea8bb4ff 100644
--- a/substrate/client/db/Cargo.toml
+++ b/substrate/client/db/Cargo.toml
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ codec = { features = ["derive"], workspace = true, default-features = true }
 hash-db = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
 kvdb = { workspace = true }
 kvdb-memorydb = { workspace = true }
-kvdb-rocksdb = { optional = true, workspace = true, features = ["jemalloc"] }
+kvdb-rocksdb = { optional = true, workspace = true }
 linked-hash-map = { workspace = true }
 log = { workspace = true, default-features = true }
 parity-db = { workspace = true }
@@ -63,3 +63,4 @@ runtime-benchmarks = [
 	"sp-runtime/runtime-benchmarks",
 ]
 rocksdb = ["kvdb-rocksdb", "sp-database/rocksdb"]
+jemalloc-allocator = ["kvdb-rocksdb?/jemalloc"]
diff --git a/substrate/client/service/Cargo.toml b/substrate/client/service/Cargo.toml
index 110810746be02..ce354be9d66c9 100644
--- a/substrate/client/service/Cargo.toml
+++ b/substrate/client/service/Cargo.toml
@@ -87,3 +87,4 @@ runtime-benchmarks = [
 	"sc-client-db/runtime-benchmarks",
 	"sp-runtime/runtime-benchmarks",
 ]
+jemalloc-allocator = ["sc-client-db/jemalloc-allocator"]