diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index a889decab26..a6011eb9f30 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -68,6 +68,18 @@ module ApplicationHelper
     end
   end
 
+  # Takes both user and email and returns the avatar_icon by
+  # user (preferred) or email.
+  def avatar_icon_for(user = nil, email = nil, size = nil, scale = 2, only_path: true)
+    if user
+      avatar_icon_for_user(user, size, scale, only_path: only_path)
+    elsif email
+      avatar_icon_for_email(email, size, scale, only_path: only_path)
+    else
+      default_avatar
+    end
+  end
+
   def avatar_icon_for_email(email = nil, size = nil, scale = 2, only_path: true)
     user = User.find_by_any_email(email.try(:downcase))
     if user
diff --git a/app/views/notify/pipeline_failed_email.html.haml b/app/views/notify/pipeline_failed_email.html.haml
index 7ec10982b5b..38dab104eb5 100644
--- a/app/views/notify/pipeline_failed_email.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/notify/pipeline_failed_email.html.haml
@@ -60,10 +60,7 @@
               %tbody
                 %tr
                   %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:5px;" }
-                    - if commit.author
-                      %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_user(commit.author, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
-                    - else
-                      %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_email(commit.author_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
+                    %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for(commit.author, commit.author_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
                   %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;" }
                     - if commit.author
                       %a.muted{ href: user_url(commit.author), style: "color:#333333;text-decoration:none;" }
@@ -79,10 +76,7 @@
                 %tbody
                   %tr
                     %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:5px;" }
-                      - if commit.commiter
-                        %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_user(commit.committer, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
-                      - else
-                        %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_email(commit.committer_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
+                      %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for(commit.committer, commit.committer_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
                     %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;" }
                       - if commit.committer
                         %a.muted{ href: user_url(commit.committer), style: "color:#333333;text-decoration:none;" }
diff --git a/app/views/notify/pipeline_success_email.html.haml b/app/views/notify/pipeline_success_email.html.haml
index 04f40285df9..7b06e8afa0b 100644
--- a/app/views/notify/pipeline_success_email.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/notify/pipeline_success_email.html.haml
@@ -60,10 +60,7 @@
               %tbody
                 %tr
                   %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:5px;" }
-                    - if commit.author
-                      %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_user(commit.author, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
-                    - else
-                      %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_email(commit.author_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
+                    %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for(commit.author, commit.author_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
                   %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;" }
                     - if commit.author
                       %a.muted{ href: user_url(commit.author), style: "color:#333333;text-decoration:none;" }
@@ -79,10 +76,7 @@
                 %tbody
                   %tr
                     %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:5px;" }
-                      - if commit.committer
-                        %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_user(commit.committer, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
-                      - else
-                        %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for_email(commit.committer_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
+                      %img.avatar{ height: "24", src: avatar_icon_for(commit.committer, commit.committer_email, 24, only_path: false), style: "display:block;border-radius:12px;margin:-2px 0;", width: "24", alt: "" }/
                     %td{ style: "font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px;line-height:1.4;vertical-align:middle;" }
                       - if commit.committer
                         %a.muted{ href: user_url(commit.committer), style: "color:#333333;text-decoration:none;" }
diff --git a/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb b/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
index 96bd4c96ae4..43cb0dfe163 100644
--- a/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/helpers/application_helper_spec.rb
@@ -63,6 +63,22 @@ describe ApplicationHelper do
     end
   end
 
+  describe 'avatar_icon_for' do
+    let!(:user) { create(:user, avatar: File.open(uploaded_image_temp_path), email: 'bar@example.com') }
+    let(:email) { 'foo@example.com' }
+    let!(:another_user) { create(:user, avatar: File.open(uploaded_image_temp_path), email: email) }
+
+    it 'prefers the user to retrieve the avatar_url' do
+      expect(helper.avatar_icon_for(user, email).to_s)
+        .to eq(user.avatar.url)
+    end
+
+    it 'falls back to email lookup if no user given' do
+      expect(helper.avatar_icon_for(nil, email).to_s)
+        .to eq(another_user.avatar.url)
+    end
+  end
+
   describe 'avatar_icon_for_email' do
     let(:user) { create(:user, avatar: File.open(uploaded_image_temp_path)) }