diff --git a/.changeset/free-signs-ask.md b/.changeset/free-signs-ask.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7e6c925526
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/free-signs-ask.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'svelte': patch
+---
+
+fix: reliably resolve append_style to its correct root
diff --git a/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/css.js b/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/css.js
index 74bf2d49f9..23f4eff4f7 100644
--- a/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/css.js
+++ b/packages/svelte/src/internal/client/dom/css.js
@@ -2,14 +2,19 @@ import { DEV } from 'esm-env';
 import { register_style } from '../dev/css.js';
 import { effect } from '../reactivity/effects.js';
 import { create_element } from './operations.js';
+import { active_effect } from '../runtime.js';
 
 /**
  * @param {Node} anchor
  * @param {{ hash: string, code: string }} css
  */
 export function append_styles(anchor, css) {
-	// Use `queue_micro_task` to ensure `anchor` is in the DOM, otherwise getRootNode() will yield wrong results
+	// Use an effect to ensure `anchor` is in the DOM, otherwise getRootNode() will yield wrong results
 	effect(() => {
+		// Bit of a hack: branches.js/each.js use offscreen fragments with temporary text nodes that will
+		// never be connected to the real dom. Therfore walk up to the branch that has created the component
+		// whose styles we want to append, and check its node instead. It will be connected by the time we get here.
+		anchor = active_effect?.parent?.nodes?.start ?? anchor;
 		var root = anchor.getRootNode();
 
 		var target = /** @type {ShadowRoot} */ (root).host
diff --git a/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/Child.svelte b/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/Child.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..86064ab3b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/Child.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+<p>child</p>
+
+<style>
+	p {
+		color: rgb(255, 0, 0);
+	}
+</style>
diff --git a/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/_config.js b/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/_config.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..739921ebf5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/_config.js
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+import { assert_ok, test } from '../../assert';
+
+const tick = () => Promise.resolve();
+
+export default test({
+	async test({ assert, target }) {
+		target.innerHTML = '<my-app></my-app>';
+
+		// wait for the initial mount, the `onMount` reveal and the deferred re-render
+		await tick();
+		await tick();
+		await tick();
+		await tick();
+
+		/** @type {any} */
+		const el = target.querySelector('my-app');
+		const p = el.shadowRoot.querySelector('p');
+		assert_ok(p);
+
+		// The child's scoped styles must be injected into the shadow root, not `document.head`
+		assert_ok(el.shadowRoot.querySelector('style'));
+		assert.equal(getComputedStyle(p).color, 'rgb(255, 0, 0)');
+	}
+});
diff --git a/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/main.svelte b/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/main.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2bd0456fc1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/svelte/tests/runtime-browser/custom-elements-samples/deferred-nested-styles/main.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+<svelte:options customElement="my-app" />
+
+<script>
+	import { onMount } from 'svelte';
+	import Child from './Child.svelte';
+
+	let items = $state([]);
+
+	// Add the item _after_ the initial mount, so that the each block renders the
+	// new item into an offscreen anchor that is discarded once it's committed to
+	// the DOM. This reproduces styles being injected into `document.head` instead
+	// of the shadow root (https://github.com/sveltejs/svelte/issues/18288)
+	onMount(() => {
+		items = [1];
+	});
+</script>
+
+{#each items as item (item)}<Child />{/each}