diff --git a/guix/profiles.scm b/guix/profiles.scm
index 5ceba25def..d62674923f 100644
--- a/guix/profiles.scm
+++ b/guix/profiles.scm
@@ -464,9 +464,13 @@ (define (dump file port)
                              (string-append result
                                             "/ca-certificates.crt")))))
 
-  (gexp->derivation "ca-certificate-bundle" build
-                    #:modules '((guix build utils))
-                    #:local-build? #t))
+  ;; Don't depend on 'glibc-utf8-locales' and its dependencies when there's
+  ;; nothing to do.
+  (if (null? (manifest-entries manifest))
+      (gexp->derivation "ca-certificate-bundle" #~(mkdir #$output))
+      (gexp->derivation "ca-certificate-bundle" build
+                        #:modules '((guix build utils))
+                        #:local-build? #t)))
 
 (define* (profile-derivation manifest
                              #:key
diff --git a/guix/scripts/package.scm b/guix/scripts/package.scm
index c27207f29a..a24c657ef6 100644
--- a/guix/scripts/package.scm
+++ b/guix/scripts/package.scm
@@ -829,7 +829,8 @@ (define current-generation-number
                (let* ((prof-drv (run-with-store (%store)
                                   (profile-derivation
                                    new
-                                   #:info-dir? (not bootstrap?))))
+                                   #:info-dir? (not bootstrap?)
+                                   #:ca-certificate-bundle? (not bootstrap?))))
                       (prof     (derivation->output-path prof-drv)))
                  (show-manifest-transaction (%store) manifest transaction
                                             #:dry-run? dry-run?)
diff --git a/tests/packages.scm b/tests/packages.scm
index d6371b3b49..c9dd5d859a 100644
--- a/tests/packages.scm
+++ b/tests/packages.scm
@@ -599,7 +599,8 @@ (define read-at
                  (profile-derivation
                   (manifest (map package->manifest-entry
                                  (list p1 p2)))
-                  #:info-dir? #f)
+                  #:info-dir? #f
+                  #:ca-certificate-bundle? #f)
                  #:guile-for-build (%guile-for-build))))
     (build-derivations %store (list prof))
     (string-match (format #f "^export XML_CATALOG_FILES=\"~a/xml/+bar/baz/catalog\\.xml\"\n"
diff --git a/tests/profiles.scm b/tests/profiles.scm
index 833b08b455..1bac9d94e6 100644
--- a/tests/profiles.scm
+++ b/tests/profiles.scm
@@ -182,7 +182,8 @@ (define glibc
       ((entry ->   (package->manifest-entry %bootstrap-guile))
        (guile      (package->derivation %bootstrap-guile))
        (drv        (profile-derivation (manifest (list entry))
-                                       #:info-dir? #f))
+                                       #:info-dir? #f
+                                       #:ca-certificate-bundle? #f))
        (profile -> (derivation->output-path drv))
        (bindir ->  (string-append profile "/bin"))
        (_          (built-derivations (list drv))))