diff --git a/storage/remote/codec.go b/storage/remote/codec.go
index e18901900..4ab881bf0 100644
--- a/storage/remote/codec.go
+++ b/storage/remote/codec.go
@@ -819,11 +819,6 @@ func labelsToLabelRefsProto(lbls labels.Labels, pool *lookupPool, buf []prompb.L
 
 func labelsToUint32Slice(lbls labels.Labels, symbolTable *rwSymbolTable, buf []uint32) []uint32 {
 	result := buf[:0]
-	// ensure slice capacity
-	if cap(result)-len(result) < len(lbls)*2 {
-		result = append(make([]uint32, 0, len(lbls)*2), result...)
-	}
-
 	lbls.Range(func(l labels.Label) {
 		result = append(result, symbolTable.Ref(l.Name))
 		result = append(result, symbolTable.Ref(l.Value))
@@ -832,7 +827,7 @@ func labelsToUint32Slice(lbls labels.Labels, symbolTable *rwSymbolTable, buf []u
 }
 
 func Uint32RefToLabels(symbols string, minLabels []uint32) labels.Labels {
-	ls := make(labels.Labels, 0, len(minLabels)/2)
+	ls := labels.NewScratchBuilder(len(minLabels) / 2)
 
 	labelIdx := 0
 	for labelIdx < len(minLabels) {
@@ -844,11 +839,11 @@ func Uint32RefToLabels(symbols string, minLabels []uint32) labels.Labels {
 		offset, length = unpackRef(minLabels[labelIdx+1])
 
 		value := symbols[offset : offset+length]
-		ls = append(ls, labels.Label{Name: name, Value: value})
+		ls.Add(name, value)
 		labelIdx += 2
 	}
 
-	return ls
+	return ls.Labels()
 }
 
 // metricTypeToMetricTypeProto transforms a Prometheus metricType into prompb metricType. Since the former is a string we need to transform it to an enum.