diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/cairo/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/cairo/default.nix
index 74ae4abaedf9..7f6419272dd9 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/cairo/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/cairo/default.nix
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ in stdenv.mkDerivation rec {
 
   nativeBuildInputs = [
     pkgconfig
+  ];
+
+  buildInputs = [
     libiconv
     libintl
   ] ++ optionals stdenv.isDarwin (with darwin.apple_sdk.frameworks; [