diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
index 4654c03dd508..23d64d51f331 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/inode.c
@@ -490,6 +490,10 @@ struct inode *ovl_get_inode(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry)
 	}
 	ovl_fill_inode(inode, realinode->i_mode, realinode->i_rdev);
 	ovl_inode_init(inode, upperdentry, lowerdentry);
+
+	if (upperdentry && ovl_is_impuredir(upperdentry))
+		ovl_set_flag(OVL_IMPURE, inode);
+
 	if (inode->i_state & I_NEW)
 		unlock_new_inode(inode);
 out:
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
index 1b6092b80330..277a55c8299a 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/namei.c
@@ -341,7 +341,6 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 	unsigned int ctr = 0;
 	struct inode *inode = NULL;
 	bool upperopaque = false;
-	bool upperimpure = false;
 	char *upperredirect = NULL;
 	struct dentry *this;
 	unsigned int i;
@@ -386,8 +385,6 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 				poe = roe;
 		}
 		upperopaque = d.opaque;
-		if (upperdentry && d.is_dir)
-			upperimpure = ovl_is_impuredir(upperdentry);
 	}
 
 	if (!d.stop && poe->numlower) {
@@ -434,7 +431,6 @@ struct dentry *ovl_lookup(struct inode *dir, struct dentry *dentry,
 		goto out_put;
 
 	oe->opaque = upperopaque;
-	oe->impure = upperimpure;
 	memcpy(oe->lowerstack, stack, sizeof(struct path) * ctr);
 	dentry->d_fsdata = oe;
 
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
index 83607f883ace..b1be3d39ac9d 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/overlayfs.h
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ enum ovl_path_type {
 #define OVL_XATTR_ORIGIN OVL_XATTR_PREFIX "origin"
 #define OVL_XATTR_IMPURE OVL_XATTR_PREFIX "impure"
 
+enum ovl_flag {
+	OVL_IMPURE,
+};
+
 /*
  * The tuple (fh,uuid) is a universal unique identifier for a copy up origin,
  * where:
@@ -195,7 +199,6 @@ struct inode *ovl_inode_real(struct inode *inode);
 struct ovl_dir_cache *ovl_dir_cache(struct dentry *dentry);
 void ovl_set_dir_cache(struct dentry *dentry, struct ovl_dir_cache *cache);
 bool ovl_dentry_is_opaque(struct dentry *dentry);
-bool ovl_dentry_is_impure(struct dentry *dentry);
 bool ovl_dentry_is_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry);
 void ovl_dentry_set_opaque(struct dentry *dentry);
 bool ovl_redirect_dir(struct super_block *sb);
@@ -215,6 +218,8 @@ int ovl_check_setxattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry,
 		       const char *name, const void *value, size_t size,
 		       int xerr);
 int ovl_set_impure(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry);
+void ovl_set_flag(unsigned long flag, struct inode *inode);
+bool ovl_test_flag(unsigned long flag, struct inode *inode);
 
 static inline bool ovl_is_impuredir(struct dentry *dentry)
 {
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h b/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h
index 477d21738656..50dfa4826152 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/ovl_entry.h
@@ -41,7 +41,6 @@ struct ovl_entry {
 		struct {
 			u64 version;
 			bool opaque;
-			bool impure;
 			bool copying;
 		};
 		struct rcu_head rcu;
@@ -54,6 +53,7 @@ struct ovl_entry *ovl_alloc_entry(unsigned int numlower);
 
 struct ovl_inode {
 	const char *redirect;
+	unsigned long flags;
 	struct inode vfs_inode;
 	struct dentry *__upperdentry;
 	struct inode *lower;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/super.c b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
index 7346518846c5..7c7b946b063f 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/super.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/super.c
@@ -170,6 +170,7 @@ static struct inode *ovl_alloc_inode(struct super_block *sb)
 	struct ovl_inode *oi = kmem_cache_alloc(ovl_inode_cachep, GFP_KERNEL);
 
 	oi->redirect = NULL;
+	oi->flags = 0;
 	oi->__upperdentry = NULL;
 	oi->lower = NULL;
 
@@ -1004,7 +1005,8 @@ static int ovl_fill_super(struct super_block *sb, void *data, int silent)
 	kfree(lowertmp);
 
 	if (upperpath.dentry) {
-		oe->impure = ovl_is_impuredir(upperpath.dentry);
+		if (ovl_is_impuredir(upperpath.dentry))
+			ovl_set_flag(OVL_IMPURE, d_inode(root_dentry));
 	}
 	for (i = 0; i < numlower; i++) {
 		oe->lowerstack[i].dentry = stack[i].dentry;
diff --git a/fs/overlayfs/util.c b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
index be0670f1addf..2fc4c22707aa 100644
--- a/fs/overlayfs/util.c
+++ b/fs/overlayfs/util.c
@@ -178,13 +178,6 @@ bool ovl_dentry_is_opaque(struct dentry *dentry)
 	return oe->opaque;
 }
 
-bool ovl_dentry_is_impure(struct dentry *dentry)
-{
-	struct ovl_entry *oe = dentry->d_fsdata;
-
-	return oe->impure;
-}
-
 bool ovl_dentry_is_whiteout(struct dentry *dentry)
 {
 	return !dentry->d_inode && ovl_dentry_is_opaque(dentry);
@@ -344,9 +337,8 @@ int ovl_check_setxattr(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry,
 int ovl_set_impure(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry)
 {
 	int err;
-	struct ovl_entry *oe = dentry->d_fsdata;
 
-	if (oe->impure)
+	if (ovl_test_flag(OVL_IMPURE, d_inode(dentry)))
 		return 0;
 
 	/*
@@ -356,7 +348,17 @@ int ovl_set_impure(struct dentry *dentry, struct dentry *upperdentry)
 	err = ovl_check_setxattr(dentry, upperdentry, OVL_XATTR_IMPURE,
 				 "y", 1, 0);
 	if (!err)
-		oe->impure = true;
+		ovl_set_flag(OVL_IMPURE, d_inode(dentry));
 
 	return err;
 }
+
+void ovl_set_flag(unsigned long flag, struct inode *inode)
+{
+	set_bit(flag, &OVL_I(inode)->flags);
+}
+
+bool ovl_test_flag(unsigned long flag, struct inode *inode)
+{
+	return test_bit(flag, &OVL_I(inode)->flags);
+}