diff --git a/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/StackManager.tsx b/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/StackManager.tsx
index d1e286036d..f9c5f3f628 100644
--- a/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/StackManager.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-router/src/ReactRouter/StackManager.tsx
@@ -818,7 +818,7 @@ export class StackManager extends React.PureComponent<StackManagerProps> {
     /**
      * DO NOT remove ion-page-invisible here.
      *
-     * PageManager.render() adds ion-page-invisible to prevent flash before componentDidMount.
+     * PageManager's ref callback adds ion-page-invisible synchronously to prevent flash.
      * At this point, the <IonPage> div exists but its CHILDREN (header, toolbar, menu-button)
      * have NOT rendered yet. If we remove ion-page-invisible now, the page becomes visible
      * with empty/incomplete content, causing a flicker (especially for ion-menu-button which
diff --git a/packages/react-router/test/base/src/pages/dynamic-ionpage-classnames/DynamicIonpageClassnames.tsx b/packages/react-router/test/base/src/pages/dynamic-ionpage-classnames/DynamicIonpageClassnames.tsx
index 2d0018aa3c..09fef6c78b 100644
--- a/packages/react-router/test/base/src/pages/dynamic-ionpage-classnames/DynamicIonpageClassnames.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-router/test/base/src/pages/dynamic-ionpage-classnames/DynamicIonpageClassnames.tsx
@@ -1,52 +1,46 @@
-import {
-  IonButton,
-  IonContent,
-  IonHeader,
-  IonPage,
-  IonRouterOutlet,
-  IonTitle,
-  IonToolbar,
-} from '@ionic/react';
+import { IonContent, IonHeader, IonPage, IonTitle, IonToolbar } from '@ionic/react';
 import React, { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
-import { Route } from 'react-router';
 
+/**
+ * Test page for verifying that dynamically changing className on IonPage
+ * preserves framework-added classes (can-go-back, ion-page-invisible, etc.).
+ *
+ * Related issue: https://github.com/ionic-team/ionic-framework/issues/22631
+ */
 const DynamicIonpageClassnames: React.FC = () => {
-  return (
-    <IonRouterOutlet>
-      <Route path="/dynamic-ionpage-classnames" element={<Page />} />
-    </IonRouterOutlet>
-  );
+  return <Page />;
 };
 
 export default DynamicIonpageClassnames;
 
-const Page: React.FC = (props) => {
+const Page: React.FC = () => {
   const [styleClass, setStyleClass] = useState('initial-class');
   const [divClasses, setDivClasses] = useState<string>();
-  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>();
+  const ref = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
+
   useEffect(() => {
-    let observer: MutationObserver | undefined;
-    if(ref.current) {
-      observer = new MutationObserver(function (event) {
-        setDivClasses(ref.current?.className)
-      })
+    if (!ref.current) return;
 
-      observer.observe(ref.current, {
-        attributes: true,
-        attributeFilter: ['class'],
-        childList: false,
-        characterData: false
-      })
-    }
-    return () => observer?.disconnect()
-  }, [])
+    const observer = new MutationObserver(() => {
+      setDivClasses(ref.current?.className);
+    });
 
+    observer.observe(ref.current, {
+      attributes: true,
+      attributeFilter: ['class'],
+      childList: false,
+      characterData: false,
+    });
+
+    return () => observer.disconnect();
+  }, []);
 
   return (
     <IonPage className={styleClass} ref={ref} data-pageid="dynamic-ionpage-classnames">
       <IonHeader>
         <IonToolbar>
           <IonTitle>Dynamic Ionpage Classnames</IonTitle>
+          <button slot="end" onClick={() => setStyleClass('other-class')}>Add Class</button>
         </IonToolbar>
       </IonHeader>
       <IonContent className="ion-padding">
@@ -59,7 +53,6 @@ const Page: React.FC = (props) => {
           both "other-class" AND "ion-page". If only "other-class" appears,
           the framework classes were incorrectly removed.
         </p>
-        <IonButton onClick={() => setStyleClass('other-class')}>Add Class</IonButton>
         <p>Current classes: {divClasses}</p>
       </IonContent>
     </IonPage>
diff --git a/packages/react/src/routing/PageManager.tsx b/packages/react/src/routing/PageManager.tsx
index bc093a7b9d..33dfc8210d 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/routing/PageManager.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/routing/PageManager.tsx
@@ -22,7 +22,18 @@ export class PageManager extends React.PureComponent<PageManagerProps> {
     super(props);
     this.ionPageElementRef = React.createRef();
     // React refs must be stable (not created inline).
-    this.stableMergedRefs = mergeRefs(this.ionPageElementRef, this.props.forwardedRef);
+    // Wrap merged refs to add ion-page-invisible synchronously when element is created
+    const baseMergedRefs = mergeRefs(this.ionPageElementRef, this.props.forwardedRef);
+    this.stableMergedRefs = (node: HTMLDivElement | null) => {
+      if (node && !node.classList.contains('ion-page-invisible') && !node.classList.contains('ion-page-hidden')) {
+        // Add ion-page-invisible synchronously before first paint (if in an outlet)
+        // This prevents the flash that occurs when componentDidMount runs after paint
+        if (this.context?.isInOutlet?.()) {
+          node.classList.add('ion-page-invisible');
+        }
+      }
+      baseMergedRefs(node);
+    };
 
     /**
      * This binds the scope of the following methods to the class scope.
@@ -66,16 +77,11 @@ export class PageManager extends React.PureComponent<PageManagerProps> {
 
   componentDidMount() {
     if (this.ionPageElementRef.current) {
-      // Add user classes via classList to preserve framework-added classes on re-renders
-      if (this.props.className) {
-        this.parseClasses(this.props.className).forEach((cls) => {
-          this.ionPageElementRef.current!.classList.add(cls);
-        });
-      }
-
-      // Note: ion-page-invisible is now added in render() to prevent flash.
-      // We no longer add it here to avoid race conditions where the browser
-      // paints the visible element before componentDidMount runs.
+      // Add user classes via DOM manipulation to preserve framework-added classes.
+      // We only set "ion-page" in JSX; user classes are added here.
+      // Note: ion-page-invisible is added in the ref callback (stableMergedRefs) to prevent flash.
+      // The ref callback runs synchronously when the element is created, before the browser paints.
+      this.updateUserClasses(undefined, this.props.className);
 
       this.context.registerIonPage(this.ionPageElementRef.current, this.props.routeInfo!);
       this.ionPageElementRef.current.addEventListener('ionViewWillEnter', this.ionViewWillEnterHandler);
@@ -126,21 +132,14 @@ export class PageManager extends React.PureComponent<PageManagerProps> {
     // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unused-vars
     const { className, children, routeInfo, forwardedRef, ...props } = this.props;
 
-    /**
-     * Start with ion-page-invisible when inside an outlet to prevent flash.
-     * Previously, ion-page-invisible was added in componentDidMount, but the browser
-     * could paint the visible element before componentDidMount runs, causing a flash.
-     * The invisible class is removed by the StackManager when the page becomes active.
-     */
-    const isInOutlet = this.context?.isInOutlet?.() ?? false;
-    const initialClassName = isInOutlet ? 'ion-page ion-page-invisible' : 'ion-page';
-
+    // Only set "ion-page" in JSX. User classes are managed via DOM in componentDidMount/componentDidUpdate
+    // to preserve framework-added classes (can-go-back, ion-page-invisible, etc.) when className prop changes.
     return (
       <IonLifeCycleContext.Consumer>
         {(context) => {
           this.ionLifeCycleContext = context;
           return (
-            <div className={initialClassName} ref={this.stableMergedRefs} {...props}>
+            <div className="ion-page" ref={this.stableMergedRefs} {...props}>
               {children}
             </div>
           );