diff --git a/lib/bytesutil/internstring.go b/lib/bytesutil/internstring.go
index 138b00795..f14a8527f 100644
--- a/lib/bytesutil/internstring.go
+++ b/lib/bytesutil/internstring.go
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@ import (
 	"github.com/VictoriaMetrics/VictoriaMetrics/lib/fasttime"
 )
 
+// InternBytes interns b as a string
+func InternBytes(b []byte) string {
+	s := ToUnsafeString(b)
+	return InternString(s)
+}
+
 // InternString returns interned s.
 //
 // This may be needed for reducing the amounts of allocated memory.
diff --git a/lib/bytesutil/itoa.go b/lib/bytesutil/itoa.go
index 254db8d3c..d0aed39b9 100644
--- a/lib/bytesutil/itoa.go
+++ b/lib/bytesutil/itoa.go
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ func Itoa(n int) string {
 	bb := bbPool.Get()
 	b := bb.B[:0]
 	b = strconv.AppendInt(b, int64(n), 10)
-	s := InternString(ToUnsafeString(b))
+	s := InternBytes(b)
 	bb.B = b
 	bbPool.Put(bb)
 	return s
diff --git a/lib/promrelabel/relabel.go b/lib/promrelabel/relabel.go
index 3492074ac..9c55d76a3 100644
--- a/lib/promrelabel/relabel.go
+++ b/lib/promrelabel/relabel.go
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) apply(labels []prompbmarshal.Label, labelsOffset
 		bb := relabelBufPool.Get()
 		for _, gl := range prc.graphiteLabelRules {
 			bb.B = gl.grt.Expand(bb.B[:0], gm.a)
-			valueStr := bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+			valueStr := bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 			labels = setLabelValue(labels, labelsOffset, gl.targetLabel, valueStr)
 		}
 		relabelBufPool.Put(bb)
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) apply(labels []prompbmarshal.Label, labelsOffset
 		if prc.hasLabelReferenceInReplacement {
 			// Fill {{labelName}} references in the replacement
 			bb.B = fillLabelReferences(bb.B[:0], replacement, labels[labelsOffset:])
-			replacement = bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+			replacement = bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 		}
 		bb.B = concatLabelValues(bb.B[:0], src, prc.SourceLabels, prc.Separator)
 		if prc.RegexAnchored == defaultRegexForRelabelConfig && !prc.hasCaptureGroupInTargetLabel {
@@ -202,7 +202,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) apply(labels []prompbmarshal.Label, labelsOffset
 				// Fast path for the rule that copies source label values to destination:
 				// - source_labels: [...]
 				//   target_label: foobar
-				valueStr := bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+				valueStr := bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 				relabelBufPool.Put(bb)
 				return setLabelValue(labels, labelsOffset, prc.TargetLabel, valueStr)
 			}
@@ -245,7 +245,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) apply(labels []prompbmarshal.Label, labelsOffset
 		// and store the result at `target_label`
 		bb := relabelBufPool.Get()
 		bb.B = concatLabelValues(bb.B[:0], src, prc.SourceLabels, prc.Separator)
-		sourceStr := bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+		sourceStr := bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 		relabelBufPool.Put(bb)
 		valueStr := prc.replaceStringSubmatchesFast(sourceStr)
 		if valueStr != sourceStr {
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) apply(labels []prompbmarshal.Label, labelsOffset
 	case "uppercase":
 		bb := relabelBufPool.Get()
 		bb.B = concatLabelValues(bb.B[:0], src, prc.SourceLabels, prc.Separator)
-		valueStr := bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+		valueStr := bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 		relabelBufPool.Put(bb)
 		valueStr = strings.ToUpper(valueStr)
 		labels = setLabelValue(labels, labelsOffset, prc.TargetLabel, valueStr)
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) apply(labels []prompbmarshal.Label, labelsOffset
 	case "lowercase":
 		bb := relabelBufPool.Get()
 		bb.B = concatLabelValues(bb.B[:0], src, prc.SourceLabels, prc.Separator)
-		valueStr := bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+		valueStr := bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 		relabelBufPool.Put(bb)
 		valueStr = strings.ToLower(valueStr)
 		labels = setLabelValue(labels, labelsOffset, prc.TargetLabel, valueStr)
@@ -478,7 +478,7 @@ func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) replaceStringSubmatchesSlow(s string) string {
 func (prc *parsedRelabelConfig) expandCaptureGroups(template, source string, match []int) string {
 	bb := relabelBufPool.Get()
 	bb.B = prc.RegexAnchored.ExpandString(bb.B[:0], template, source, match)
-	s := bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+	s := bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 	relabelBufPool.Put(bb)
 	return s
 }
diff --git a/lib/promscrape/client.go b/lib/promscrape/client.go
index 2be50051d..0a696f2d3 100644
--- a/lib/promscrape/client.go
+++ b/lib/promscrape/client.go
@@ -72,8 +72,7 @@ func concatTwoStrings(x, y string) string {
 	b := bb.B[:0]
 	b = append(b, x...)
 	b = append(b, y...)
-	s := bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(b)
-	s = bytesutil.InternString(s)
+	s := bytesutil.InternBytes(b)
 	bb.B = b
 	bbPool.Put(bb)
 	return s
diff --git a/lib/promscrape/config.go b/lib/promscrape/config.go
index fbee67759..1df85a8de 100644
--- a/lib/promscrape/config.go
+++ b/lib/promscrape/config.go
@@ -1338,8 +1338,7 @@ func getScrapeURL(scheme, address, metricsPath, optionalQuestion, paramsStr stri
 	b = append(b, metricsPath...)
 	b = append(b, optionalQuestion...)
 	b = append(b, paramsStr...)
-	s := bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(b)
-	s = bytesutil.InternString(s)
+	s := bytesutil.InternBytes(b)
 	bb.B = b
 	bbPool.Put(bb)
 	return s
diff --git a/lib/promscrape/discoveryutils/utils.go b/lib/promscrape/discoveryutils/utils.go
index 2a50a1971..23f0a4ca8 100644
--- a/lib/promscrape/discoveryutils/utils.go
+++ b/lib/promscrape/discoveryutils/utils.go
@@ -41,8 +41,7 @@ func JoinHostPort(host string, port int) string {
 	}
 	b = append(b, ':')
 	b = strconv.AppendInt(b, int64(port), 10)
-	s := bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(b)
-	s = bytesutil.InternString(s)
+	s := bytesutil.InternBytes(b)
 	bb.B = b
 	bbPool.Put(bb)
 	return s
diff --git a/lib/promscrape/scrapework.go b/lib/promscrape/scrapework.go
index 2a5f4dcc8..e18855e8b 100644
--- a/lib/promscrape/scrapework.go
+++ b/lib/promscrape/scrapework.go
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@ func (sw *scrapeWork) addRowToTimeseries(wc *writeRequestCtx, r *parser.Row, tim
 		bb := bbPool.Get()
 		bb.B = append(bb.B, "exported_"...)
 		bb.B = append(bb.B, metric...)
-		metric = bytesutil.InternString(bytesutil.ToUnsafeString(bb.B))
+		metric = bytesutil.InternBytes(bb.B)
 		bbPool.Put(bb)
 	}
 	labelsLen := len(wc.labels)