diff --git a/core/server/api/canary/labels.js b/core/server/api/canary/labels.js
index b550eeb0de..837fc8ea88 100644
--- a/core/server/api/canary/labels.js
+++ b/core/server/api/canary/labels.js
@@ -76,8 +76,16 @@ module.exports = {
             }
         },
         permissions: true,
-        query(frame) {
-            return models.Label.add(frame.data.labels[0], frame.options);
+        async query(frame) {
+            try {
+                return await models.Label.add(frame.data.labels[0], frame.options);
+            } catch (error) {
+                if (error.code && error.message.toLowerCase().indexOf('unique') !== -1) {
+                    throw new errors.ValidationError({message: i18n.t('errors.api.labels.labelAlreadyExists')});
+                }
+
+                throw error;
+            }
         }
     },
 
diff --git a/core/server/translations/en.json b/core/server/translations/en.json
index 93bbbf7499..33ad91fdc7 100644
--- a/core/server/translations/en.json
+++ b/core/server/translations/en.json
@@ -373,7 +373,8 @@
                 "tagNotFound": "Tag not found."
             },
             "labels": {
-                "labelNotFound": "Label not found."
+                "labelNotFound": "Label not found.",
+                "labelAlreadyExists": "Label already exists"
             },
             "themes": {
                 "noPermissionToBrowseThemes": "You do not have permission to browse themes.",
diff --git a/test/regression/api/canary/admin/labels_spec.js b/test/regression/api/canary/admin/labels_spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d604072ec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/regression/api/canary/admin/labels_spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+const path = require('path');
+const should = require('should');
+const supertest = require('supertest');
+const sinon = require('sinon');
+const testUtils = require('../../../../utils');
+const localUtils = require('./utils');
+const config = require('../../../../../core/shared/config');
+
+const ghost = testUtils.startGhost;
+
+let request;
+
+describe('Labels API', function () {
+    after(function () {
+        sinon.restore();
+    });
+
+    before(function () {
+        return ghost()
+            .then(function () {
+                request = supertest.agent(config.get('url'));
+            })
+            .then(function () {
+                return localUtils.doAuth(request);
+            });
+    });
+
+    it('Errors when adding label with the same name', function () {
+        const label = {
+            name: 'test'
+        };
+
+        return request
+            .post(localUtils.API.getApiQuery(`labels/`))
+            .send({labels: [label]})
+            .set('Origin', config.get('url'))
+            .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
+            .expect('Cache-Control', testUtils.cacheRules.private)
+            .expect(201)
+            .then((res) => {
+                should.not.exist(res.headers['x-cache-invalidate']);
+                const jsonResponse = res.body;
+                should.exist(jsonResponse);
+                should.exist(jsonResponse.labels);
+                jsonResponse.labels.should.have.length(1);
+
+                jsonResponse.labels[0].name.should.equal(label.name);
+                jsonResponse.labels[0].slug.should.equal(label.name);
+            })
+            .then(() => {
+                return request
+                    .post(localUtils.API.getApiQuery(`labels/`))
+                    .send({labels: [label]})
+                    .set('Origin', config.get('url'))
+                    .expect('Content-Type', /json/)
+                    .expect('Cache-Control', testUtils.cacheRules.private)
+                    .expect(422);
+            })
+            .then((res) => {
+                should.not.exist(res.headers['x-cache-invalidate']);
+                const jsonResponse = res.body;
+                should.exist(jsonResponse);
+                should.exist(jsonResponse.errors);
+                jsonResponse.errors.should.have.length(1);
+
+                jsonResponse.errors[0].type.should.equal('ValidationError');
+                jsonResponse.errors[0].context.should.equal('Label already exists');
+            });
+    });
+});