diff --git a/lib/set-cookie.js b/lib/set-cookie.js
index 7d4aa62..a0c25c9 100644
--- a/lib/set-cookie.js
+++ b/lib/set-cookie.js
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ function parseString(setCookieValue, options) {
   var parts = setCookieValue.split(";").filter(isNonEmptyString);
 
   var nameValuePairStr = parts.shift();
+  if (!nameValuePairStr) {
+    return null;
+  }
   var parsed = parseNameValuePair(nameValuePairStr);
   var name = parsed.name;
   var value = parsed.value;
diff --git a/test/set-cookie-parser.js b/test/set-cookie-parser.js
index 6437923..c15cb48 100644
--- a/test/set-cookie-parser.js
+++ b/test/set-cookie-parser.js
@@ -233,6 +233,15 @@ describe("set-cookie-parser", function () {
     assert.deepEqual(actual, expected);
   });
 
+  it("should ignore a set-cookie string with no name-value-pair instead of throwing", function () {
+    assert.deepEqual(parseSetCookie(";"), []);
+    assert.deepEqual(parseSetCookie("   ;   "), []);
+    assert.deepEqual(parseSetCookie([";", "foo=bar"]), [
+      { name: "foo", value: "bar" },
+    ]);
+    assert.deepEqual(parseSetCookie(";", { map: true }), {});
+  });
+
   it("should skip cookies that could pollute the object prototype", function () {
     var actual = parseSetCookie("__proto__=test;");
     var expected = [];