diff --git a/examples/main.c b/examples/main.c
index d7e187857af6c568bda147a8e51bdca2b85e3c4f..d1a82bbdc38b865401ec7d71c0c85bd650abf9a2 100644
--- a/examples/main.c
+++ b/examples/main.c
@@ -633,7 +633,7 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
     /* Initialise the gravity properties */
     if (with_self_gravity)
-      gravity_props_init(&gravity_properties, params, &cosmo);
+      gravity_props_init(&gravity_properties, params, &cosmo, with_cosmology);
 
     /* Read particles and space information from (GADGET) ICs */
     char ICfileName[200] = "";
diff --git a/src/gravity_properties.c b/src/gravity_properties.c
index 84ce90f7270d1651f4ef33b9b716772125e71ab0..22856c25fbbaebd1dd74c5592ce8fd914e76b61c 100644
--- a/src/gravity_properties.c
+++ b/src/gravity_properties.c
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 #define gravity_props_default_rebuild_frequency 0.01f
 
 void gravity_props_init(struct gravity_props *p, struct swift_params *params,
-                        const struct cosmology *cosmo) {
+                        const struct cosmology *cosmo, int with_cosmology) {
 
   /* Tree updates */
   p->rebuild_frequency =
@@ -74,10 +74,16 @@ void gravity_props_init(struct gravity_props *p, struct swift_params *params,
   p->theta_crit_inv = 1. / p->theta_crit;
 
   /* Softening parameters */
-  p->epsilon_comoving =
-      parser_get_param_double(params, "Gravity:comoving_softening");
-  p->epsilon_max_physical =
-      parser_get_param_double(params, "Gravity:max_physical_softening");
+  if (with_cosmology) {
+    p->epsilon_comoving =
+        parser_get_param_double(params, "Gravity:comoving_softening");
+    p->epsilon_max_physical =
+        parser_get_param_double(params, "Gravity:max_physical_softening");
+  } else {
+    p->epsilon_max_physical =
+        parser_get_param_double(params, "Gravity:max_physical_softening");
+    p->epsilon_comoving = p->epsilon_max_physical;
+  }
 
   /* Set the softening to the current time */
   gravity_update(p, cosmo);
diff --git a/src/gravity_properties.h b/src/gravity_properties.h
index 1d230b8c372a1503acc42515f8fbeb06445247db..62dbab3605fb2dcfc4ae65e54c0b5f913d714c16 100644
--- a/src/gravity_properties.h
+++ b/src/gravity_properties.h
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ struct gravity_props {
 
 void gravity_props_print(const struct gravity_props *p);
 void gravity_props_init(struct gravity_props *p, struct swift_params *params,
-                        const struct cosmology *cosmo);
+                        const struct cosmology *cosmo, int with_cosmology);
 void gravity_update(struct gravity_props *p, const struct cosmology *cosmo);
 
 #if defined(HAVE_HDF5)