diff --git a/app/email_utils.py b/app/email_utils.py
index 63f2dc74..ddbfbaab 100644
--- a/app/email_utils.py
+++ b/app/email_utils.py
@@ -54,6 +54,7 @@ from app.models import (
     IgnoreBounceSender,
     InvalidMailboxDomain,
     VerpType,
+    available_sl_email,
 )
 from app.utils import (
     random_string,
@@ -1085,9 +1086,7 @@ def generate_reply_email(contact_email: str, alias: Alias) -> str:
             # reply_email = f"ra+{random_string(random_length)}@{config.EMAIL_DOMAIN}"
             reply_email = f"{random_string(random_length)}@{reply_domain}"
 
-        if not Contact.get_by(reply_email=reply_email) and not Alias.get_by(
-            email=reply_email
-        ):
+        if available_sl_email(reply_email):
             return reply_email
 
     raise Exception("Cannot generate reply email")
diff --git a/app/models.py b/app/models.py
index da91c9e2..da43039c 100644
--- a/app/models.py
+++ b/app/models.py
@@ -1293,15 +1293,24 @@ class OauthToken(Base, ModelMixin):
         return self.expired < arrow.now()
 
 
-def generate_email(
+def available_sl_email(email: str, check_trash: bool = True) -> bool:
+    if Alias.get_by(email=email) or Contact.get_by(reply_email=email):
+        return False
+    if check_trash and DeletedAlias.get_by(email=email):
+        return False
+    return True
+
+
+def generate_random_alias_email(
     scheme: int = AliasGeneratorEnum.word.value,
     in_hex: bool = False,
-    alias_domain=config.FIRST_ALIAS_DOMAIN,
-    retries: int = 5,
+    alias_domain: str = config.FIRST_ALIAS_DOMAIN,
+    retries: int = 10,
 ) -> str:
     """generate an email address that does not exist before
     :param alias_domain: the domain used to generate the alias.
     :param scheme: int, value of AliasGeneratorEnum, indicate how the email is generated
+    :param retries: int, How many times we can try to generate an alias in case of collision
     :type in_hex: bool, if the generate scheme is uuid, is hex favorable?
     """
     if retries <= 0:
@@ -1315,17 +1324,15 @@ def generate_email(
     random_email = random_email.lower().strip()
 
     # check that the client does not exist yet
-    if (
-        not Alias.get_by(email=random_email)
-        and not DeletedAlias.get_by(email=random_email)
-        and not Contact.get_by(reply_email=random_email)
-    ):
+    if available_sl_email(random_email):
         LOG.d("generate email %s", random_email)
         return random_email
 
     # Rerun the function
     LOG.w("email %s already exists, generate a new email", random_email)
-    return generate_email(scheme=scheme, in_hex=in_hex, retries=retries - 1)
+    return generate_random_alias_email(
+        scheme=scheme, in_hex=in_hex, retries=retries - 1
+    )
 
 
 class Alias(Base, ModelMixin):
@@ -1524,7 +1531,7 @@ class Alias(Base, ModelMixin):
             suffix = user.get_random_alias_suffix()
             email = f"{prefix}.{suffix}@{config.FIRST_ALIAS_DOMAIN}"
 
-            if not cls.get_by(email=email) and not DeletedAlias.get_by(email=email):
+            if available_sl_email(email, check_trash=False):
                 break
 
         return Alias.create(
@@ -1553,7 +1560,7 @@ class Alias(Base, ModelMixin):
 
         if user.default_alias_custom_domain_id:
             custom_domain = CustomDomain.get(user.default_alias_custom_domain_id)
-            random_email = generate_email(
+            random_email = generate_random_alias_email(
                 scheme=scheme, in_hex=in_hex, alias_domain=custom_domain.domain
             )
         elif user.default_alias_public_domain_id:
@@ -1561,12 +1568,12 @@ class Alias(Base, ModelMixin):
             if sl_domain.premium_only and not user.is_premium():
                 LOG.w("%s not premium, cannot use %s", user, sl_domain)
             else:
-                random_email = generate_email(
+                random_email = generate_random_alias_email(
                     scheme=scheme, in_hex=in_hex, alias_domain=sl_domain.domain
                 )
 
         if not random_email:
-            random_email = generate_email(scheme=scheme, in_hex=in_hex)
+            random_email = generate_random_alias_email(scheme=scheme, in_hex=in_hex)
 
         alias = Alias.create(
             user_id=user.id,
diff --git a/tests/test_models.py b/tests/test_models.py
index 1037afec..8b4d6b94 100644
--- a/tests/test_models.py
+++ b/tests/test_models.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ from app.config import EMAIL_DOMAIN, MAX_NB_EMAIL_FREE_PLAN, NOREPLY
 from app.db import Session
 from app.email_utils import parse_full_address, generate_reply_email
 from app.models import (
-    generate_email,
+    generate_random_alias_email,
     Alias,
     Contact,
     Mailbox,
@@ -22,13 +22,13 @@ from tests.utils import login, create_new_user, random_token
 
 
 def test_generate_email(flask_client):
-    email = generate_email()
+    email = generate_random_alias_email()
     assert email.endswith("@" + EMAIL_DOMAIN)
 
     with pytest.raises(ValueError):
         UUID(email.split("@")[0], version=4)
 
-    email_uuid = generate_email(scheme=2)
+    email_uuid = generate_random_alias_email(scheme=2)
     assert UUID(email_uuid.split("@")[0], version=4)