diff --git a/packages/react-is/src/ReactIs.js b/packages/react-is/src/ReactIs.js
index cee716e0bfffe..4418759a9b233 100644
--- a/packages/react-is/src/ReactIs.js
+++ b/packages/react-is/src/ReactIs.js
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   REACT_PROVIDER_TYPE,
   REACT_STRICT_MODE_TYPE,
 } from 'shared/ReactSymbols';
+import isValidElementType from 'shared/isValidElementType';
 
 export function typeOf(object: any) {
   if (typeof object === 'object' && object !== null) {
@@ -62,6 +63,8 @@ export const Fragment = REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE;
 export const Portal = REACT_PORTAL_TYPE;
 export const StrictMode = REACT_STRICT_MODE_TYPE;
 
+export {isValidElementType};
+
 export function isAsyncMode(object: any) {
   return typeOf(object) === REACT_ASYNC_MODE_TYPE;
 }
diff --git a/packages/react-is/src/__tests__/ReactIs-test.js b/packages/react-is/src/__tests__/ReactIs-test.js
index ab7f6e0d4c24f..e4ce5074b1a93 100644
--- a/packages/react-is/src/__tests__/ReactIs-test.js
+++ b/packages/react-is/src/__tests__/ReactIs-test.js
@@ -31,6 +31,42 @@ describe('ReactIs', () => {
     expect(ReactIs.typeOf(undefined)).toBe(undefined);
   });
 
+  it('identifies valid element types', () => {
+    class Component extends React.Component {
+      render() {
+        return React.createElement('div');
+      }
+    }
+
+    const StatelessComponent = () => React.createElement('div');
+
+    const ForwardRefComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) =>
+      React.createElement(Component, {forwardedRef: ref, ...props}),
+    );
+
+    const Context = React.createContext(false);
+
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType('div')).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(Component)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(StatelessComponent)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(ForwardRefComponent)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(Context.Provider)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(Context.Consumer)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(React.createFactory('div'))).toEqual(
+      true,
+    );
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(React.Fragment)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(React.unstable_AsyncMode)).toEqual(true);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(React.StrictMode)).toEqual(true);
+
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(true)).toEqual(false);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(123)).toEqual(false);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType({})).toEqual(false);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(null)).toEqual(false);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType(undefined)).toEqual(false);
+    expect(ReactIs.isValidElementType({type: 'div', props: {}})).toEqual(false);
+  });
+
   it('should identify async mode', () => {
     expect(ReactIs.typeOf(<React.unstable_AsyncMode />)).toBe(
       ReactIs.AsyncMode,
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js b/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js
index fff09423d3e04..c7fdad83ed1ed 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js
+++ b/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js
@@ -14,16 +14,9 @@
 
 import lowPriorityWarning from 'shared/lowPriorityWarning';
 import describeComponentFrame from 'shared/describeComponentFrame';
+import isValidElementType from 'shared/isValidElementType';
 import getComponentName from 'shared/getComponentName';
-import {
-  getIteratorFn,
-  REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE,
-  REACT_STRICT_MODE_TYPE,
-  REACT_ASYNC_MODE_TYPE,
-  REACT_PROVIDER_TYPE,
-  REACT_CONTEXT_TYPE,
-  REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE,
-} from 'shared/ReactSymbols';
+import {getIteratorFn, REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE} from 'shared/ReactSymbols';
 import checkPropTypes from 'prop-types/checkPropTypes';
 import warning from 'fbjs/lib/warning';
 
@@ -288,18 +281,7 @@ function validateFragmentProps(fragment) {
 }
 
 export function createElementWithValidation(type, props, children) {
-  const validType =
-    typeof type === 'string' ||
-    typeof type === 'function' ||
-    // Note: its typeof might be other than 'symbol' or 'number' if it's a polyfill.
-    type === REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE ||
-    type === REACT_ASYNC_MODE_TYPE ||
-    type === REACT_STRICT_MODE_TYPE ||
-    (typeof type === 'object' &&
-      type !== null &&
-      (type.$$typeof === REACT_PROVIDER_TYPE ||
-        type.$$typeof === REACT_CONTEXT_TYPE ||
-        type.$$typeof === REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE));
+  const validType = isValidElementType(type);
 
   // We warn in this case but don't throw. We expect the element creation to
   // succeed and there will likely be errors in render.
diff --git a/packages/shared/isValidElementType.js b/packages/shared/isValidElementType.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..7a333c8c11ac4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/shared/isValidElementType.js
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2016-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @flow
+ */
+
+import {
+  REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE,
+  REACT_ASYNC_MODE_TYPE,
+  REACT_STRICT_MODE_TYPE,
+  REACT_PROVIDER_TYPE,
+  REACT_CONTEXT_TYPE,
+  REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE,
+} from 'shared/ReactSymbols';
+
+export default function isValidElementType(type: mixed) {
+  return (
+    typeof type === 'string' ||
+    typeof type === 'function' ||
+    // Note: its typeof might be other than 'symbol' or 'number' if it's a polyfill.
+    type === REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE ||
+    type === REACT_ASYNC_MODE_TYPE ||
+    type === REACT_STRICT_MODE_TYPE ||
+    (typeof type === 'object' &&
+      type !== null &&
+      (type.$$typeof === REACT_PROVIDER_TYPE ||
+        type.$$typeof === REACT_CONTEXT_TYPE ||
+        type.$$typeof === REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE))
+  );
+}