diff --git a/docs/pages/release_notes.md b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
index a6b2776a3f..aea74390ba 100644
--- a/docs/pages/release_notes.md
+++ b/docs/pages/release_notes.md
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ This is a {{ site.pmd.release_type }} release.
     * [#4201](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/4201): \[java] CommentDefaultAccessModifier should consider lombok's @<!-- -->Value
 * java-design
     * [#4200](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/4200): \[java] ClassWithOnlyPrivateConstructorsShouldBeFinal should consider lombok's @<!-- -->Value
+* java-errorprone
+    * [#4172](https://github.com/pmd/pmd/issues/4172): \[java] InvalidLogMessageFormat false positive on externally formatted strings
 
 ### API Changes
 
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/InvalidLogMessageFormatRule.java b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/InvalidLogMessageFormatRule.java
index 2322134244..6f227c94e5 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/InvalidLogMessageFormatRule.java
+++ b/pmd-java/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/InvalidLogMessageFormatRule.java
@@ -262,14 +262,41 @@ public class InvalidLogMessageFormatRule extends AbstractJavaRule {
                 + params.size();
     }
 
-    private boolean isStringFormatCall(ASTExpression node) {
-        if (node.getNumChildren() > 0 && node.getChild(0) instanceof ASTPrimaryExpression
-                && node.getChild(0).getNumChildren() > 0 && node.getChild(0).getChild(0) instanceof ASTPrimaryPrefix
-                && node.getChild(0).getChild(0).getNumChildren() > 0 && node.getChild(0).getChild(0).getChild(0) instanceof ASTName) {
-            String name = node.getChild(0).getChild(0).getChild(0).getImage();
+    /**
+     * Checks for {@code String.format("%s", x)} and {@code "%s".formatted(x)} calls.
+     */
+    private boolean isStringFormatCall(ASTExpression expression) {
+        ASTPrimaryExpression primaryExpression = null;
+        ASTPrimaryPrefix primaryPrefix = null;
+
+        // Check beginning of tree: Expression/PrimaryExpression
+        if (expression.getNumChildren() > 0 && expression.getChild(0) instanceof ASTPrimaryExpression) {
+            primaryExpression = (ASTPrimaryExpression) expression.getChild(0);
+        }
+
+        if (primaryExpression != null
+                && primaryExpression.getNumChildren() > 0 && primaryExpression.getChild(0) instanceof ASTPrimaryPrefix) {
+            primaryPrefix = (ASTPrimaryPrefix) primaryExpression.getChild(0);
+        }
+
+        // check for static String::format calls
+        // Tree: Expression/PrimaryExpression/PrimaryPrefix/Name
+        if (primaryPrefix != null && primaryPrefix.getNumChildren() > 0 && primaryPrefix.getChild(0) instanceof ASTName) {
+            String name = primaryPrefix.getChild(0).getImage();
 
             return "String.format".equals(name) || formatIsStringFormat && "format".equals(name);
         }
+
+        // check for String::formatted calls - this method has been added with Java 15
+        // Tree: //Expression/PrimaryExpression[PrimaryPrefix/Literal[@StringLiteral = true()]]/PrimarySuffix[@Image = 'formatted']
+        if (primaryPrefix != null && primaryPrefix.getNumChildren() > 0 && primaryPrefix.getChild(0) instanceof ASTLiteral) {
+            ASTLiteral literal = (ASTLiteral) primaryPrefix.getChild(0);
+            if (literal.isStringLiteral()
+                && primaryExpression.getNumChildren() > 1 && primaryExpression.getChild(1) instanceof ASTPrimarySuffix) {
+                ASTPrimarySuffix primarySuffix = (ASTPrimarySuffix) primaryExpression.getChild(1);
+                return "formatted".equals(primarySuffix.getImage());
+            }
+        }
         return false;
     }
 
diff --git a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/InvalidLogMessageFormat.xml b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/InvalidLogMessageFormat.xml
index e4c09ae77f..836e4adc1f 100644
--- a/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/InvalidLogMessageFormat.xml
+++ b/pmd-java/src/test/resources/net/sourceforge/pmd/lang/java/rule/errorprone/xml/InvalidLogMessageFormat.xml
@@ -1085,4 +1085,22 @@ public class Foo {
 }
         ]]></code>
     </test-code>
+
+    <test-code>
+        <description>[java] InvalidLogMessageFormat false positive on externally formatted strings #4172</description>
+        <expected-problems>0</expected-problems>
+        <code><![CDATA[
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+
+public class Foo {
+    private static final Logger LOGGER = LoggerFactory.getLogger(Foo.class);
+    public void bar() {
+        String msg = "Got kafka msg, headers=%s, body=%s".formatted(headers, new String(body, UTF_8));
+        LOGGER.info(msg);
+        return msg;
+    }
+}
+]]></code>
+    </test-code>
 </test-data>