Forget over-filled, frozen faces. The 2025 beauty aesthetic favours a more ‘natural’ look.
There’s a phenomenon sweeping Hollywood.
Actresses and A-listers are stepping out looking like refreshed, rejuvenated versions of themselves and it’s becoming harder and harder to place why.
Consumers are better informed now than ever – able to
“The old adage that ‘age is just a number’ has never been more true,” says reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon Dr Tristan de Chalain.
“The early deployment and judicious use of the constantly broadening range of skincare products, healthy lifestyle choices and appropriate treatments, both surgical and non-surgical, means that people can, if they choose, stay looking relatively ageless for increasingly longer periods,” he says.
This alludes to the “undetectable era” of aesthetics where patients are seeking results so subtle and natural looking that they don’t immediately suggest surgery or injectables.
Undetectable aesthetics is the antithesis of the “Instagram face” trend of the late 2010s, an era characterised by fox-eye Instagram filters and airbrushed FaceTune apps.
“There has been a really noticeable shift in appearance medicine trends over the past five years,” observes registered nurse and founder of MediHealth Aesthetics Nikki Blackley.
“If you look back at magazines, social media and photos of patients around 2019, [the look] was a very augmented face characterised by exaggerated lips, frozen foreheads and ultra-defined features,” she says.
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Advertise with NZME.But in 2025, Blackley says overfilled faces have given way to a demand for a more natural look, one that enhances natural features and looks fresh – not frozen.
Hollywood’s influence
The term “undetectable aesthetics” was first coined by double board-certified plastic surgeon Dr Prem Tripathi who took to TikTok to explain the movement.
Not solely a trend or fad, Dr Tripathi explains this is the time in aesthetics that professionals working in the industry have “hoped and waited for”.
“The procedures people are having done to their face are not detectable. If you don’t believe me, check out Christina Aguilera’s page. She basically looks like she did in 2002.”
He’s referencing the now-viral video of the pop star during a performance in Osaka late last year. Stepping out in a cosplay ensemble with slicked-back hair and shimmering makeup, the Dirrty singer didn’t just look “good” for her age (she’s 43), she looked at least 20 years younger.
Curiosity unfolded in the comments section, with many TikTok users quick to ask for the name of her surgeon or uncover which procedures could help them achieve a similar result.
But Christina isn’t the only one who’s stepped out recently looking decades younger than her biological age, with Lindsay Lohan’s refreshed appearance a swift 180-degree pivot from her puffy cheeks and overfilled lips of years gone by.
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Advertise with NZME.Now, the actress’ glow-up suggests a multi-level approach to “flawlessness”, a fusion of several injectables, lasers and surgeries for results that appear plump – not pillowy.
While it’s difficult to predict exactly what these Hollywood A-listers have had done, cosmetic doctor and international trainer Dr Sarah Hart says she believes both Lindsay and Christina have undergone deep-plane facelifts, which involve repositioning the underlying facial muscles and gently re-draping the skin, providing a visible lift to the cheeks and jawline without creating tension.
She adds: “These procedures often incorporate fat transfer, where the stem cells in the fat can improve quality and texture, offering a noticeable rejuvenation.”
Dr Hart suggests both celebrities have required treatments to restore definition as a result of losing significant amounts of weight quickly. Her observations point to what’s now known as “Ozempic face”, where rapid weight loss can accelerate facial ageing.
In place of her “bulky lip filler” of the past, Lindsay’s new lips have been carefully injected with filler in the right anatomical plane, Dr Hart says.
“The key to great filler is precision – injecting the right amount in the right location so it moves harmoniously with the tissue, giving a sculpted look that captures the light beautifully,” she says.
“Both Lindsay and Christina now have fuller, more defined lips, which suggest expertly done lip filler, giving them a youthful fullness that enhances their striking features. It’s all about balance and technique to create a refreshed, radiant appearance.”
The growing emphasis on skin quality
The onslaught of medical advancements in the dermatological field has made the undetectable aesthetics era even more possible.
Skin boosters, including polynucleotides (DNA) and Profhilo (hyaluronic acid), are two examples of injectable tweakments that claim to work with the skin’s own collagen production for what’s now perceived as a more “natural” option than filler.
Blackley says where once injectables dominated the conversation, there’s equal (if not greater) emphasis on skin health. “Rather than relying on fillers to plump up the skin, patients now focus on improving its texture, elasticity and radiance,” she says.
This has given rise to the next wave of regenerative treatments that stimulates the body’s own natural processes to rejuvenate and repair skin, says Emily Stevenson, head of research and development at Caci.
“Bio-stimulation treatments like collagen-stimulating injectables and regenerative skin treatments help improve the skin quality over time by boosting collagen production and slowing the ageing process through the stimulation of the body’s cells,” she says.
Stevenson adds such treatments are “groundbreaking” for how they aid the skin’s natural ability to regenerate and repair itself, explaining the field is touted by industry insiders as “the future of appearance medicine”.
The growing emphasis on skin quality is exciting to Camille Belle, an advanced nurse injector and owner of Auckland appearance medicine clinic Belle Aesthetics.
She likens skin to a canvas, emphasising that skin health should be the primary focus when it comes to addressing the visible signs of ageing.
Think of skin boosters as “injectable facials”, Belle says, describing their effect: “They work on the deeper layers of the skin to stimulate collagen, promote cell turnover, hydrate, assist in repairing scar tissue, sun damage and more.”
“The rise of skin boosters that promote skin hydration and health without creating any change to face shape or structure – these are great for those that want the benefits of hyaluronic acid hydration without the volume aspect,” she says.
Both Stevenson and Belle recognise Profhilo as an industry leader, citing its positive long-term effects having been used in the UK for more than a decade and in Aotearoa since 2020.
A fresh approach to injecting
Dermal filler still has its place, Dr Hart says, but explains these days patients are hyper-aware of the overdone “Insta-Face” look with exaggerated lips and cheeks (which she says can make someone look older or appear unnatural).
“[Patients] know it can last for years, and many now recognise the way overly augmented cheeks can obscure the eyes when smiling, or how poorly placed filler can ‘migrate’ over time,” she says.
Instead, the approach to injectables now is about micro-dosing, says Dr de Chalain, pointing to the shift in preference towards a light sprinkle of neuromodulators like Botox to tailor the result to desired effect – like maintaining facial movement while smoothing wrinkles.
This is also true for Dr Hart, who advocates for a “soft filler technique” or using small amounts, built up gradually and monitoring progress using clinical photography. She explains precision is key – injecting facial compartments and being cautious about how filler moves and settles over time.
“Our doctors at NZSCM [New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine] undergo two years of specialised training, focusing on facial anatomy, ligaments and the various facial compartments where filler should be placed. This ensures that the filler is used correctly and lasts as long as possible. It’s all about achieving natural, subtle enhancements over time rather than quick, dramatic changes,” Dr Hart says.
Belle agrees overfilling the face can be ageing and instead suggests filler be used to enhance, soften or balance natural features without looking obvious or overdone.
Facial balance, too, is something to consider and Belle says someone with fine features should be wary about a bigger lip because this would throw out facial symmetry too much.
Dermal filler remains one of Belle’s most requested in-clinic treatments, especially in the jawline, cheeks and temples for lift and definition, which she says can indirectly treat areas of the midface like jowls, nasolabial folds and marionette lines, too.
Dr de Chalaiin, a self-proclaimed “old school” surgeon, explains he still favours a patient’s own fat, platelets and stem cells as injectables, adding he believes these are “the best biologically active components of a non-surgical treatment programme”. Think platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections, autologous fat grafting or stem cell therapy.
The rise of non-invasive treatments
There’s good news for those who wish to eschew injectables, and options abound in the form of laser treatments or chemical peels that are also said to help boost collagen production in the skin, leaving it both stronger and healthier, all without any obvious signs of facial enhancement, Stevenson says.
Blackley has seen an uptick in patients requesting treatments that don’t involve injecting a product, like ultrasound-based skin tightening and laser treatments for skin rejuvenation.
Cosmeceutical-grade skincare will also continue to bridge the gap between cosmetics and surgery, Dr de Chalain says.
He explains topical skincare containing ingredients like hyper-dilute calcium, peptide sera, retinol and other nutritional boosters like hyaluronic acid and vitamin C mimic the effects of injectable skin boosters by stimulating collagen synthesis in the skin.
The downside of undetectable beauty
Never has Hollywood’s obsession with youth and perfection been depicted quite so powerfully as Coralie Fargeat’s body horror, The Substance.
The 2024 film spotlights fading aerobics instructor Elisabeth Sparkle at a crossroads in her career who receives an anonymous tip-off about an injectable that stimulates cellular division – creating a “younger, more beautiful, more perfect” version of the self.
Together, Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley play opposites as two halves of a divided self as they grapple with the seven-day balance of reality and host.
What ensues is truly grotesque, but is central to The Substance’s core message of ageism, or the devaluation of women as they age – old is consumed by young.
While Demi’s horrifying performance earned her an Oscar nomination, it feels slightly unbelievable that someone who looks like she does at age 62 would want to body swap – her wrinkle-free appearance belies conventional beauty standards.
Is there such a thing as ageing gracefully when all we see is women in their early 60s who look as good as they did in their 30s?
So, what’s next?
Looking ahead, Stevenson is enthusiastic about the future of aesthetic medicine, with technological advancements in the space poised to propel the industry forward at a rapid pace.
Beyond 2025, Stevenson predicts: “AI-powered diagnostics, virtual consultations, genetic testing and smart skincare devices are likely to be at the forefront, enabling highly personalised treatment plans to be developed.”
She says the future of topical skincare will zero in on targeted skincare solutions, like custom-made serums or bespoke in-clinic treatments based on a patient’s unique biology and preference.
An approach such as this could prove a game-changer as far as less-invasive options options go, helping achieve natural, long-lasting results. The future of beauty reflects that the undetectable era of aesthetics is here to stay, not a passing fad but a shift in patient expectations.
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