Celebrities generally fall into one of two camps when it comes to plastic surgery. You have the outspoken advocates, quick to speak (and post) about anything and everything they do to their faces and bodies, and you have the stars who remain conspicuously quiet about their appearance—even when there are noticeable changes. But there’s another, smaller subset of celebrities who have gone so far as to state flat out that they’ve never gone under the knife or (Botox or filler) needle.
Ultimately, there’s no way of knowing for sure that the celebrities claiming to be completely natural are telling the truth. “The pressure to maintain a youthful appearance is high in Hollywood. It’s possible that some celebrities maintain their looks through excellent genetics, skin care, and healthy lifestyles, but minimally invasive procedures are quite common in the industry,” points out Dr. Jason Champagne, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California, who treats many celebrity clients.
Dr. Champagne also notes that while patient privacy, of course, applies across the board, it’s always a good thing when celebrities are open and honest. “Transparency about cosmetic procedures can help set realistic beauty standards. When celebrities are open about their treatments, it can promote a better understanding and acceptance of aesthetic enhancements, and help people make informed decisions about their own cosmetic options,” he says.
Here’s what celebs who deny plastic surgery and/or injectables have to say.
Kate Beckinsale
The 50-year-old actress slapped back at plastic surgery speculation in a since deleted Instagram post. “Every time I post anything—and by the way, this has been the case since I was about 30—I am accused of having had unrecognisable surgery/using Botox using fillers/being obsessed with looking younger, and it’s really such a tiresome and subtly vicious way to bully a person. I don’t actually do any of those things. I’ve even gone to the trouble of having a plastic surgeon categorically state that I don’t and haven’t, and still, every time there’s a chorus of ‘My God, you’re unrecognisable,’ ‘Oh my God PLASTIC,’ ‘Oh my God, you don’t even look like yourself anymore.’ It happens constantly,” she wrote.
Paris Hilton
During an episode of the Call Your Daddy podcast, Hilton attributed her appearance to an obsession with skin care, sharing that she even has a full-on spa—with cryotherapy and HydraFacial machines, among other high-tech features—in her home. She then went on to deny having even injectables. “I’ve never done any Botox, I’ve never done a filler, I’m 100% natural,” she said.
Drew Barrymore
In an interview with People, Barrymore said she hasn’t had any plastic surgery–yet. “I haven’t done anything, and I’m going to maintain that as long as possible. I have zero judgment for anyone doing anything. But I don’t see myself resorting to it,” the 49-year-old actress and TV host told the magazine. She also explained why she’s holding off. “I have a highly addictive personality, so I worry I’d continue to chase it, get this and that done. That scares me, just because of my own approach to things. So I’m waiting on making any alterations.”
Sarah Paulson
In an interview with Interview magazine, Paulson said that not using injectables is part of the reason anyone can so clearly tell her age. “Well, since I don’t shoot anything into my face at this particular juncture, I imagine everyone knows I’m 49,” she said.
Emma Thompson
When asked if she’s ever considered plastic surgery, the 65-year-old actress didn’t mince words. “Why would you do that to yourself, I simply don’t understand. I do honestly think the cutting of yourself off to put it in another place in order to avoid appearing to do what you’re actually doing, which is aging, which is completely natural, is a form of collective psychosis. I really do think it’s a very strange thing to do,” she said in a 2022 interview, adding that this has long been her stance.
Meryl Streep
Streep has long been anti-plastic surgery and has said that Botox is detrimental for many of her fellow actors. “It’s a thing my eye always goes to—the non-movement,” Streep said at a speaking engagement at Indiana University. “Your eye usually goes to the anomaly. You’re not sure what it is, but something isn’t quite right.” She also told Vanity Fair, “When I see it in people I meet, it’s like an interruption in communication with them. It’s like a flag in front of the view, and that, for an actor, is like wearing a veil—it’s not a good thing.”
Paulina Porizkova
“This is a 58 year old face without fillers, Botox or surgery in good light with professional gorgeous makeup,” Porizkova captioned an Instagram video, in which she also showed how she looked completely makeup-free. The model did say she’s done Ultherapy and Morpheus8 but that she’s chosen not to put anything “into” her face.
Salma Hayek
Hayek, 57, attributes her youthful appearance to a combination of frequency machines and meditation—not injectables. “No Botox!” she said on an episode of Kelly Ripa’s Let’s Talk Off Camera podcast.
