It’s a soft glam moment today for Demetria “Demi” Lovato — dusty pink tones, tufty lashes. Their caramel coated lips have a comic book shine to them, as if highlighted in pure white. Lovato’s shoulders are wrapped in black, and either side of their clavicle is inked in gothic script; one reads “love” and the other “fear.”
The actor and singer recently partnered with Xeomin, the injectable neurotoxin from Merz Aesthetics, to front its Beauty on Your Terms campaign. “It gives me the results that I want for my frown lines, but it also keeps me looking like myself,” Lovato tells Allure over a recent Zoom call, dialing in from the glam room of their Los Angeles home. The interior is a series of contrasts: forest green walls under petal pink curtains; a squiggly mirror on an oriental rug. I know there’s a shampoo bowl sitting just out of frame, thanks to a tour of their home they once gave the press.
Driven directly to Hollywood by the Disney Channel child star vehicle at 15 years old, Lovato gave themselves over to the public. At 31, they’re still returning to their own tastes and preferences; since 2021, Lovato has been vocal about identifying somewhere between the masculine and feminine binary. Back then, they adopted they/them pronouns but has used them interchangeably with she/her since 2023. They are no stranger to self-reflection, having already been the subject of three documentary series on their career; a new one directed by Lovato, called Child Star, is slated to premiere in 2024.
It’s amid all this work that Xeomin’s campaign felt particularly kindred. “It’s all about the importance of being true to who you are, and owning the choices that you make to look and feel your best,” Lovato says. Past faces have included Christina Aguilera and Lovato’s Disney Channel co-star Joe Jonas.
Here, Lovato chats with Allure on a range of beauty-focused topics including at-home facials, their favorite hair mask, and injectables (and how they relate to their mounting existential dread).
The following conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Allure: Was Xeomin your first experience with an injectable neurotoxin?
Demi Lovato: This wasn’t my first experience, but it is the first time where I feel really good about the products that I’m using. Getting older, you’re like, ‘Okay, what can I do to achieve my most confident look?’ I’m not always glammed up, you know? I dress down and I’m more cozy on my days off, with minimal makeup. So I wanted to achieve that natural look.