Neutrogena has responded to mounting criticism and boycott threats following the death of actress Hayden Panettiere, acknowledging that the company failed to support the actress during a difficult period in her life and has plans to invest in women’s health initiatives.
Panettiere died on Aug. 16 after suffering cardiac arrest from a possible overdose. The actress had been a longtime face of the skin care brand. The actress served as its global ambassador for roughly a decade, beginning in the mid-2000s.
In her 2026 memoir, "This Is Me: A Reckoning," and in a May interview on the "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" podcast, Panettiere said Neutrogena abruptly ended her long-standing contract after she publicly discussed her struggle with postpartum depression following the 2014 birth of her daughter, Kaya.
She alleged that Neutorgena executives viewed her public comments as a violation of the brand’s expectations and dropped her as a global ambassador, making her feel abandoned by the company that she worked with for so many years, according to the actress.
Notably, the brand has never publicly confirmed her claim that her contract was ended specifically because she discussed postpartum depression.
But the controversy once again reemerged after the actress died at 36 years old, with her fans on social media calling for a boycott of the brand. Women filmed themselves throwing out Neutrogena skincare products in the trash and criticizing the company over their failure to support her.
Now, the skincare brand is praising Panettiere's bravery in speaking out and vowed to carry on her mission in bringing awareness to women’s issues.
“Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness,” the company said. “We are making a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression. We will share more details with this community when plans are in place.”
Fans also criticized Neutrogena for staying silent following Panettiere's death, but the company explained that it had initially refrained from commenting after she died out of respect for her family and loved ones.