The skincare and cosmetics brand Neutrogena acknowledged making longtime spokeswoman Hayden Panettiere feel “unsupported” and pledged a significant investment in women’s health after it faced backlash and boycott calls following the actress’s death.
Fans of Panettiere turned on the brand after her claims about Neutrogena’s response to her publicly discussing postpartum depression resurfaced on social media.
“For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community,” the brand wrote in a statement shared on Instagram. “We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time. This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.”
“Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness,” the post continued. “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.”
At least one crisis PR manager says this is the exact wrong move for Neutrogena.
“Neutrogena employed an outdated and simplistic PR playbook that will only make its reputation problems worse,” said crisis communications expert Evan Nierman.
He continued, “Offering a post-mortem apology paired with a charitable donation is cynical and unconvincing. In our cancel culture world, public apologies when the mob demands your cancellation are usually the wrong move because you satisfy nobody, confirm that their criticism of you was well-deserved, and earn no credit for conceding.”
The “Nashville” star was the face of Neutrogena for a decade, from 2005 until 2015. In Panettiere’s 2026 memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” she said that the partnership ended due to comments she made about her experience with PPD.
Panettiere said the subject came up unexpectedly during a 2015 appearance on “Live! with Kelly and Michael” and that she spoke honestly about her experience following the birth of her daughter in December 2014.
She wrote in the memoir, “Neutrogena canceled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”
Following Panettiere’s recent death, fans on Reddit, TikTok, and other social media platforms called for a boycott of the skincare brand. They also flooded Neutrogena’s social media accounts with derogatory comments and suggestions for alternative brands.
“Friends don’t let friends go to bed without removing their makeup,” a post from the brand says. “Friends don’t drop friends when they’re suffering, but hey,” one commenter replied.
“What Neutrogena did to Hayden Panettiere is absolutely heartbreaking. A woman openly speaking about postpartum depression… something SO many women experience… should have been met with compassion, support, and a brand using its platform to help break the stigma,” another comment on a different post says.
Panettiere, best known for her roles in “Nashville,” “Heroes,” and “Remember the Titans,” was found unresponsive Sunday afternoon at an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, where she had been temporarily staying. An investigation into the death is ongoing.
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