Neutrogena breaks silence on Hayden Panettiere death after days of fury and boycott calls: ‘Made her feel unsupported’

In a statement shared across its social media channels, the company said: “We are deeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere’s passing.

“For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community.”

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The brand conceded that it had left her feeling abandoned, stating: “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.”

Comments on the company’s older posts have been inundated with criticism, calls for a boycott, and demands for accountability.

The Nashville and Heroes star revealed the circumstances of her departure from Neutrogena in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning.

She wrote that the company ended their partnership after she went public about seeking mental health treatment for postpartum depression, which followed the birth of her daughter, Kaya, in 2014.

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Ms Panettiere had served as the face of the skincare brand for roughly a decade before being let go.

In the book, she described the termination as devastating, writing: “Neutrogena cancelled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”

Her death prompted those remarks, along with several interviews in which she discussed the episode, to recirculate widely online.

During one of her last podcast interviews before her death, Ms Panettiere spoke to Jay Shetty in May about the shock of learning that her public comments about postpartum depression had been deemed a breach of her contract’s morality clause.

“Neutrogena was a huge part of my life,” Ms Panettiere recalled.

“I had the morals clauses, they caught absolutely everything. And of all the things that they would fire me over, this is the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me for.”

She went on to describe how her representative at the time pushed back against the decision, telling her: “That’s illegal. You can’t do that.”

Despite that intervention saving her position temporarily, Ms Panettiere said she understood the relationship was effectively over, adding: “I knew that that was going to be it. I was not going to be invited back the next year.”

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As part of its statement, Neutrogena pledged to make a “significant investment to a long-standing community health partner” in support of women’s health initiatives, though it said further details would be shared once plans had been finalised.

The company also sought to explain why it had waited several days before commenting publicly, saying: “Out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones, we did not want to speak out so soon following her passing.

“Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her.”

The brand disabled comments on its new post, even as its earlier content continued to attract a torrent of angry responses.

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The cause of Ms Panettiere’s death has not yet been made public.

Social media users were quick to share their thoughts on the beauty brand’s statement.

“And why wasn’t there an apology when she was still here?” one critic asked, as another penned: “I speak on everyone’s behalf when I say WE DON’T ACCEPT THIS FAKE APOLOGY, they can keep it.”

A third said: “So they waited for her to die before apologising.”

Another called the apology “Too little, too late”.

However, one person offered a more optimistic perspective, saying: “The most important part now is what happens beyond the statement. If Hayden’s experience can lead to stronger support for women and better access to postpartum care, then her openness can continue to create meaningful change.”