Key Takeaways
- Neutrogena acknowledged that it made longtime ambassador Hayden Panettiere feel “unsupported” during her postpartum depression and said this “is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be,” while offering condolences after her death at 36.
- The brand announced plans for a “significant investment” with a community health partner to expand access to postpartum depression care, crediting Panettiere’s openness about her struggles with sparking important conversations, but did not share specifics on the initiative yet.
- Panettiere had said Neutrogena effectively ended their 2005–2015 partnership after she spoke candidly about postpartum depression on TV, a claim that resurfaced and fueled criticism following her August 16 death, which remains under investigation with no signs of trauma or foul play reported.
Neutrogena has finally addressed its treatment of Hayden Panettiere, acknowledging that the company made its former ambassador feel “unsupported” during what it called “a very difficult time.” The statement arrived on Thursday, August 20, four days after Panettiere’s death at 36, and after sustained criticism of the skincare brand’s decision nearly a decade earlier not to renew her contract.
“For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community,” the company wrote 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.”
The brand said it delayed responding “out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones” and extended its condolences to everyone who knew her.
Neutrogena also announced plans to make a “significant investment” in a longtime community health partner to expand access to postpartum depression care. The company did not identify the organization, disclose the size of the investment or provide a timeline.
“Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness,” the statement continued. Neutrogena said more details would be released once its plans are finalized.
Panettiere worked with Neutrogena from 2005 to 2015, becoming one of the brand’s defining faces during her rise on Heroes. In a May interview with Jay Shetty, she alleged that company officials wanted to fire her after she discussed postpartum depression during a 2015 appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael.
Her representative intervened, she said, but the brand allowed her contract to expire. “Of all the things that they would fire me over, this is the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me over,” Panettiere recalled.
She said losing the relationships she had built inside the company after 10 years “really broke my heart.”
The interview resurfaced following Panettiere’s death, placing Neutrogena under mounting pressure to explain what happened. Although Thursday’s statement acknowledged her pain, it stopped short of confirming that her postpartum depression disclosure caused the partnership to end.
Panettiere said the subject had come up unexpectedly during the television interview. “I was just being honest,” she told Shetty. “Never for a second did I think that anyone cared or that anyone would have a bad reaction to it. It was my truth.”
Panettiere was found unresponsive at a Greenville, South Carolina, residence on Aug. 16 and pronounced dead after first responders attempted to revive her.
An autopsy found no contributing trauma, and police have reported no evidence of foul play. Her cause and manner of death remain under investigation, with the DEA now assisting local authorities.
