Neutrogena has responded to backlash from fans after comments Hayden Panettiere made about the brand on a podcast earlier this year resurfaced following her death on August 16.
“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 wrote in a statement posted to Instagram Thursday.
The “Heroes” star worked with the skincare brand from 2005 to 2015, before their long-standing relationship ended.
Panettiere said she thought it was due to her comments about living with postpartum depression. During her May 2026 appearance on “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” Panetierre said that Neutrogena was a “huge part” of her life, but her contract was canceled after a 2015 appearance on “Live with Kelly and Michael” where she opened up about her experience with PPD.
“I had no intention or plan to talk about postpartum depression,” she said. “It just came up, and I was just being honest, and never for a second did I think that anyone cared or that anyone would have a bad reaction to it.”
She explained that she had a morals clause in her contract with Neutrogena, but never thought it would be exercised after her comments.
“When I got that call that Neutrogena wanted to fire me over that, and my representative at the time said, ‘That’s illegal, you can’t do that,’ I knew that that was gonna be it. That I was not gonna be invited back the next year, and I had worked with those people for 10 years,” she said on the podcast, adding that she never heard from anyone at Neutrogena again.
She added, “I remember that really breaking my heart.”
Panettiere died Sunday at age 36. By Monday, her comments about the brand went viral, with some of her fans taking to social media to drag the skincare brand.
Neutrogena said in their statement that they waited a few days to address the controversy intentionally, writing that they are “deeply saddened” by her death.
“Out of respect for Hayden’s family and loved ones, we did not want to speak out so soon following her passing,” the statement said, adding that the brand plans to make a “significant investment” in an organization to help women in need, including care for PPD.
“Everyone at Neutrogena extends their deepest condolences to Hayden’s family and all who loved her,” the statement concluded.
