Neutrogena Admits It Made Hayden Panettiere 'Feel Unsupported' During Postpartum Depression

Neutrogena has acknowledged failing to support actress Hayden Panettiere during a difficult period in her life after the actress' death caused comments she made about her former collaboration with the skincare brand to resurface.

The company addressed the controversy days after Panettiere died at the age of 36, following backlash over her claims that her contract was not renewed after she spoke publicly about postpartum depression.

Panettiere had worked with Neutrogena for about a decade, becoming one of the brand's best-known ambassadors.

In 2015, after the birth of her daughter Kaya, she discussed her experience with postpartum depression during a television appearance while also talking about her storyline on Nashville. She later said the disclosure had serious consequences for her professional relationship with Neutrogena.

Panettiere's Claims Resurface

Panettiere revisited the dispute in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, and during an appearance on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast in May.

In her memoir, Panettiere wrote that she believed Neutrogena ended the partnership after she spoke openly about postpartum depression on Live with Kelly and Michael, and pointed to a morality clause in her contract.

'I had no intention or plan to talk about postpartum depression. 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,' the actress said, adding that her contract was cancelled afterwards.

'Neutrogena cancelled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else,' she wrote in her memoir after sharing the ordeal she had gone through following the C-section birth of her child.

Reports state Panettiere was deeply hurt that the company did not maintain contact with her during that period.

'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 told the podcast host. 'I remember that really breaking my heart.'

Neutrogena Responds After Backlash

Neutrogena addressed the controversy on Thursday, 20 August, acknowledging that Panettiere felt unsupported while going through a difficult period.

In an Instagram post, the company said her experience did not represent the values it wanted to uphold and expressed sadness over her death.

'We are deeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere's passing. For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community. We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time,' the post read. 'This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.'

The company also said Panettiere's decision to discuss her struggles helped encourage conversations around maternal mental health.

Neutrogena said it plans to make a significant financial commitment to a long-standing community health partner to help more women access support, including treatment for postpartum depression.

'Hayden's courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness. 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,' the post on Instagram indicated, adding that further information about the investment would be announced later.