The death of Hayden Panettiere is resurfacing comments the actor made about her past partnership with Neutrogena, which she said ended after she spoke out about dealing with postpartum depression.
Panettiere, who died at age 36 on Sunday, was a spokesperson for the beauty and skin care company beginning in 2006, appearing in multiple commercials and ad campaigns for products like face wash. In her 2026 memoirThis Is Me: A Reckoning, Panettiere said that her relationship with Neutrogena played a major role in how she behaved during her teen years in Hollywood, due in part to their “strict morality clause” and “squeaky clean product identity.”
“My relationship with Neutrogena helped dictate every outfit I wore, every hair and makeup choice, and how I acted when I was out on the town,” she said. “I never let the paparazzi see me holding a drink — underage Neutrogena girls didn’t do that — and while I didn’t force myself to dress modestly, I never showed too much skin. I started walking through my life playing the role of Hayden Panettiere, Neutrogena Girl, and, at times, that was a high standard impossible to uphold. Once again, I couldn’t stand to let anyone down.”
However, in a May appearance on Jay Shetty’s podcastOn Purpose, she said that the brand attempted to drop her after she shared in a 2015 interview onLive! with Kelly and Michael that she was diagnosed with postpartum depression following the birth of her daughter the year prior.
Panettiere said the brand was a “huge part” of her life, and that though Neutrogena had morality clauses that “caught absolutely everything,” she said that being fired for talking publicly about postpartum depression was “the last thing that I thought they would ever fire me for.”
Panettiere told Shetty that her representatives told Neutrogena that firing her for disclosing her PPD diagnosis was “illegal,” and that, ultimately, her representative “saved the day” and kept Panettiere under contract. However, the actor said she knew she was “not going to be invited back the next year” to work with Neutrogena again.
“I had worked with these people for 10 years and I remember not hearing a word from anybody,” Panettiere recalled. “I remember that really breaking my heart.”
Yahoo has reached out to Neutrogena for comment.
What fans are saying online
Postpartum depression is common, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting that 1 in 8 women who recently gave birth experience symptoms — and rates have doubled in the last decade.
Postpartum depression, according to the Cleveland Clinic, is a type of mood disorder that can occur after giving birth, fueled by both hormonal and lifestyle changes that come with having a baby. While the so-called “baby blues” impact 3 out of 4 women who give birth, postpartum depression refers to more extreme symptoms that impact daily life.
In the wake of Panettiere’s death, some fans are speaking out against Neutrogena. “Reminder that Neutrogena fired Hayden Panettiere as a brand ambassador because she candidly spoke about her experience with postpartum depression on a talk show,” one person wrote on X alongside one of Panettiere’s commercials for the company. “Neutrogena hates women!”
Another wrote on the social media platform, “Did you know she was fired from Neutrogena for discussing Postpartum Depression? Looks like I won’t be using Neutrogena in the future. The stigma is real.”
A third said in regard to Panettiere’s situation that “women who share their disability and mental health issues are almost always silenced.”
“There’s always consequences,” they said. “It’s why sharing our stories is so important.”
