An ongoing controversy surrounding Neutrogena, the skincare brand, has resurfaced following the recent passing of Hayden Panettiere.
Panettiere, known for her roles in various TV shows and as a former global brand ambassador for Neutrogena from 2005 to 2015, had a public battle with postpartum depression after giving birth to her daughter in late 2014.
During an appearance on the talk show Live with Kelly and Michael in 2015, Panettiere openly discussed her struggles with postpartum depression, after which her collaboration with Neutrogena came to an end.
In a recent podcast interview with Jay Shetty, Panettiere claimed that Neutrogena attempted to terminate her contract in 2015 due to her comments on postpartum depression, citing a morality clause violation. Despite her representative’s intervention, she believed she would not be asked back to represent Neutrogena the following year.
Fans and co-stars mourned the death of 36-year-old actor Hayden Panettiere, best known for roles in Heroes and Nashville. Police are investigating the cause of her death, but said there are no signs of foul play.
Panettiere expressed her disappointment in the lack of communication from Neutrogena following the 2015 incident, highlighting the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding postpartum depression in society.
CBC News reached out to Neutrogena’s parent company, Kenvue, for further insights into the termination of Panettiere’s partnership, but received no response.
In 2018, Panettiere entrusted full custody of her daughter to her former fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, due to her struggles with addiction and postpartum depression.
Fan boycott
After the podcast episode detailing Panettiere’s experience, fans initiated a boycott against Neutrogena. One beauty influencer even incorporated the podcast audio in a video titled “Neutrogena hates women!”
Following Panettiere’s recent demise, fans have reignited their criticism towards Neutrogena.
For the past few days, they have flooded Neutrogena’s Instagram and Threads accounts, demanding a public response from the company regarding the allegations.
User kelseycombe commented on Threads, “Hey so you should probably address the fact that you fired Hayden Panettiere after she spoke out about her battles with postpartum depression … and now she’s dead,” garnering over 70,000 likes.
“So @neutrogena wanna tell us what’s wrong with post partum depression?” read a top comment on Neut